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ETF Gold Holdings Rise Second Straight Month In November
(Kitco News) - Gold holdings of global exchange-traded funds and similar products rose for the second straight month in November, this time by 21.2 tonnes, the World Gold Council reported Thursday.
Holdings now stand at 2,365.2 tonnes. They are still down 6.1 tonnes for the year to date, although the WGC said ETF flows are now positive for the year to date in U.S. dollar terms.
ETFs trade like a stock but track the price of the commodity, with metal put into storage to back the shares. This gives investors exposure to gold prices without undertaking certain expenses such as storage and assaying of physical metal.
“November flows were positive across all regions,” the WGC said. “European funds led global inflows, with strong flows into U.K.-based funds as Brexit concerns increased and sterling weakened. North American funds saw inflows for a second straight month but remain negative on the year. Asian funds reversed two months of weak performance, adding 2.3% to their assets.”
Holdings in European funds rose by 10.5 tonnes, while those based in North American had inflows of 8.4, the WGC said. Funds listed in Asia posted an increase of 2.1 tonnes, while those for other regions were up 0.2 tonne.
The world’s largest gold ETF, SPDR Gold Shares, led global inflows by gaining 7.7 tonnes. Next was iShares Physical Gold, which gained 5.4 tonnes. China’s Huaan Yifu Gold added 2.7 tonnes.
