China buying Gold hand over fist

The Chinese worried about a possible U.S. default are buying gold and silver hand over fist . The Chinese rush to Gold alarmed by the fear of the U.S. default , Gold is The traditional safe by excellence in times of uncertainty in the currency markets, with the extreme volatility of bank stocks and the fear of sovereign debt defaults (those whose bonds were issued by domestic banks are likely to become toilet paper, what the rating agencies often classify - wrongly - with the name junk) , a true 'gold fever broke among the Chinese investors, with a surge in sales of bullion coins by more than 120% in the first quarter of 2011 on an annual basis. A trend that has pushed up the prices of the yellow metal over the threshold of $ 1,600 an ounce. To drive the demand of the market towards the safe haven par excellence is also the debt crisis of the euro area and the situation far from rosy in the U.S., where the Congress has not yet reached an agreement on raising the debt ceiling with the risk of debt default for the country.

This is why China is focusing on gold. For some time China was a net seller of gold , as well as being a major producer. According to the World Gold Council (WGC), together with India, the country where the demand for gold recorded the strongest growth rates globally. The demand in China is extremely strong, and one of the main factors that drive the market's fears is the rising inflation. Data in hand, in the first three months of 2011 the demand for gold coins and ingots in China amounted to 90.9 tons, an increase of 123% compared to 40.7 tons in the same period last year. In India, sales stood at 85.6 tons. Globally, in 2010 the demand for bullion coins stood under 1,200 tons. According to analysts, the 'gold rush of the Chinese market is a new phenomenon. "Only a few years ago, the Chinese would not have bothered to buy gold bars and coins. But now people will buy them, instead of jewels, as they have a higher value over time . For the Chinese to buy gold is a kind of insurance, they feel they have made a safe investment. Currently, the gold reserves amount to only 1, 6% of the total assets of China, but analysts view it is possible that the Bank of China starts to buy more gold. Especially given the uncertainty related to yields on the US Treasury bonds issued by the Fed, on which China has invested for years because it was believed to be the best way to "park" the money arising from the huge surpluses of their trade balance.