IMF sells India 200 tonnes of Gold

IMF sells India 200 tonnes of Gold for $6,7bn
Reuters
Published: 2009/11/03 01:08:49 PM

The International Monetary Fund has sold 200 tonnes of gold to the Reserve Bank of India for $6,7 billion, quietly executing half of a long-planned bullion sale that has threatened to slow gold’s ascent.

The deal, which surprised traders who expected China to be the most likely buyer, will relieve the gold market of some uncertainty over how and when the IMF would sell 403,3 tonnes of gold, about one-eighth of its total stock. The deal will increase India’s gold holdings to the tenth largest among central banks.

It also fuelled speculation that other governments — including Beijing — may be ready to diversify their reserves even at near-record gold prices, helping soak up IMF supply that the fund may otherwise be forced to sell on the open market.

“Central banks in India and China will be happy to accumulate gold at these levels. I will not be surprised to see even some Southeast Asian banks buying gold,” Aaron Smith, Asia head of the $1,65 billion technical trading fund Superfund, told Reuters.

Spot gold prices earlier rose by nearly one%, but later reversed those gains to trade little changed at around $1058 an ounce on Tuesday, within striking distance of last month’s $1070,40 record despite a rallying dollar. Traders said the IMF news could add to the market’s upward momentum.

“Its potentially bullish from several points of view,” said Commerzbank analyst Eugen Weinberg. “Gold was kept off the market and sold directly to cental banks so potential sales on market are limited by this.”

“Secondly, it showed large buyers are ready to accept the current price levels. Thirdly, the central banks are increasing their gold reserves. Last but not least the central bank gold agreement sales of 400 tonnes ... is half empty already.”

The Reserve Bank of India said the purchase was an official sector off-market transaction and was executed during Oct. 19-30 at market-based prices.

An IMF official said the sale was concluded at an average price of about $1045 an ounce and that the transaction would be paid in hard currency and not in IMF Special Drawing Rights.

SURPRISE BUYER
Although the IMF’s plan to sell a share of its gold holdings in order to increase low-cost lending to poor countries had been flagged for a year before it was formally approved in September, the speed, scale and identity of the buyer were a surprise.

“It was always thought that some of it would be sold off market but it was a bit of a surprise that as much as 200 tonnes had been sold off market,” said Simon Weeks, director of precious metal sales at Bank of Nova Scotia.

Although India is the world’s biggest consumer of gold, primarily in the form of jewellery and investment among its billion-plus people, its central bank had given few signs of seeking to diversify its reserves pool into bullion.

The proportion of gold as part of its total foreign reserves has fallen from over 20% in 1994 to just under 4%.

India’s foreign exchange reserves held at the central bank totalled $285,5 billion on Oct. 23, of which gold comprised just over $10 billion. The latest purchase will lift its share of gold holdings from near 4% to about 6%, much less than most of the developed world but four times China’s share.

The RBI does not officially talk about its diversification strategy. On Tuesday, the RBI said the purchase of IMF’s gold was done as part of its foreign exchange reserve management.

But there may also be a geopolitical motive behind the deal: India, like China, is also seeking closer ties with the IMF to assert its authority on the global economic stage.

“This transaction is an important step toward achieving the objectives of the IMF’s limited gold sales program, which are to help put the fund’s finances on a sound long-term footing and enable us to step up much-needed concessional lending to the poorest countries,” the IMF’s managing director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, said in a statement on Monday.

NO MARKET DISRUPTION

A senior IMF official, speaking on condition of anonymity, declined to say whether other central banks have expressed interest in buying the remaining gold for sale.

He said if no other central banks came forward, the IMF would proceed as planned to sell the gold in the market, but reiterated that the fund would publicize its intentions before doing so to avoid disrupting the market.

Still, the threat of further open-market sales remains a source of concern for gold traders, mindful of the five-year pact among European central banks to sell down a maximum 400 tonnes a year of their holdings, an agreement that was renewed in August and includes the IMF volume.

The market’s focus has now shifted to China, which has reportedly been in talks with the IMF about buying some of the fund’s bullion as Beijing seeks to shift some of its more than
$2 trillion in foreign exchange reserves away from the US
dollar.

“Now people may think China will buy the other half,” said Ronald Leung, director of Lee Cheong Gold Dealers in Hong Kong.

Already the world’s top producer of gold and rivalling India as a consumer, China revealed this year that it had quietly lifted its own government holdings of gold stocks to 1054 tonnes from 600 tonnes when it last reported its holdings in 2003.

It is the first time since 2000 that the IMF has sold gold to a central bank. Between December 1999 and April 2000 in separate transactions, the IMF sold a total of 12,9 million ounces of gold to member countries Brazil and Mexico.

Certified American Buffalo Gold Coins – First Strike and Early Releases

Certified American Buffalo Gold Coins – First Strike and Early Releases

American gold Buffalo coins are mass produced by the United States mint on a commercial production line. These coins are struck for purchase primarily by gold bullion investors who seek a convenient low cost means of owning gold bullion for investment. The advantages of ownership include a net weight and purity guarantee by the United States Government. Not all coins are created equally and some coins have a better strike, luster and surfaces than others. Select coins with superior eye appeal and perfect or near perfect surfaces are very popular and very valuable in the collector market.

Often these select high quality coins command high premiums and are valued based on their condition, rarity and low certified population in addition to their gold content. The current and future value of any collectible coin is predicated on the size and depth of the collector base interested in ownership of the coins. American gold Buffalo coins certified in the premium grades M69 and MS70 have a large and affluent following. In addition to a large and established collector base more than 2,000 coin and bullion dealers are actively trading in these coins. Soon after a coin is released and before it is mishandled or mistreated is the best time to get a high grade certified coin. For this reason PCGS certified First Strike and NGC Early Release coins are popular with collectors. The term First Strike or Early Release refers to coins sent in to a coin grading service within the first 30-days of release. It does not mean they are better or a higher grade than other coins certified MS69 or MS70 but it does make them slightly more marketable. Prices for these coins vary from dealer to dealer we recommend you shop around.

The chart below is taken from information provided by PCGS and NGC and shows the official certified population of the 2008 American Gold Buffalo and the Official price guide. This is provided for informational purposes only.

Description Service Grade Population Price

2008 $50 Gold Buffalo NGC MS69 6,977 $1,290
2008 $50 Gold Buffalo PCGS MS69 6,831 $1,345
2008 $50 Gold Buffalo NGC MS70 7,468 $1,590
2008 $50 Gold Buffalo PCGS MS70 1,584 $1,700
October 29, 2009

Silver containing wound dressing launched

ANTI-MICROBIALQUALITIES

Silver containing wound dressing launched into $15 billion global market
In yet another medical application for silver, Advanced Medical Solutions has launched a silver-containing wound dressing for the global woundcare market.Author: Lawrence WilliamsPosted: Tuesday , 27 Oct 2009
LONDON -

British specialist technology company, Advanced Medical Solutions (AMS), which supplies the $15 billion global woundcare market with advanced woundcare dressings and tissue adhesives for wound closure has announced a new silver-containing dressing. This has already been launched in the U.S. and is being introduced into the European and other international markets this month.

Systagenix Wound Management, the marketing and distribution partner for AMS's fibre-based silver alginate technology, has expanded its existing anti-microbial wound dressings offering with the introduction of AMS's SILVERCEL Non-Adherent Hydro-Alginate Dressing.

The company notes that silver is widely recognized as a safe and effective broad-spectrum anti-microbial agent for infection control.

In 2003, AMS developed a range of wound dressings whereby silver fibers were incorporated into its proprietary calcium alginate technology which allows a controlled and sustained release of silver into the wound without compromising the performance of the base alginate - a natural wound dressing derived from seaweed. The global silver alginate market is currently estimated at around $350 million and growing at 15% per annum.

The new wound dressing should also have application in the military market as well as for accident applications and demonstrates the growing usage for silver in medical applications as noted on Mineweb last month - see Perfect storm for silver brewing as antibiotics substitute--Silver Institute Such medical usage is one of the growing new markets for silver, and while it may take a long time to replace the losses from the switchover to digital from film in the photographic sector, it is becoming a significant market for the sector.

Most Popular Silver Bullion

Most Popular Silver Bullion

Half – Ounce Buffalo Rounds, 2010 Maple Leafs and 5 oz Westminster Bars
sold more in 10 days than any other silver bullion products in the last month.

1. Half ounce Buffalo Rounds
2. 2010 Canadian Maple Leaf coin
3. 5 oz Westminster Mint Bar
4. 10 oz bar with Morgan design
5. 2009 Silver Eagle Monster Box
6. 2009 Silver Eagle 20-coin Rolls
7. 10 oz Heraeus bars
8. Silver Rounds Peace design
9. Silver Rounds silver Eagle design
10. silver rounds Morgan dollar design

What a great deal!

What a great deal!

I was in the offices of a major coin and bullion dealer to pick up some better date Morgan silver dollars from the GSA hoard, VAM coins and to negotiate on some PAMP platinum.

I casually mentioned that I had an interest in American silver eagles dated 2001- 2005. “Yes I have a few” said the dealer, who pressed a few buttons on his calculator and gave me his price. $2.25 over spot! Returning to my car it struck me that anyone can buy silver eagles through our website for up to $2.00 over spot and here I was a major player in the industry being quoted $2.25 over spot by a dealer who thought he was giving me a good deal.

The Winner of the Green Coin Design Contest is

Eau Claire, Wis. Resident Earns Grand Prize in Westminster Mint’s Inaugural International “Green Coin” Design Contest

MINNEAPOLIS, September 18, 2009 – Mallory Prucha Rishoi’s parents were ahead of their time. Today, no one bats an eye when people use phrases such as “greening the Earth” and “leaving a carbon footprint.” But in the 1970s, a much smaller percentage of Americans were talking about subjects such as renewable resources. Robert and Linda Prucha were among them.

“In the 1970s, my mom read books such as Diet for a Small Planet and both she and my dad were very interested in taking care of the Earth and society,” said Rishoi, 28, an Eau Claire, Wisconsin resident who attended the University of Nebraska on an art scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Studio Arts and a Master of Arts in Theatre Arts. “My mom, who was a silversmith/goldsmith, and my dad, the former Director of Campus Horticulture at Father Flanagan’s Boys Town, both had a broad world view. They both integrated principles of Earth-conscious living throughout my life.”


With that kind of background in ecology and art, it’s no wonder Rishoi became interested in entering an international contest for the design of a .999 pure silver “Green Coin” from the Westminster Mint of Minneapolis. The company announced today that Rishoi’s design earned the grand prize of $2,009. She will also receive the first coin off the press, as well as the hand sculpts created by world renowned sculptor Caesar Ruffo.


One side of Rishoi’s coin features the Sun with rays transitioning into the wind and an electric plug, an ear of corn extending into a gasoline nozzle, wind turbines, and a hydro-electric dam. It also includes the wording “Renewable Resources,” “Solar-Wind-Bio-Fuel,” and “Hydro-Electric.” The coin’s obverse features a pair of hands holding a globe with arrows. An outline of the atmosphere bounces several arrows back to the Earth’s surface, representing global warming and human impact, as the Sun highlights the edge of space. This design is encircled by the words “Green Coin,” “The Future Is in Our Hands,” and “2009.”


“Both sides of the coin feature a circular design that serves as a reminder that living consciously and preserving natural resources is a theme that infiltrates all levels of society,” said Rishoi, currently an instructor and Costume Shop Supervisor in the Music and Theatre Arts department at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. “The entirety of mankind is encompassed and connected by the precious circle of Earth and must unite in the mission to preserve, protect and renew it for future generations.


“Furthermore, the hands that I drew are actually those of my mother, as I could think of no better hands than hers to represent the gentle, loving and strong grasp that all of us have on the planet. It is inevitably this grasp that will shape and mold the future. I tried to balance the message that the current state of the environment is precarious with that of a hopeful bright future without being too didactic or esoteric.”


Rishoi has lived in Eau Claire with her husband, Greg, for the past three years. She frequently returns to Omaha to visit her parents and grandmother, Phyllis Mallory.


She was interested in art at an early age, opting to pursue the subject despite receiving scholarships to other institutions that would have afforded her study in the fields of astrophysics and meteorology. While at the University of Nebraska, she focused on Drawing, Painting, Costume Design and Politics, serving as the Student Body President/Student Member of the NU Board of Regents. Currently, Rishoi teaches courses in Theatre Appreciation, Stage Make-Up and Stage Costuming. In her spare time, she works as a freelance costume designer and artist.

“This Green Coin contest seemed like an appropriate chance to promote a vital cause that is emerging in the mainstream, while honoring my upbringing,” Rishoi said. “I’m extremely grateful to the organizers of this event at the Westminster Mint for choosing my design.”

2009 Silver American Eagles 100 Coins Box with free Silver Eagle

2009 Silver American Eagles 100 Coins Box with free Silver Eagle

Buy silver in bulk and get FREE silver eagle coins. Buy 100 American silver eagle bullion coins and we will send you a silver eagle FREE. The more silver eagles you buy the more free coins you will get. Buy 200 coins and get 2 coins FREE. Buy 300 coins and get 3 coins FREE. This is an incredible offer. All of the silver eagles are guaranteed to be brand new 2009 mint fresh coins that have never been issued to the public before. The coins come in their original “Green Top” U.S. Mint tubes. Each tube contains 20 American silver eagle bullion coins.

Gold at 6-month high, nears $1,000 an ounce

Gold prices bounded higher Thursday, nearing the $1,000 mark for the first time since February. Other metals followed gold higher. Prices have added about $44, or 4.6 percent, over the past three days, breaking free from two months of wayward trading between $930 and $970 an ounce.

Silver prices, which have trailed gold this year, got a boost as well. December silver soared 6 percent, rising 92.5 cents to $16.29 an ounce, after earlier hitting $16.31, its highest point since August 2008. Silver prices have surged more than $2, or 14 percent, in just five days.

China pushes silver and gold investment to the masses

China pushes silver and gold investment to the masses

A report suggests that the Chinese government is pushing the general public into buying gold and silver bullion, which could have a dramatic effect on the markets.
Author: Lawrence WilliamsPosted: Thursday , 03 Sep 2009 LONDON -

We are indebted again to Paul Mylchreest's Thunder Road Report for news that will bring big smiles to gold and silver investors everywhere. Apparently China is pushing the idea of buying gold and silver for investment purposes to the general population in the way that Western television sells soap powder. If 1.3 billion Chinese citizens start buying gold and silver, even in tiny quantities, imagine what that will do to the market!

The report notes that China's Central Television, the main state-owned television company, has run a news programme letting the public know how easy it is to buy precious metals as an investment. On silver investment the announcer is quoted as saying " China has introduced its first ever investment opportunity for silver bullion. The bars are available in 500g, 1kg, 2kg and 5kg with a purity of 99.9%. Figures show that gold was fifty times more expensive than silver in 2007, but now that figure has reached over seventy times. Analysts say that silver has been undervalued in recent years. They add that the metal is the right investment for individual investors and could be a good way to cash in."

What appears to have happened in China is a total relaxation of strictures on holding precious metals by the individual with the government pushing gold and silver as an investment option, seemingly at every opportunity. This is a far cry from the situation only a few years ago where the distribution of gold and silver was strictly controlled. Now, the Thunder Road Report notes that every bank will sell gold and silver bullion bars in four different sizes to individuals and gold related investments are said to be soaring in popularity.

Around a year ago, Leyshon Resources managing director, Paul Atherley, in an investor presentation in London - and no doubt delivered elsewhere in the world too - commented that some employees at the company's gold mining project in northern China would, on pay day, go to the local bank and buy a small gold bar as an investment and wealth protector. To an extent we put this down at the time to mining company hype - but this seems to be exactly the same phenomenon noted by Thunder Road. The Chinese are being converted from being the lowest per capita gold consumers in the world to a nation of small precious metals investors. Now, by next year, Chinese consumption of gold is likely to exceed that of India, which has been for years the world's biggest gold market. And one suspects that the potential for gold purchasing by individuals is only in its earliest stages. As more and more Chinese move into the cities and individual wealth grows, this trend is only likely to accelerate.

Paul ends the piece on Chinese gold and silver potential with the following comment: "Simply put, the Chinese government is trying to trigger a national gold craze...and it's working. The Chinese public now has gold trading platforms on steroids.... ...Also, for the first time in history, Chinese investors can even trade gold abroad (in London) with the swipe of a ‘Lucky Gold' card. I can't even get Bank of America to open a foreign currency account."

This may be an overstatement of the case from a precious metals bull - or it may not! Certainly if China is indeed pushing the public to buy gold then there may well be a hidden agenda here. It's unlikely they are doing it and will suddenly pull the rug out from under millions of investors. A cynic (or a raging gold bull) would suggest that this will precede a move to switch a good proportion of the country's reserves into gold which would have a huge effect on the global gold price and could prove disastrous for the dollar. Maybe it's not in China's interests to drive the dollar down too much until it has managed to divest itself of the huge dollar overhang (see the article on Chinese Sovereign Wealth Funds we published yesterday - Chinese sovereign wealth fund dumping dollars for strategic investments like gold ). The country may well already be, of course, surreptitiously building its gold reserves without reporting the build-up.

If the Chinese are indeed beginning to buy gold and silver as the quoted report suggests then this has to be a strong signal that prices are going to rise, and perhaps rise dramatically, in the relatively near future. We await comment from other China watchers for confirmation of the gold and silver buying spree, but with global gold production at best flat and probably in decline, even a small increase in Chinese buying could have a substantial impact on gold and silver prices.

What kind of a metal is Silver?

Silver

Silver is hybrid between an industrial metal and a precious metal. About 53% of the end demand for silver is from the industrial sector, compared to about 12% for gold. This means silver is more sensitive to swings in the business cycle than gold is. Investors view silver as a safe haven asset in the same way they do gold, and as a hedge against inflation and paper currency weakness. Silver is benefiting from the uncertainty over the outlook for the global financial system and over what government intentions are, given the aggressive quantitative easing and the rapid run-up in government debt levels.

Silver is the Green Metal

Unlike gold which is useful predominately as a store of value, silver has a dual personality, as both an industrial and monetary asset. Silver's innate physical properties make it an ideal ingredient in several industrial applications. As nature's best electrical and thermal conductor, the metal is perfect for high-performance electronics or high-voltage circuits. Silver's high reflectivity makes it a must for fine-precision optics, and photosensitive silver compounds are the engine behind photographic film. The metal is even a natural biocide, which is handy in sterilization and treating wounds. Demand could continue to grow long term, since silver is a component in many up-and-coming "green" technologies. Photovoltaic cells in solar arrays require silver coatings. Water purification plants use silver compounds to prevent bacteria and algae buildup and super-efficient, eco-friendly silver-zinc batteries may soon supplant their lithium-ion cousins in the rapidly growing electric car market.

Gold/ Silver Ratio Helps Silver Bullion Buyers

In the second half of 2008, the gold/silver ratio reached its highest point in almost 14 years. The historic gold/silver price ratio is 15:1. With gold now approaching $1000/oz, the ratio is currently at 62:1. In order for that ratio to come back into its historical range, silver would have to jump to over $65/oz.