Global investment demand for gold suffered a more than 40% drop in 2021, even as bar and coin demand climbed to an eight-year high and investment demand for the fourth quarter more than doubled, according to a report from the World Gold Council released Thursday evening.
Total gold demand for the full year 2021, which includes investment, jewelry, technology and central-bank demand, rose by 10% to 4,021 metric tons, as fourth-quarter gold demand climbed by almost 50% to a 10-quarter high, the World Gold Council report said. — Juan Carlos Artigas, World Gold Council In the second half of last year, bar and coin investment “maintained good momentum, as high inflation readings across the globe kept investors focused on gold’s role as an inflation hedge and wealth-protection asset,” according to the report. “Interest in gold bars and coins was reportedly almost entirely one-way, with selling-back activity very limited.”