The world’s central banks accumulated 31 tons of the precious metal in January. Turkey was the largest gold buyer, adding 23 tons to its central bank’s stash, while the People’s Bank of China also purchased 15 tons of gold.
At the time of writing, a troy ounce of fine .999 gold is $1,857.50 per unit, up 1.12% over the past day. Gold prices have been down since Jan. 31, 2023, when the price per ounce reached $1,950 per unit against the U.S. dollar.
Many purchases came from Turkey, China, and Kazakhstan. In January, central banks collectively added a net 31 tonnes (t) to global gold reserves (+16% m-o-m)
Central bank purchases and sales accounted for 44 tons in Jan. 2023, with one central bank offsetting its stash by selling 12 tons. The largest gold buyer was the Central Bank of Türkiye (Turkey), which acquired approximately 23 tons during the month. According to the country’s records, Turkey now holds 565 tons of gold.
China came in second, with the People’s Bank of China acquiring 15 tons during the same time frame, as Gopaul detailed. “The National Bank of Kazakhstan increased its gold reserves by a modest 4 tons in January, taking its gold reserves to 356 tons,” the WGC author explains. Data is based on International Monetary Fund (IMF) records, and some of the data may be revised during the next WGC monthly report.
In addition to Turkey, China, and Kazakhstan, the WGC author details that the European Central Bank (ECB) acquired two tons because Croatia joined the eurozone, and the country was required to transfer its reserve assets to the ECB. The seller of the 12-ton sale of gold in January 2023 was the Central Bank of Uzbekistan, and the country now holds approximately 384 tons.
The WGC report concludes that the organization has little doubt that central banks worldwide will continue to purchase gold during the rest of 2023. However, the WGC author stresses that the gold buying this year may not match the records set in 2022. It is also reasonable to believe that central bank demand in 2023 may struggle to reach the level it did last year.
