How come these central banks are not buying sheep or falling Akl property...seem to be buying a useless metal/commodity to add to their reserves...??
Central Banks Are on the Biggest Gold-Buying Spree in a Half Centuryhttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-biggest-central-bank-buying-spree-in-decadesCentral banks bought more bullion last year than anytime since 1971, when the U.S. ended the gold standard.
Governments added 651.5 tons of gold to their coffers in 2018, a 74 percent increase from the previous year, according to a report from the World Gold Council.
Russia, which is "de-dollarizing" its reserves, was the biggest buyer, followed by Turkey and Kazakhstan. Hungary also made a large purchase, citing gold’s lack of counterparty risk and role as a hedge against changes in the international finance system, the WGC said.
“Central banks chose to significantly increase their gold reserves, reinforcing the importance of gold as a reserve asset,” the WGC said.
Central banks are expected to acquire an additional 600 tons this year, according to the consulting firm Metals Focus Ltd. The buys, which will help the banks diversify their foreign-exchange assets in a time of extraordinary political volatility, signal a growing confidence in the metal’s value moving forward.
