China's C.bank Warns SVB Failure Shows Impact of Rapid Global Rate Hikes

A security guard stands outside of the entrance of the Silicon Valley Bank headquarters in Santa Clara, California, US, March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Brittany Hosea-Small/File Photo
A security guard stands outside of the entrance of the Silicon Valley Bank headquarters in Santa Clara, California, US, March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Brittany Hosea-Small/File Photo
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China's C.bank Warns SVB Failure Shows Impact of Rapid Global Rate Hikes

A security guard stands outside of the entrance of the Silicon Valley Bank headquarters in Santa Clara, California, US, March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Brittany Hosea-Small/File Photo
A security guard stands outside of the entrance of the Silicon Valley Bank headquarters in Santa Clara, California, US, March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Brittany Hosea-Small/File Photo

A senior official at the People's Bank of China said on Saturday the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) showed how rapid monetary policy shifts were having spillover effects, state-owned newspaper Shanghai Securities News reported.

Xuan Changneng, a deputy governor at the People's Bank of China told the Global Asset Management Forum in Beijing that some financial institutions had grown accustomed to running their balance sheets in an environment of low interest rate volatility and as such lacked sensitivity to short-term and large fluctuations in rates.

Silicon Valley Bank's balance sheet characteristics made it more sensitive to interest rates changes and ultimately led to risk, the newspaper cited him as saying.

"Based on the current situation, there is still uncertainty about whether inflation in the major developed economies will fall significantly in the short term, and continuing to maintain relatively high interest rates may also have an adverse impact on the steady operations of the banking and financial system," he said.

SVB Financial Group on Friday sought protection under Chapter 11 of the US bankruptcy code, days after its former unit Silicon Valley Bank was taken over by US regulators.



WGC: Gold Investment Hits 3-year High in 1st Quarter on Trade Turmoil

FILE PHOTO: Gold bangles are displayed at a jewellery store in Mumbai, India, March 20, 2025. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Gold bangles are displayed at a jewellery store in Mumbai, India, March 20, 2025. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo
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WGC: Gold Investment Hits 3-year High in 1st Quarter on Trade Turmoil

FILE PHOTO: Gold bangles are displayed at a jewellery store in Mumbai, India, March 20, 2025. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Gold bangles are displayed at a jewellery store in Mumbai, India, March 20, 2025. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo

Global gold demand including over-the-counter (OTC) trading rose by 1% year-on-year to 1,206 metric tons in the first quarter of 2025 as investment jumped 170%, the World Gold Council said on Wednesday.

Spot gold prices are up 26% so far this year and have hit multiple record highs as first-quarter investment demand hit the highest since the first quarter of 2022, when global markets were grappling with the immediate consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"It's been a bumpy start to the year for global markets as trade turmoil, unpredictable US policy announcements, sustained geopolitical tensions and a return of recessionary fears have created a highly uncertain environment for investors," the WGC's senior markets analyst Louise Street said.

Driving up investment demand were massive inflows into physically backed gold exchange-traded funds and 14% growth in demand for gold bars in the first quarter, Reuters reported. That offset a 32% slump in demand for coins.

However, bar and coin investment in China rose 12% to 124.2 tons, the highest level since the second quarter of 2013's record high, said the WGC, an industry body whose members are global gold miners.

Amid high prices, global gold jewelry consumption, the key category of physical demand, fell 21% to 380.3 tons, the lowest level since the 2020 pandemic.

Central banks, another major source of gold demand, cut purchases by 21% to 243.7 tons in the first quarter, the WGC calculated, based on reported purchases and an estimate of unreported buying.

"While this level of demand was 21% lower year-on-year, it remains robust and in line with the quarterly average for the last three years of sustained, strong buying," it added.

For the full year, the WGC expects gold investment to continue gathering pace and central banks to repeat buying close to the range seen over the past three years due to elevated trade-related risks.