Central Banks Added 77 tons of Gold in September

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Many of the BRICS countries continue to improve their balance sheets, while switching trade agreements away from the dollar in favor of local currency transactions between nations.

In September 2023, more than 77 tons of gold was bought by various country’s central banks.

With September’s purchases, central banks added a net 337 tons of gold in Q3. It was the second-highest third-quarter total on record behind 2022.

China continued to be the biggest gold purchaser, adding another 26 tons of gold to its hoard in September. It was the 11th straight month of increasing Chinese gold reserves.

Since the beginning of the year, the People’s Bank of China has increased its reserves by at least 181 tons, and it has added 232 tons since it resumed official purchases in November 2022. As of the end of September, China officially held 2,192 tons of gold, making up 4% of its total reserves.

Poland was another big gold buyer in September, adding 19 tons to its reserves. The National Bank of Poland has bought 105 tons of gold this year, following a plan announced in 2021 to add 100 tons to its reserves.

Turkey added 8 tons of gold to its holdings in September and appears to be back on the path toward expanding its reserves.

Central banks, institutional investors, and individual investors all include gold in their holdings for several reasons, many of which are related to gold’s historical and intrinsic qualities as a store of value.

For Central Banks, gold is considered a counterbalance for the paper assets they hold, such as currency reserves and government bonds. It has a history of maintaining its value over the long term, unlike fiat currencies which are subject to inflation.

Gold is a widely accepted asset and can be sold in markets around the world, ensuring that investors can liquidate their holdings if needed.

Similar to central banks, individual investors can use gold to protect against the erosion of purchasing power that comes with inflation.

Gold bars are accessible to a wide range of investors, with various sizes available, from small gram sized bars to larger 1 oz gold bars.

24k Gold Investment Grade Jewelry

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The notion of wearable wealth has been around for centuries. There is ample evidence unearthed from the valley of the kings that gold was treasured by ancient royal families.

Gold earrings bearing the cartouche hallmark of pharaoh Seti II discovered in tomb KV56 in 1908, on display in the Cairo Museum.

Many artifacts made from gold have been discovered by archaeologists from ancients lost civilizations in all corners of the globe dating back thousands of years. From Ancient Egypt in North Africa, to the Mayans, Aztecs and Incas throughout Central and South America.

Even in the United States, relics recovered from various cultures that lived throughout the American Southwest have been found to have used refined gold for jewelry and various clothing adornments.

While common throughout Asia to own high karat gold jewelry as a store of wealth, the gold jewelry in the west is typically designed and sold as a fashion accessory and is often made from 10k, 14k or at best 18k gold.

KaratPurity
10k41.7%
14k58.30%
18k75%
22k91.7%
Most common jewelry karats and their gold purity levels.

Investors today have a variety of low premium options when looking to buy 24k gold jewelry.

One of the first to make a splash with investors a few years ago was Mené. The company is a subsidiary of Goldmoney, Inc that was founded in 2017.

In order to help fuel their growth, the company provided investors with a variety of new customer discount codes and incentives that allowed some to buy gold close to melt value.

Mené still offers a variety of modern inspired fashion bracelets, rings, necklaces, chains and pendants crafted from 24k pure gold and platinum at a fixed premium that is around 30% above melt value. When shopping for investment-grade jewelry, Mené has a track record of being a dependable choice.

Nebü 24k Gold Jewelry

Traditional online bullion dealers now offer jewelry in a variety of karat and alloy blends.

Nebü Gold is an emerging company that creates beautiful 24k pure gold jewelry from ethically mined sources.

The jewelry collections consists of a variety of rings, pendants, cuffs and bracelets inspired by vulnerable and endangered species. Nebü pledges a percentage of proceeds towards environmental and endangered species conservation.

Nebu 24k Gold Bracelet

Gold jewelry from Nebü is available to buy through their website and a variety of online bullion dealers and other retailers including APMEX, Money Metals Exchange, Silver Gold Bull and MintBuilder in the United States. In South Africa, Nebu has partnered with The Scoin Shop.

Precious metals investors are often looking at ways to add more practical options to their physical gold holdings can find plenty of choices that are both fashionable and offered at a low premium over melt value.

SD24k Jewelry by SD Bullion

Notable online bullion dealer SD Bullion also now carries a variety of 24k gold jewelry available alongside other precious metals investments. The pieces in the collection are all crafted using .9999 fine gold that has been refined to 24 karat.

Some of the more popular products include religious pendants such as the 24k gold cross, various bangle cuffs like the twisted barbed-wire bracelet, and the spiral double gold orb ring.

Twenty-four karat investment jewelry is a way to continue to stack gold in a discrete way that is completely wearable and practical for storing wealth.

Gold is often alloyed with other metals to provide strength, rigidity and durability because 24k gold is very malleable. Investors who intend to wear this jewelry should exercise some care to prevent scratches, dings and other wear and tear.

Zimbabwe to Launch Gold-Backed Digital Currency

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central bank digital currency

Zimbabwe has had a long history of economic instability. From 2004 until 2009 the country experienced five years of hyperinflation.

During the period of hyperinflation the country had to halt the exchange of local currency to dollars due to a meteoric rise in prices.

In early 2009, the government had abandoned the local currency, instead favoring the US dollar for all official transactions.

By 2014, there were eight legal foreign currencies being used for day-to-day transactions throughout the country.

Almost ten years later, the economy is Zimbabwe is still in shambles. The Zimbabwe dollar was reintroduced in 2019. Periods of high inflation quickly followed.

In an attempt to curb inflation last year, government leaders began to issue gold coins to try to earn the trust of investors with a store of value.

The latest announcement from the African nation says that the central bank will begin to issue a digital token that is backed by gold.

The gold-backed digital is an attempt by the country’s central bank to provide a trusted hedge against the volatility of its local currency.

The country’s central bank reports holding just 350 kg of gold bars among its reserves and estimates that it will need $100 million dollars to support the digital gold token.

Royalties from the mining industry exceed $300 million dollars per year.

Gold & Currency Heist Reported in Canada

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Canadian authorities have reported a gold heist at Toronto Peterson Airport. Various news outlets report the amount ranging in value between $14.8 and $22 million dollars.

Al Jazeera reports a statement from the Regional Police said that a container carrying gold and other monetary items was stolen from a private warehouse after being unloaded from a plane at a nearby cargo facility.

The thieves are being compared by some media outlets to the characters in Hollywood stories based on mafia folklore such as the Henry Hill tales told through Goodfellas.

While others distract from facts by referencing other historically large gold heists in Canadian history.

The latest officially released figures estimate that 1.6 metric tons, the equivalent to 1,600 kilos of gold were included among the stolen stash.

“It did contain gold but was not exclusive to gold and contained other items of monetary value,” an RCMP Investigator told reporters.

Such a brazen burglary has authorities tight lipped about the other missing cargo. The Toronto Sun claims to have had access to confidential memos that suggest that the other cargo was a significant amount of currency bank notes as part of an intrabank transaction involving TD Bank.

There is still no word on the airline involved or the origin or final destination of the missing cargo.

In 2021, Canada was the 4th largest gold producer worldwide with roughly $21.3 billion.

Latest Filings Show Trump is a Goldbug

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It should come as no surprise that Donald Trump is a goldbug. His NYC apartment in Trump Tower was audaciously decorated entirely with marble and 24k gold.

During his first presidential candidacy in 2015, Business Insider noted that Trump owned a substantial amount of gold at the time.

A new financial disclosure filed by former President Trump with the Federal Election Commission details his personal income and wealth since the beginning of 2022.

The 101-page disclosure report, filed as part of his 2024 Presidential Campaign, shows that Trump still owns a substantial stack of physical gold.

Nestled on the bottom of page 95 of the report shows that Trump holds between $100,001 and $250,000 in investment gold.

While it’s only a small portion of his wealth, Trump is stacking between 50 and 125 troy ounces of gold! If you’re looking to follow in The Donald’s footsteps, take note.

The US Mint has yet to issue a gold coin to commemorate the 45th President, so far only a bronze medal. Yet, private mint Trump silver rounds remain as popular as ever with investors. There are a variety of designs available, including a new Trump 2024 1 troy ounce silver round with a design to commemorate President Trump’s 2024 presidential candidacy.

Trump 2024 1 oz Silver Round Obverse

Government Mint 1 Gram Gold Bars

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The selection of government mint one gram gold bars available from online bullion dealers are minted are an excellent way to stack gold in fractional increments.

The dealer premiums for 1 gram bars can seem high when comparing them against a solid full ounce, however, they remain a practical options for incremental buying fractional gold.

Investors interested in buying quantities of 1 gram gold bars should consider the Valcambi CombiBars.

Newly minted gold bars come sealed inside a manufacturers assay card. This can provide extra assurance that you are buying an authentic and genuine product. Most gold bars can be tested with SIGMA Precious Metal Verifier while remaining encapsulated in the plastic assay case.

From a practical perspective, each 1 gram gold bar is a small store of wealth. Having even a small stack of these stored at home is a good way to be prepared for uncertainty to come.

The Britannia series of gold bars is minted by the Royal Mint and shares the design motif with other bars and coins in the series. The Britannia 1 gram gold bar is an excellent choice to complement your investment in silver Britannias.

The reverse design shows the Royal Mint hallmark along the top with the same wave and familiar maritime theme along the bottom. The center is stamped with the weight 1 gram and purity, 999.9 fine gold.

The Perth Mint of Australia is well know for meticulously designed gold bars minted to the highest levels of purity. It’s hard to go wrong when considering 1 gram Perth gold bars as a new addition to your portfolio.

The layout on the front features the Perth Swan logo at the top and shows the purity and weight very prominent. The reverse of these 24k gold bars shows a diagonally repeating bounding kangaroo design that alternates between a frosted and proof-like finish.

The Royal Canadian Mint’s 1 gram gold offering comes in the form of the MapleGram coin. The MapleGram Gold Coin is a miniature version of the larger Maple Leaf.

Each 24k 1 gram gold coin comes encapsulated in a sealed assay that includes the all of the important details. MapleGram coins are also available in sheets of twenty-five 1 gram coins that are perforated for easy separation.

Largest Swiss Gold Refiners

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Switzerland has long been a mecca for finance, banking and precious metals. Although all of the country’s native metal deposits were mined long ago, some of the most renowned and legendary refiners continue to operate there.

The World Gold Council estimates that to date, approximately 200,000 tons of gold has been extracted from the earth’s crust and miners are extracting roughly 2,600 tons of new gold each year.

Much of the newly mined gold ore is sent for processing at various private mints and refineries in Switzerland.

Valcambi-Suisse, Balerna, Ticino

Valcambi was founded in 1957. The company is headquarters is nestled along the Swiss-Italian border just 35 miles from Milan. The refinery processes more than 2,000 tons of precious metals each year and is owned by Global Gold Refineries Ltd.

Valcambi bars, ingots and rounds are produced from gold, silver, platinum and palladium. That are also a certified Good Delivery provider for the London Bullion Market (LMBA).

Valcambi manufacturers some of the most unique, practical and popular products for investors and stackers with their CombiBar series.

Valcambi CombiBars come in a variety of industry-standard weights. The thickness of each bar is similar to that of a credit card and they are uniquely minted with scored lines making them easy to break apart into smaller fractional bars if the need to sell, barter or trade arises.

The most popular weight variation is the 100 gram gold CombiBar, which is minted from 99.99% pure gold and often has the lowest dealer premiums when compared to others in the series.

Argor-Heraeus, Mendrisio, Ticino

Argor was in 1961 in Chiasso. In 1986, Argor merged with Heraeus and become the Argor-Heraeus we known today. Now headquartered in Hanau, Germany, the refinery in Mendrisio produces many different weights of gold, silver and platinum bullion bars for investors.

The Argor-Heraeus Gold KineBar is minted to incorporate a unique holographic image that adds an additional level of anti-counterfeiting protection to give investors further confidence in the authenticity of their gold stack.

Produits Artistiques Métaux Précieux (PAMP), Castel San Pietro, Ticino

PAMP-Suisse is one of the most well-known Swiss-based refineries to many investors. The Lady Fortuna series features the ancient Roman and Greek goddess of luck and fortune in the obverse design which is instantly recognizable.

PAMP processes more than 450 tons of gold annually. In addition to supplying jewelry manufacturers with industry standard 400 troy ounce ingots, the company is a leading provider of investment bullion bars ranging in size from 1 kilogram to as small as 1 gram.

Metalor Technologies, Neuchâtel

Founded in 1852, Metalor is one of the oldest continuously operating refineries in the country. The company began supplying refined fine gold to watchmakers for the creation of Swiss watches.

The company was acquired by the Japanese based Tanaka Kikinzoku Group in 2016 and continues to refine silver and gold into a variety of bullion bars for investors.

Metalor kilogram silver bars and poured from .999 fine silver and can often be found with low premiums from various online bullion dealers.

Saudi Arabia Taking Active Steps to End Petrodollar Dominance

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Saudi Arabia is showing the world that it is taking active steps to end the dollar’s hegemony across the global economy through a multitude of political and diplomatic moves and financial investments.

Saudi Aramco, officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Group or simply referred to as Aramco, has announced the investment of more than $10 billion dollars to finance the construction of a new refinery and petrochemical complex. The construction is expected to take three years and when finished it will have the capacity to produce 300,000 barrels of oil per day.

The world’s largest oil exporting country has also opened dialog about joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a regional trade and security organization dominated by Russia and China.

In recent months, many more countries have expressed interest in joining the BRICS trade organization, which largely represents the global south in an effort to provide open trade and financial empowerment to developing nations.

CNBC reports that much of the rush to dump the dollar is largely seen as repercussions of the weaponization of the dollar to suit the foreign policy whims of the Biden administration, citing the financial sanctions imposed by the G7 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the decades of financial hardship placed on the people of Venezuela.

Central Banks continue to diversifying assets and dumping Treasury bonds and other dollar based assets in favor of commodities and growing currencies like the yuan. Globally, goods and services sold in dollars are going to get more expensive as the yuan and BRICS agreement picks up steam.

As the impact of the ongoing banking crisis begins to be felt at home, many Americans are shifting their priorities to protect their financial assets. This means we will continue to see a rapid shift of excess dollars into hard assets like gold, silver, land, ammunition and firearms and food in the coming months as more people prepare for further economic hardship.

COMEX silver and gold inventories are dropping as insiders ramp up the draining of physical precious metals from the vaults.

Some market analysts are predicting inflationary conditions to get worse as devaluing of fiat dollars accelerates following the Saudi decision to begin selling oil in other currencies. This is likely to lead to a ripple effect that will cascade to many other countries that rely on the dollar for settlement of global trade.

Last October, CEO of JP Morgan Chase Jamie Dimon, the nation’s largest bank, warned investors that the country is heading into a recession this year that will be far worse than any in recent memory.

In December, he reiterated his warning, adding that the main risks to the economy may come from abroad, citing threats to the fracturing supply chain, high inflation, rising prices of commodities and the ongoing proxy war with Russia.

Last year, numerous executives and precious metals traders were convicted from JP Morgan Chase, Deutsche Bank and other large institutions in a long-term, ongoing price manipulation scheme that was intended to trick the markets and investors into wrongly believing that price movements in the metals markets were organic.

JP Morgan Chase, often cited as to be too big to fail, is reportedly holding massive gold derivative short positions that are potentially greater than the bank’s total assets. If the price of gold continues to rise, JPM may be forced into a situation in which they will need additional leverage to cover the shorts.

Price manipulation, corruption and unfair representation in the LBMA and other G7 controlled commodities market were just some of the many grievances voiced by Russia last year during the announcement of the Moscow World Standard.

Casual investors are beginning to see that one of the best ways to protect their long-term financial assets from the Federal Reserve imposing a consumer CBDC is to diversify their cash holdings and other liquid assets into silver and gold bullion.

Mainstream media has been reporting on the rapid dollarization occurring with varying attempts to denounce genuine fears as a conspiracy theory.

The Chinese Renminbi or yuan is the currency that would benefit most from removing the dollar as the reserve currency.

JPM Now Sole Custodian of SLV ETF Holdings

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iShares Silver Trust (SLV) is a bullion backed electronically traded fund that seeks to reflect the performance of the price of silver. The fund originated in 2006 and holds physical silver bars held in custodial vaults.

In a statement released recently from JP Morgan, they currently hold 459,485,125.800 troy ounces of fine silver on behalf of the silver trust.

According to recent shareholder reports from Blackrock, the fund is backed by 458,887,710.00 troy ounces of silver which is 597,415.8 less than what is reported by JPM.

That amount is divided between three of JP Morgan Chase’s vault location in London and New York.

Earlier records have shown that the custody of the silver bars that back the SLV investment trust were spread out across various companies and vaulting locations for diversity of holdings.

Precious metals investors frequently buy shares in the SLV as a way to hedge other investments that are typically thought to be riskier endeavors. By moving all of the silver bars into the possession of a single custodian, the trust may be exposed to some additional risk.

The best way to use precious metals as a hedge is to buy physical gold and silver and store it in your home where you know it will be safe, secure and there when you need it most. As the saying goes, if you don’t hold it, you don’t own it.

Silver futures have been trading down roughly 3% since the start of the year.

Meanwhile, central banks continue stockpiling gold during the first few months of the year as more nations around the world are trying to join the BRICS treaty while oil is now trading in currencies other than the dollar.

China bought up an additional 15 tons of gold in January bringing their total central bank holdings to over 2,025 tons, according to reports from gold.org.

With more and more pressure from climate change advocates on US industries to reduce fossil fuel dependence, Saudi Arabia is expecting China and India to become the largest buyers of Middle East oil.

Over the last two decades, a greenwashing propaganda campaign has been thrust upon the country to label the use of fossil fuels as the leading cause of pollution and worldwide climate change.

In recent years, the rhetoric is amplified by activist infiltration of hedge funds and other large financial institutions under the guise of the ESG movement.

As dedollarization continues throughout the world, financial experts remain bullish that precious metals will remain the basis for much of world trade and gold will play a large role in the BRICS currency basket.

New Gold-Backed ETF Adds Extra Greenwashing Fees

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Citing an increase in demand, UBS has partnered with PAMP-Suisse to create a new line of gold bullion bars that will be the investment vehicle that backs a new ETF geared towards “climate-conscious” investors.

The climate consciousness claims are derived from a partnership with not-for-profit-private company named Climate Trust.

Climate Trust has been providing solutions to the “Climate Crisis” since sometime between 1999-2001 and has raised at least $25 million from a variety of investors, according to Crunchbase.

The consultancy helps business and governments decarbonize using “industry standards” that appear to have been established by themselves. The organization reportedly audits the supply chain and helps facilitate the purchasing of carbon offsets to counter the CO2 emissions that are generated from mine to refinery and storage.

The carbon-neutral cast gold bars are refined and delivered to LBMA specifications.

The cost for investors to buy into this new ETF is significantly higher than the non-carbon neutral gold ETF already available to investors.

According to Greenpeace, carbon offsets are a part of a greenwashing scam and are part of the ESG movements efforts to guilt people into paying a higher amount for the sake of social or environmental justice.

It may be of greater impact for climate conscious investors to plant trees in their neighborhood or community as a more effective, less expensive and direct carbon offset rather than paying a higher premium to the bankers to invest in this new ETF.