Featured Report
Central Banks
Gold plays a prominent role in reserve asset management, being one of the few assets that is universally permitted by the investment guidelines of the world’s central banks. This is in part due to the gold market being deep and liquid – a key requirement of reserve asset managers.
A Central Banker’s Guide to Gold as a Reserve Asset - 2019 edition
In 2018, central banks added more gold to their international reserves than at any time since the end of Bretton Woods nearly 50 years ago. Nineteen central banks reported a meaningful increase in their gold reserves, giving rise to total purchases of 651 tonnes.
Central banks return to gold
Central banks bought more gold in 2018 than at any time since the early 1970s – and the trend has continued this year. Isabelle Strauss-Kahn, Member of the Advisory Board of the World Gold Council, former Director of Market Operations at the Banque de France and former Lead Financial Officer at the World Bank, explains why.
Market Update: Central bank buying activity
Gold is an important part of central banks’ foreign exchange (FX) reserves. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), at the end of H1 2018 central banks collectively owned US$1.36tn of gold, around 10% of global FX reserves.
Guidance on recommended practice in accounting for gold - video
Ezechiel Copic, Director, Central Banks and Public Policy in conversation with Kenneth Sullivan, author of the new report Guidance for Monetary Authorities on the recommended practice in accounting for monetary gold on why the World Gold Council commissioned this guidance and how it can benefit monetary authorities.
Guidance for Monetary Authorities on the recommended practice in accounting for monetary gold
The World Gold Council is pleased to announce the release of its "Guidance for Monetary Authorities on the recommended practice in accounting for monetary gold".
Enhancing the Wealth of Nations: Gold and Sovereign Wealth Funds
Sovereign wealth funds, like many other investors, are under pressure to generate returns in a low-yield, low growth environment. Many are expanding into alternative assets to seek growth and income opportunities. Despite this, few sovereign wealth funds have invested in gold due to ongoing misconceptions about gold’s performance, financial behaviour, and liquidity.
Gold: valuable reserve amid unprecedented policy environment
Unprecedented monetary policies (including quantitative easing and negative nominal interest rates) have had the unintended consequence of dramatically reducing the pool of investable assets available to reserve managers.
Working towards a common accounting framework for gold
This paper reviews the different approaches to gold accounting demonstrated by central banks and discusses the elements of a common approach for central banks.
