World Gold Council/Staff/1-28-2022

“Global holdings of gold ETFs fell by 173t in 2021 in sharp contrast to 2020’s record 874t increase. Q4 outflows of just 18t were a fraction of the much larger outflows seen in Q4 2020.  Bar and coin investment maintained its momentum, jumping 31% to an eight-year high of 1,180t. Q4 2021 demand of 318t, meanwhile, was the highest for a fourth quarter since 2016. Central banks accumulated 463t of gold in 2021, 82% higher than the 2020 total and lifting global reserves to a near 30-year high. The pace of buying slowed in the second half, with a 22% y-o-y decline in Q4.”

USAGOLD note: Though the price of gold declined 4% in 2021, demand was strong across all categories except gold ETFs.