South Koreans have embarked on a gold buying spree.
Residents of the Asian country are on pace to purchase a record amount of gold in 2015. By year's end, total sales will likely top 1 trillion won ($860 million) based on first-half sales through Korea Gold Exchange 3M Co Ltd, the country's largest gold merchant.
Worries that a meltdown in China's stock markets will destabilize South Korean equities, and a desire to replenish a traditional store of value in an era of low interest rates, appear to drive the buying spree, according to a Reuters report.
Song Jong-gil, general director for sales at Korea Gold Exchange 3M, said that of the more than 500 billion won of gold sales the company made in the first half of 2015, more than 20 percent went to financial investors in the form of thin cards and bars ranging in weight from 1 gram to 1 kg.
“‘Low interest rates are the biggest reason. And gold is preferred to stocks and real estate thanks to high liquidity,' Song said, adding sales picked up as bullion dropped below $1,100 an ounce.”
South Koreans traditionally view gold as a safe haven and a long-term store of value. According to Reuters, South Koreans hold an estimated 800 metric tons of gold in households and private vaults.
During the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis, the authorities launched a campaign to buy gold from patriotic individuals, selling it on to get dollars to bolster foreign reserves.
“‘Lots of people sold gold during the Asian financial crisis. Then prices surged and many were unable to buy back,' Song said. ‘Now people are buying gold rings and small bars, thinking prices have fallen a lot and it's a good time to buy.'”
The same dynamics driving the gold buying spree in South Korea exist in the United States as well. Interest rates remain low, and while many think the Fed will eventually boost rates this year, as Peter Schiff points out, this is hardly a forgone conclusion. Additionally, as the Koreans understand, owning gold historically provides protection from fiat money and central bank policy.
