Not only is gold valuable as a precious metal, but it is also considered to be an important commodity in trading finance. As such, the demand for gold reserves and their growth has been on the rise worldwide in recent years, especially after the Great Recession. In fact, there are many countries with large gold reserves that have been using them as a source of foreign currency and a hedge against inflation. This post will take a look at some of the countries with the most gold reserves.
United States of America
The U.S. is not only the world's biggest gold producer, but also has the largest gold reserves in the world. The country's holdings include 480 tonnes of gold, which accounts for about 5% of all mined gold.
The United States' official gold reserves were created in 1934 when President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 6102, ordering all privately owned gold to be turned over to the federal government. This was done in response to concerns that foreign countries were hoarding American currency and holding on to their own currency instead, which would cause a run on American banks as citizens tried to get their cash out.
The order also banned private ownership of gold coins and bullion and forbade private citizens from owning more than $50 worth of gold coins or bullion at one time.
Japan
Japan has the most gold reserves in the world. It holds more than 8,000 tons of gold, according to the World Gold Council (WGC).
The country also holds more than $800 billion in foreign exchange reserves and $2 trillion in domestic debt.
China is second on the list with about 6,000 tons of gold and about $450 billion in foreign exchange reserves. The country also has a huge domestic debt load at nearly $12 trillion.
India ranks third with about 4,300 tons of gold and about $300 billion in foreign exchange reserves. The country also has a huge domestic debt burden at over $11 trillion.
China
China has the most gold reserves in the world, with more than half a million tons.
China is not only the world's largest producer of gold, but it also has the largest reserves of any country.
The country has been stockpiling gold since at least the early 1980s, when it began to buy bullion from Western banks and foreign governments at a time when other countries were trying to sell off their holdings.
China's gold reserves are held largely by state-owned enterprises. The central bank does not officially release information about individual companies' holdings.
Some analysts believe that China may be buying more than it needs for its reserves, but others say that China's purchases would not have much impact on global prices if they did not come from other countries' reserves or from private investors who want to diversify their assets away from stocks and bonds."
Russia
Russia has the largest gold reserves in the world, with about 37 billion troy ounces. This is about 6 times more than its official gold holdings of 10 billion troy ounces. The country also has the world's largest gold-producing mine outside of Africa, at Sredne-Dobinskoye in Siberia.
In addition to these reserves, Russia also holds a large amount of gold-backed securities. According to many analysts, this is the best way for countries to hedge against inflation and currency fluctuations while they are still developing their economies.
The United States has an estimated stockpile of 2,133 tons of gold bullion, which makes it the second biggest holder of gold behind Germany. China also holds 9 percent of the world's total supply of gold bullion and accounts for almost a quarter of all official global holdings as well as much of its off-market purchases.
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