Sudden Scramble For Gold In China Sends Premiums To 3 Year High

While paper gold traders can’t seem to dump the precious metal fast enough, physical gold demand is soaring around the world. India retail premiums are spiking (amid demonetization), local China premiums soar to a 3-year-high (as capital controls loom), and coin sales from the US Mint have risen for the 4th straight month, accelerating post-election to thehighest since July 2015 since Trump’s victory at the election.
Following the initial panic-buying across India after Modi’s demonetization effort shook the nation’s faith in fiat currency (sending local gold premiums soaring), news of reported gold import curbs in China (and looming capital controls) has sent gold premiums in China near three-year highs amid limited supply of the precious metal (as Reuters reports)…
The import curbs may be part of China’s efforts to limit outflows of the yuan after the currency’s slide to its weakest in more than eight years, traders say. China allows only 15 banks to import gold, including three foreign lenders.

This post was published at Zero Hedge on Dec 2, 2016.