The tracking of gold bullion from its origin through its ownership and use cycle could prevent theft. It could also prevent illegal sales, smuggling, and use funding conflict and terrorism. Blockchain technology presents a way to remove illegal or unethical gold from the markets.

Flows this week

In the past two decades China has become a dominant global force economically, commercially and, increasingly, politically. In this issue we assess the outlook for China across a range of perspectives.

Russia adds 1.2m ounces of gold to it's reserves in September

Last week stocks were hammered, and gold acted as a key flight-to-safety asset in the market. Initially, as the US market retreated, gold held steady. But as the sell-off became more systemic globally, gold began to rally meaningfully

Poland raised its gold holdings to the highest in at least 35 years, data from the International Monetary Fund showed on Monday.

The country increased its holdings by 4.4 tonnes from August to about 117 tonnes in September, a record, according to data going back to January 1983.

Flows this week

One of the most mysterious and unresolved questions in the gold world centers on how much gold reserves the Chinese State, through the Chinese central bank, actually holds. Since October 2016, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC), China’s central bank, has continued to announce unchanged gold reserves each month and persistently claims that its official gold reserves remain static at 1842 tonnes.

The annual “In Gold We Trust” report by Liechtenstein-based investment firm Incrementum is a must-read account of the gold market, and its just-released chartbook for the 2018 edition is no exception.

The strengthening U.S. dollar has lately dented the price of gold, and rising interest rates are making some yield-bearing financial assets more attractive as a safe haven. But as Incrementum shows, there are many risks right now that favor owning gold in your portfolio.

Hussman recommends “humble cash” as the best option “because it offers opportunity to respond to deep market losses.” We would refine that a bit. Green cash is a good option under the circumstances Hussman describes. Gold cash is even better. Inflation could become an issue. If it does, gold can do things for you that green cash cannot – like appreciate, rather than depreciate, in value. The inflation does not have to rise to the level summarized in our accompanying photograph either. Historically, gold has proven to be a solid hedge against even comparatively minor doses of currency depreciation.