The World Gold Council recently released a report on gold demand for 3Q16. In it they note that there was a sharp increase in gold investment primarily through Exchange Traded Products. While ETPs such as GLD stock mimics the gold spot price, it does not provide you with the true utility value of gold bullion. At some point, one has to ask themselves why they choose to buy gold and silver in the first place. For the vast majority of people it is more than merely to trade the price. They want to own physical silver and gold.
Central bank and jewelry demand may be down, however the average person is giving gold and silver a strong look based on the reality of our economic and geopolitical situation. They have come to the conclusion that we are in a period of time when the precious metals’ place as a hedge against inflation and/or geopolitical tensions needs to be activated.