World Gold Demand Hits Record High In 2012

World Gold Council 2012 Report:

Gold demand hits record value level.

$236 billion, and change.

Report was released yesterday.  Director Marcus Grubb discusses the findings for Q4 and fulll year 2012.  In value terms, global gold demand in 2012 was $236.4 billionn -- an all-time high.  Gold demand in value terms for the final quarter of the year was 6% higher year-on-year at $66.2 billion, marking the highest ever Q4 total.

Read the full press release from the World Gold Council...

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Marketwatch

Worldwide gold demand in 2012 hit an all-time high of $236.4 billion.  This was up 6% in value terms in the fourth quarter to $66.2 billion, the highest fourth quarter on record.

India’s 2012 demand was down 12% from 2011, but was up 41% in the fourth quarter compared with the same period a year earlier.  Chinese demand was flat year on year, but rose 1% for the fourth quarter, versus the same time a year ago, possibly reflecting the fact that the economic slowdown in China was shorter than expected.

Meanwhile, central bank buying for 2012 climbed 17% compared to 2011, to total 534.6 metric tons, the highest level since 1964.

Investment demand (the sum of ETFs and total bar and coin demand) was 424 tonnes, down 8% compared to the same quarter last year, but was 19% above the five-year average.

Demand for ETFs and similar products in the fourth quarter was down by 16% on the corresponding quarter in 2011 to 88 tonnes, but was up by 51% on the full year.

As of Wednesday’s close, gold for April delivery traded at $1,645.10 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. That was the lowest settlement price for a most-active contract since late August.

Comments

[DailyBail]

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[DailyBail]

Billionaires Soros, Bacon Cut Gold Holdings While Paulson Maintains Huge Position

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[SKINFLINT]

I keep reading where there is not enough physical gold to satisfy all the demands being made for actual physical ownership. If this is true wouldn't there be some sort of rush to retain as much as possible in a not so orderly fashion?

[DDearborn]

Hmmm

Actually these billionaires are not divesting themselves from gold per say. What they are doing is selling off holdings in ETF's where their gold is not allocated and/or there are substantial risks regarding the physical gold being held. They are in fact buying both the physical and into funds that have allocated gold.

It should be very alarming to investors that more gold was purchased in 2012 than any time in modern history. And more dollars were "printed" in the last 3 years than were printed since the inception of our republic. And yet the dollar still retains its value and gold is in decline. Doesn't anybody think that this is incredibly suspicious? And how in the world can massive worldwide demand, finite production and a massively inflated dollar lead to anything but skyrocketing gold and silver prices?? Isn't anybody paying attention at all out there?