Valentine’s Day is here and you might find yourself buying (or wishing you had remembered to buy) a Valentine’s Day present. A classic romantic present involves gold, diamonds, and sometimes both. And both diamonds and gold seem at first blush to have a lot in common.
Chinese investors are turning to gold.
China Daily called the demand for gold “robust” through the first three quarters of 2023 and said it is expected to continue “as economic and geopolitical uncertainties may drive up investors’ purchases of safe-haven assets.”
The global precious metals market is on pace to top $400 billion within the next five years.
According to Fortune Business Insights, an India-based consultancy company, the precious metals market is on pace to hit $403.1 billion by 2028, driven primarily by the gold market. This is up from $275 billion in 2021.
Jewelry production is an important driver of overall silver demand. In 2022, the amount of silver used in jewelry was up around 29% as overall silver demand hit record levels. Silver jewelry production used around 235 million ounces of silver.
And according to a recent survey by the Silver Institute, silver jewelry sales are on the rise.
There are a lot of great places you can buy gold jewelry. And then there are some places you should absolutely not buy gold jewelry.
Investment demand for gold set a new record in 2020, but it was not enough to offset a big drop in consumer demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gold demand was up substantially in both ETFs, and for gold bars and coins
Overall, gold demand fell to 3,759 tons in 2020, according to the Gold Demand Trends Full Year and Q4 2020 report by the World Gold Council. That was a 14% drop in annual demand.
But despite the weak overall demand, the price of gold set a record in dollar terms last year and briefly pushed above $2,000 an ounce.
Demand for silver jewelry is expected to rebound sharply in 2021, according to a report released by the Silver Institute.
The COVID-19 pandemic crushed silver jewelry demand this year. The economic slowdown, coupled with record silver prices in India and higher US dollar prices, is expected to drive a 23% decline in silver jewelry demand in 2020. But the Silver Institute report anticipates a bounceback in 2021, with a projected 13% recovery even with the expectation of higher silver prices.
Gold is the third-most consistently bought investment globally.
This was just one of many findings in the World Gold Council’s recently released consumer research report that revealed a strong global gold market with the potential for future growth.
Globally, there are clear perceptions of gold as a safe, durable, traditional store of value. As an investment, it plays to these strengths – retail investors buy it to protect wealth and create long term returns. Jewelry buyers treasure it for sentimental reasons and as a reward for success.”
Global gold demand grew by 4% in 2018, driven by a multi-decade high in central bank buying, according to the World Gold Council’s Gold Demand Trends 2018 Report.
Gold demand came in at 4,345.1 tons in 2018. That was up from 4,159.9 tons the previous year. This was in line with the five-year average growth.
Bling isn’t really my thing. But a lot of people enjoy sporting gold jewelry. Well, a 36-year-old businessman in Vietnam takes bling to a whole new level.
Tran Ngoc Phuc wears a total of 13kg of gold wherever he goes. If you don’t have your kilograms to pounds calculator handy, that about 28.7 pounds of gold.
