ZeroHedge - India Gold Imports Hit Record As "Price Is No Longer A Factor"

India Gold Imports Hit Record As "Price Is No Longer A Factor"


All those who continue ridiculing gold, saying it has no utility, tend to forget one thing: it just happens to be the ultimate status symbol (especially for the nouveau riche). And who these days wants to demonstrate status (and has a lot of nouveau richness)? Why, the 2+ billion consumers who are benefiting from the biggest growth story in the world, i.e., China and India. According to the World Gold Council, gold demand in India in the last year reached a record. Per Bloomberg: "Purchases were about 800 metric tons, compared with 557 tons in 2009, Ajay Mitra, managing director for India and the Middle East at the producer-funded group, said today in a phone interview from Dubai." But how is that possible? After all gold prices surged in 2010 compared to 2009: is gold demand supposed to be inelastic? Surely you jest? Well, no: "Our assessment is demand will continue to be strong,” [Mitra] said. “Price is no longer a factor.”" Re-reading the bolded sentence a few times just may explain why PM distribution centers with actual physical inventories have suddenly become rarer than hen's teeth.