World Gold Council (a gold lobby group) Q1 report, in brief:
- total global gold demand was +3% y/y, hitting 1,238 tonnes (WGC says this is the strongest first quarter since 2016)
- WGC cite over-the-counter (OTC) investor market buying, persistent central bank buying, higher demand from Asian buyers
- central banks bought 290 tonnes in Q1
- gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs) continued to see outflows
- China demand - renewed investor interest due to the weakening local currency and poorly performing domestic equity markets
- People’s Bank of China (PBOC) bought 27 tonnes of gold in the first three months of the year, taking its reserves to a record high of 2,262 tonnes
- China’s stockpiling was probably an effort to guard its economy against Western sanctions in the event of a conflict over Taiwan
- demand for gold in technology recovered 10 per cent year-on-year driven by the artificial intelligence boom in the electronics sector
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