Armenia eyes environmental cooperation with neighbouring countries
Armenia is looking to turn shared environmental challenges into opportunities for regional cooperation, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan highlig...
Central banks around the world expect their gold holdings as a proportion of their reserves to increase over the next five years while expecting their dollar reserves to be lower, a survey by the World Gold Council (WGC) showed.
Gold demand from central banks has risen significantly over the past three years despite its price rally to consecutive records. It hit an all-time high of $3,500.05 an ounce in April, up 95% since February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine.
Seventy three central banks responded to WGC's survey, carried out between 25 February and 20 May, and 76% of these expect their gold holdings to be higher in five years compared with 69% last year.
Nearly three-quarters of respondents expected central banks' dollar-denominated reserves to be lower in five years compared with 62% last year.
"Gold’s performance during times of crisis, portfolio diversification and inflation hedging are some key themes driving plans to accumulate more gold over the coming year," WGC said in a release.
Central banks have accumulated more than 1,000 metric tons of gold in each of the last three years, WGC said, adding that this represented a significant rise from the 400-500 ton average in the preceding decade.
"This marked acceleration in the pace of accumulation has occurred against a backdrop of geopolitical and economic uncertainty," WGC said.
A record 95% of respondents think central bank gold reserves will increase over the next 12 months, up from 81% last year, according to WGC's survey, which also showed the Bank of England remains the most popular location for their gold reserves.
Potential trade conflicts and tariffs were cited by 59% of central banks in the survey as relevant to the management of their reserves, the survey showed.
"A larger percentage of these came from emerging markets and developing economies - 69% - than advanced economy respondents - 40%", the council said.
The Saudi-led coalition said early Thursday that it intercepted and destroyed a drone over Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
Yemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility for the recent drone and missile strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities in Dhahran and Riyadh and at King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia, vowing to carry out more attacks in the coming days.
The U.S. has banned government employees working in Saudi Arabia from using airports in the country without special authorisation. It comes after a deadly Houthi strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killed at least 13 people last week.
Ukraine's soldiers have had their access to Starlink satellite internet restricted. Kyiv's troops use the terminals, made by Elon Musk's SpaceX, to pilot drones. A source in Ukraine's Defence Ministry said the restrictions would make it harder for Kyiv's army to down Russian drones.
Ukraine is set to restart attacks on Russian oil refineries following a two-day pause, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, amid growing tensions with Washington over energy strikes and U.S. military support.
U.S. President Donald Trump has lifted sanctions on Russian diesel exports and announced a Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire aimed at easing fuel prices ahead of November’s midterm elections. But can Moscow deliver and will the move will bring meaningful relief to markets?
Taiwan plans to buy 30 per cent of Alaska LNG's annual output and invest up to $4.4 billion in the project, but binding contracts and financing remain unresolved as the U.S. pushes to expand energy exports to Asia.
Asian stocks plunged to their lowest level in more than two months on Tuesday as advances by Chinese chipmakers rattled investor confidence in the artificial intelligence boom, despite soaring global semiconductor sales.
Artificial intelligence investment is helping sustain global growth at around 3 per cent, with Asia poised to reap major benefits. But soaring energy costs, unequal investment and growing pressure on young workers threaten to leave some economies behind.
Uzbekistan and Russia have a portfolio of more than 200 joint projects worth almost $6 billion, as the two countries continue to expand regional and business ties. The projects were discussed during the third meeting of the Council of Regions of Russia and Uzbekistan, held in Fergana, Uzbekistan.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment