You are here

Gold market intervention by BIS rose sharply in December

Section: Documentation

By Robert Lambourne
Thursday, January 30, 2020

Since May 2019 the Bank for International Settlements, which represents most central banks, has increased its use of gold swaps and other gold-related derivatives from an estimated 78 tonnes to an estimated 313 tonnes as of December 2019.

The bank's total gold swaps and derivatives stood at 250 tonnes in November 2019.

The BIS uses gold swaps and other gold derivatives to gain access to gold held by commercial banks. As of December 31 the bank's swaps and derivatives were at their highest level since February 2019. But the recent levels are still reduced compared to several months in the second half of 2018.

... Dispatch continues below ...



ADVERTISEMENT

Transfer Assets and Own Gold and Silver Coins
and Bars in the Safest Way

GoldCore's mission statement since 2003 has been to protect and grow the wealth of our clients, and given growing monetary, cyber, and systemic risks, it is increasingly important to take delivery or have legal title and outright ownership of fully segregated coins and bars.

On all investment and pension purchases and gold and/or silver coin and bars transfers (from banks, ETFs, and digital gold providers) worth more than $10,000 stored in GoldCore Secure Storage in Zurich, Switzerland, we are now offering Secure Storage for free for six months and the gift of a silver bullion coin -- a beautiful, legal tender, 1-ounce Silver Eagle.

GoldCore does not report transactions to any authority, and safety, privacy, and confidentiality are paramount when we are entrusted with safekeeping of our clients' precious metals.

Please visit GoldCore here for more information about this offer:

https://info.goldcore.com/zurich-gold-silver-storage-goldcore-exclusive-...

Key information regarding GoldCore Secure Storage, our partner vaults and jurisdictions, and storage rates is here:

www.goldcore.com/us/services

For further information, please email the GoldCore team at info@goldcore.com or call our trading desk:

U.S.: +1-302-635-1160

U.K.: +44(0)203-086-9200

International: +353(0)1-632-5010



There is not enough information in the BIS' monthly reports to calculate the exact amount of swaps, but based on the information in the bank's statement for December, posted today --

https://www.bis.org/banking/balsheet/statofacc191231.pdf

-- its month-end gold swaps of about 313 tonnes compare with 250 tonnes at November 30, 2019, 186 tonnes at October 31, 128 tonnes at September 30, 162 tonnes at August 31, 95 tonnes at July 31, 126 tonnes at June 30, 78 tonnes at May 31, 88 tonnes at April 30, 175 tonnes at March 31, 303 tonnes at February 28, 247 tonnes at January 31, 275 tonnes at December 31, 2018, and 308 tonnes in November, 372 tonnes in October, 238 tonnes in September, and 370 tonnes in August 2018.

More background on the bank's medium-term history of using gold swaps is available here:

http://www.gata.org/node/18825

On February 3, 2019, GATA published comments from a former gold industry executive describing the activities of the BIS in gold swaps in earlier decades:

http://www.gata.org/node/18828

The former executive wrote: "Effectively this process created a supply of 'paper gold' -- sometimes but not always marked to market -- that had a depressing effect on the gold price."

The BIS refuses to explain its activity in the gold market -- its objectives and underlying parties in interest --

http://www.gata.org/node/17793

— and mainstream financial news organizations refuse to ask about it.

-----

Robert Lambourne is a retired business executive in the United Kingdom who consults with GATA about the involvement of the Bank for International Settlements in the gold market.

* * *

Toast to a free gold market
with great GATA-label wine

Wine carrying the label of the Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee, cases of which were awarded to three lucky donors in GATA's recent fundraising campaign, are now available for purchase by the case from Fay J Winery LLC in Texarkana, Texas. Each case has 12 bottles and the cost is $240, which includes shipping via Federal Express.

Here's what the bottles look like:

http://www.gata.org/files/GATA-4-wine-bottles.jpg

Buyers can compose their case by choosing as many as four varietals from the list here:

http://www.gata.org/files/FayJWineryVarietals.jpg

GATA will receive a commission on each case of GATA-label wine sold. So if you like wine and buy it anyway, why not buy it in a way that supports our work to achieve free and transparent markets in the monetary metals?

To order a case of GATA-label wine, please e-mail Fay J Winery at bagman1236@aol.com.

* * *

Support GATA by purchasing
Stuart Englert's "Rigged"

"Rigged" is a concise explanation of government's currency market rigging policy and extensively credits GATA's work exposing it. Ten percent of sales proceeds are contributed to GATA. Buy a copy for $14.99 through Amazon --

https://www.amazon.com/Rigged-Exposing-Largest-Financial-History/dp/1651...

-- or for an additional $3 and a penny buy an autographed copy from Englert himself by contacting him at srenglert@comcast.net.

* * *

Join GATA here:

Mining Investment Asia
InterContinental Hotel, Singapore
Tuesday-Thursday, March 17-19, 2020
https://www.mininginvestmentasia.com/

Mines and Money Asia
Conrad Hotel, Hong Kong
Tuesday-Wednesday, March 31-April 1, 2020
https://asia.minesandmoney.com/

* * *

Help keep GATA going:

GATA is a civil rights and educational organization based in the United States and tax-exempt under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Its e-mail dispatches are free, and you can subscribe at:

http://www.gata.org

To contribute to GATA, please visit:

http://www.gata.org/node/16