• Open For Online Orders 24/7
  • Call Locate
  • Call Contact
  • Help Help
USD
0 Cart
 
Banner
Overview

BullionStar Blogs

BullionStar is renowned for presenting original research and expertise
covering the most important trends in the precious metals markets.

When Politicians & Central Banks Clash

When Politicians & Central Banks Clash

  • date 15 Apr 2019 00:32
  • author Ronan Manly
  • comments 1 Comments

As China and Russia continue to make headlines with their ongoing and long-term accumulation of strategic gold reserves, in Europe central banks and their governments are increasingly coming into conflict on the issues of gold ownership and control of national gold reserves.

Two prime examples in this space right now are the gold repatriation legislation making its way... Continue Reading arrow

Where Did All the Silver Coins Go?

Where Did All the Silver Coins Go?

  • date 9 Apr 2019 17:10
  • author JP Koning
  • comments 10 Comments

In the 1800s, the coins used in the UK and US contained mostly silver. But when the value of silver in coins exceeded the value of the coin itself, people would melt coins down. This lead to crippling coin shortages. The solution to coin shortages was to remove the silver content of coins, which is why to this day not a trace of silver is to be found in circulation coinage. Continue Reading arrow

Holding Precious Metals in Your IRA Retirement Account
Europe’s INSTEX Payments Channel Won’t Help Iran

Europe’s INSTEX Payments Channel Won’t Help Iran

  • date 15 Mar 2019 16:51
  • author JP Koning
  • comments 7 Comments

After months of anticipation, Europe has finally introduced INSTEX, a payments channel to help support Iranian trade in the face of U.S. sanctions. But INSTEX won't have much of an effect.

For the time being, it won't facilitate the all-important Iranian crude oil trade. But even if it does, U.S. sanctions are too powerful for INSTEX to attract many users. Continue Reading arrow

BullionStar Financials FY 2018 – Year in Review
The Domino Effect: Romania Joins Gold Repatriation Exodus
Aussie Politicians Throw Easy Questions About RBA Gold
Australia’s Gold at the Bank of England

Australia’s Gold at the Bank of England

  • date 18 Feb 2019 23:05
  • author Ronan Manly
  • comments 4 Comments

Recently, news network RT.com asked for BullionStar's comments on the question of the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) gold reserves supposedly stored at the Bank of England's gold vaults in London.

Using some of these comments, RT has now published an article on the topic on its English language news website.

Since the full set of RT questions and BullionStar's... Continue Reading arrow

Who Really Owns Italy’s Gold?

Who Really Owns Italy’s Gold?

  • date 12 Feb 2019 23:02
  • author Ronan Manly
  • comments 5 Comments

Italy claims to be the third largest sovereign gold holder in the world, with more than 2450 tonnes of monetary gold holdings.

As populist political parties in Italy come to the fore, the question of whether to harness some of Italy's gold through gold sales has recently been raised.

But who actually owns the Italian gold? Italy's central bank, the Bank of Italy, says... Continue Reading arrow

The Great Japanese Gold Trade of 1859

The Great Japanese Gold Trade of 1859

  • date 8 Feb 2019 01:15
  • author JP Koning
  • comments 3 Comments

When Japan opened for trade in 1858, Western merchants were thrilled to learn that the Japanese valued gold at a third its international price. This would create an arbitrage for enterprising merchants.

While the arbitrage didn't last long, here's how it occurred in a historical context, and here's how the traders tripled their money. Continue Reading arrow

BoE Tears Up its Gold Custody Contract With Venezuela
How California Stuck With Gold When the U.S. Adopted Fiat

How California Stuck With Gold When the U.S. Adopted Fiat

  • date 17 Jan 2019 00:25
  • author JP Koning
  • comments 4 Comments

When the Union switched over to an inconvertible paper money standard during the American Civil War, California managed to stick to its gold standard. This episode give some insights into why contemporary monetary switches, including a potential displacement of the dollar by bitcoin, are so difficult to achieve. Continue Reading arrow

Separating Truth From Fiction in China’s Golden Poker Game
Is Russia's Central Bank Buying Gold on the Int'l Market?

Is Russia's Central Bank Buying Gold on the Int'l Market?

  • date 25 Dec 2018 14:22
  • author Ronan Manly
  • comments 11 Comments

The Russian central bank has bought so much gold this year that its purchases now exceed the amount of gold mined in Russia during 2018.

But with a policy of buying domestic gold mining output, the central bank will now need to look further afield to fulfill its gold reserve purchase requirements.

As existing agents of the central bank, the large Russian commercial... Continue Reading arrow

Venezuela’s Gold in Limbo at the Bank of England

Venezuela’s Gold in Limbo at the Bank of England

  • date 18 Dec 2018 16:12
  • author Ronan Manly
  • comments 19 Comments

As one of the world’s largest custodians of central bank gold, the Bank of England is attracting unwanted attention in a bizarre saga involving 14 tonnes of Venezuela’s gold.

A whole cast of colorful characters has recently emerged on both sides, those wanting the gold to be returned and those wanting the gold to be confiscated. Continue Reading arrow

An Early Attempt at Standardizing Money With Gold Coins

An Early Attempt at Standardizing Money With Gold Coins

  • date 16 Dec 2018 02:16
  • author JP Koning
  • comments 4 Comments

Last month the world settled on a new definition of the kilogram. Our success at harmonizing weights stands in contrast with our failure to establish a universal unit for measuring monetary value. This post explores the difficulty of this project by investigating a late-1860s effort to establish an international system for comparing value. Continue Reading arrow

French Central Bank & JP Morgan to Boost Gold Lending
November 2018 Gold Market Charts

November 2018 Gold Market Charts

  • date 30 Nov 2018 21:47
  • author Gold Market Charts
  • comments 12 Comments

BullionStar’s Gold Market Charts articles examine recent developments in the world’s largest physical gold markets using illustrative gold market charts created by the GoldChartsRUs.com gold market chart website.

Physical gold markets covered in this latest update include China, Russia, Switzerland, and the gold holdings of the Bank of England and LBMA gold vaults in... Continue Reading arrow

Why the U.S. Mint Once Issued Gold Discs to Saudi Arabia

Why the U.S. Mint Once Issued Gold Discs to Saudi Arabia

  • date 26 Nov 2018 23:46
  • author JP Koning
  • comments 12 Comments

Shortly after World War II, the U.S. produced almost 200,000 gold discs for Saudi Arabia. Coin collectors usually link the discs to ARAMCO, the Saudi-American company responsible for producing much of Saudi Arabia's oil. This post revisits the monetary arrangements of the era to determine why the discs were actually issued. Continue Reading arrow

LBMA Trading Volume Confirms London Paper Gold Casino
BoE Refuses to Return 14 Tonnes of Gold to Venezuela
Does Central Bank Gold Buying Impact Demand & Price?
Gold’s Official Price is $42, and Maybe That’s a Good Thing

Gold’s Official Price is $42, and Maybe That’s a Good Thing

  • date 19 Oct 2018 14:30
  • author JP Koning
  • comments 25 Comments

The U.S.'s official gold price is set at $42.22, far below the market price. This post explains what would happen if the official price was increased to $1225, the current market price. The result would be a large transfer of U.S. gold ownership from the Federal Reserve to the U.S. Treasury. This would hurt the Fed's ability to run an independent monetary policy. Continue Reading arrow

Hungary Announces 10-Fold Jump in Gold Reserves

Hungary Announces 10-Fold Jump in Gold Reserves

  • date 16 Oct 2018 13:53
  • author Ronan Manly
  • comments 3 Comments

In dramatic news for the gold market, the central bank of Hungary has just announced that it has increased its strategic gold reserves by 10-fold from 3.1 tonnes to 31.5 tonnes. That's a 1000% increase.

Not only that, but the Hungarian central bank has also repatriated all of this newly purchased gold to Hungary, some 28.4 tonnes, signalling the geo-strategic nature of this... Continue Reading arrow

Skepticism Reigns About Chinese Central Bank Gold Reserves

Skepticism Reigns About Chinese Central Bank Gold Reserves

  • date 12 Oct 2018 17:27
  • author Ronan Manly
  • comments 5 Comments

When BullionStar ran a Twitter survey to find out what percentage of people believe the official Chinese claim about its central bank gold holdings, the results showed resounding skepticism about the official data.

The pool garnered 2337 votes and a full 91% of respondents did not believe the official figure. But within the results there were some surprises.

Given... Continue Reading arrow

Sanctions Busting, European Style

Sanctions Busting, European Style

  • date 4 Oct 2018 20:35
  • author JP Koning
  • comments 13 Comments

Germany, France, and the UK intend to create a new Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to enable cross-border payments with Iran, which is currently being sanctioned by the U.S. The SPV will be able to carve out some space for the rest of the world to engage in Iranian trade, but we shouldn't overestimate its ability to override U.S. economic power. Continue Reading arrow

LBMA Data Reveal the Absurdity of the London ‘Gold’ Market
Paulson’s Shareholders Gold Council Finally Launches
Chinese Gold Panda Coins Now Trading On Shanghai's SGE

Chinese Gold Panda Coins Now Trading On Shanghai's SGE

  • date 17 Sept 2018 06:03
  • author Ronan Manly
  • comments 0 Comments

In an important development for the Chinese Gold Market, the Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE) has just launched a physically delivered contract for trading Chinese Gold Panda coins.

With this new contract, both institutional and individual investors in China can now trade and take delivery of China's national gold bullion coin, the Gold Panda, direct from the SGE.... Continue Reading arrow

Why the SEC Keeps Rejecting Bitcoin ETF Listings

Why the SEC Keeps Rejecting Bitcoin ETF Listings

  • date 4 Sept 2018 23:08
  • author JP Koning
  • comments 2 Comments

So far, all applications submitted to the SEC to list Bitcoin ETFs have been rejected. On the surface this appears strange given that a large number of commodity ETFs have been successfully listed on US exchanges.

Does the SEC have a bone to pick with Bitcoin or is in some way anti-Bitcoin? The evidence would suggest not. Rather, the SEC has a requirement that the exchanges it... Continue Reading arrow

As EM Currencies Collapse, Gold is Being Mobilized
Annual Mine Supply of Gold: Does it Matter?

Annual Mine Supply of Gold: Does it Matter?

  • date 21 Aug 2018 00:31
  • author Ronan Manly
  • comments 1 Comments

There is a relative fixation in the gold industry on new gold mining supply, and the prospects of unextracted gold reserves running out within the next few decades. However, current in-ground gold reserves are not the full picture, since in-ground gold 'resources' are far larger still.

But beyond annual gold mining output, its important to remember that the world's... Continue Reading arrow

LBMA at the Movies: Golden Turkeys

LBMA at the Movies: Golden Turkeys

  • date 6 Aug 2018 20:51
  • author Ronan Manly
  • comments 6 Comments

The London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) has recently published a series of short videos claiming to explain 'Who They Are' and 'How the OTC precious metals Markets Work'.

But a quick glance at the content confirms that nearly none of the subject matter addresses the questions set by the titles. Are they deliberately avoiding the questions? If the answer is yes, then it... Continue Reading arrow

Spotlight on the HUI & XAU Gold Stock Indexes

Spotlight on the HUI & XAU Gold Stock Indexes

  • date 31 Jul 2018 17:49
  • author Ronan Manly
  • comments 1 Comments

Take a quick look at most gold investing websites or indeed general investing websites and you will invariably see the names of the HUI and XAU gold mining indexes displayed alongside their respective index 'prices'.

But what are the HUI and XAU indexes, how are they constructed, and who operates them? And which gold mining stocks do they hold? And how do the two indexes... Continue Reading arrow

Turkey’s Attempt to Mop Up Mattress Gold
China's Gold Market: Still in the Driving Seat

China's Gold Market: Still in the Driving Seat

  • date 19 Jul 2018 00:31
  • author Ronan Manly
  • comments 6 Comments

With Chinese wholesale gold demand running at over 1000 tonnes for the first six months of 2018 as indicated by SGE gold withdrawals, China's gold market has to principally meet this buoyant gold demand from the key supply sources such as domestic mine production, gold imports and gold recycling.

With Chinese domestic gold production lower in 2018 than in 2017 and 2016, it... Continue Reading arrow

How Much Gold is in the FIFA World Cup Trophy?

How Much Gold is in the FIFA World Cup Trophy?

  • date 12 Jul 2018 00:20
  • author BullionStar
  • comments 3 Comments

A sporting trophy revered by the elite footballers of the world. A trophy with near mythical status in the eyes of players and fans alike. A trophy held aloft by a select few captains in its less than 50 year history. A legendary trophy made of gold.

Designed in 1970 by Italian Artist artist Silvio Gazzaniga, the FIFA World Cup Trophy is, in the words of its creator, "a... Continue Reading arrow

Gold’s Price Performance: Beyond the U.S. Dollar

Gold’s Price Performance: Beyond the U.S. Dollar

  • date 1 Jul 2018 16:27
  • author Ronan Manly
  • comments 3 Comments

The mainstream media's fixation with the US dollar price of gold is constant and non-stop, even more so as the first half of 2018 drew to a close and a wall of commentary and headlines erupted about the price of gold in US dollar terms slipping on a 6-month measurement scale.

However, it is not the full story, because in some major national currencies as well as in... Continue Reading arrow

The Shareholders Gold Council Ignores the Gold Price

The Shareholders Gold Council Ignores the Gold Price

  • date 26 Jun 2018 01:12
  • author Ronan Manly
  • comments 5 Comments

A new Shareholders Gold Council, led by hedge fund Paulson & Co, has recently made headlines with proposals to put the spotlight on the gold mining sector and its underperforming share prices by using an alliance of institutional investors to apply pressure and accountability to gold mining company CEOs and Boards.

All very well, but this Council's strategy has one major... Continue Reading arrow

Cashless Society, Negative Rates, and Hyperinflation – Pt. 2
Singapore, Brunei, and the $10,000 Banknote

Singapore, Brunei, and the $10,000 Banknote

  • date 17 Jun 2018 19:48
  • author JP Koning
  • comments 5 Comments

This post talks about Singapore and Brunei's $10,000 note, the most valuable banknote denomination in the world. It delves into the historical monetary relationship between the two nations. Continue Reading arrow

Are the Swiss Waking Up About Fractional-Reserve Banking?
Investing in Platinum - the Noble Metal

Investing in Platinum - the Noble Metal

  • date 6 Jun 2018 19:27
  • author BullionStar
  • comments 1 Comments

As a recognized investment precious metal, many of the world's leading refineries and mints now offer investment grade platinum bars and platinum coins within their physical precious metals product suites.

These include minted platinum bars from the famed refineries of Heraeus, Valcambi and Argor-Heraeus, and platinum bullion coins such as Royal Canadian Mint Platinum 1 oz... Continue Reading arrow

Gold and the Monetary Blockade on Iran

Gold and the Monetary Blockade on Iran

  • date 2 Jun 2018 21:52
  • author JP Koning
  • comments 2 Comments

Gold was used as an intermediary commodity for evading sanctions imposed on Iran, particularly in 2012-13. Gold has certain properties, including a high value-to-weight ratio and good liquidity, that made it convenient. Given that sanctions will probably be reimposed, what will gold's role be in the next round of Iranian sanctions? Continue Reading arrow

May 2018 Gold Market Charts

May 2018 Gold Market Charts

  • date 21 May 2018 21:28
  • author Gold Market Charts
  • comments 3 Comments

The latest issue of BullionStar's Gold Market Charts has now been published and highlights a number of recent developments in the world's major physical gold markets.

For the year-to-date, gold withdrawals from the Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE) are already running at a cumulative 749 tonnes between January and April, which if annualised would represent a record year of gold... Continue Reading arrow

The Future of Cash: Iceland vs. Sweden

The Future of Cash: Iceland vs. Sweden

  • date 17 May 2018 00:54
  • author JP Koning
  • comments 2 Comments

When people think about the future of cash, an increasingly cash-lite Sweden is one of the benchmarks that is often brought up. Yet Iceland should not be ignored, since not only does it lead Sweden in digital payments adoption, but it is also experiencing a resurgence in cash usage. Continue Reading arrow

BullionStar Celebrates Customer Order Number 100,000!
BullionStar Adds Bitcoin Cash & Litecoin as Payment Options
Turkey & Russia Highlight Gold’s Strategic Importance
Types of Gold Standards

Types of Gold Standards

  • date 23 Apr 2018 19:38
  • author JP Koning
  • comments 4 Comments

From one version of the gold standard to the next, society benefited from the price stability afforded by a link to gold while being liberated from some of the metal's inconvenient physical burdens. Continue Reading arrow

We use cookies to enhance the user experience and to analyse traffic. Cookies are also used for the purpose of handling our system and services. By using our website, you accept that cookies are used. You can change the usage of cookies in your browser. The usage of cookies and the collection of customer information by BullionStar is guided by our Privacy Policy.