Mexico, Russia, Thailand Add $6 Billion of Gold to Reserves, IMF Data Show

The Bank of Mexico added 93.3 metric tons of gold to its reserves since January, according to International Monetary Fund data through the end of March. Photographer: Jean Chung/Bloomberg

Mexico, Russia and Thailand added gold now valued at about $6 billion to their reserves in February and March as prices advanced to a record, the dollar weakened and Treasuries lost investors money.

Mexico bought 93.3 metric tons since January, adding to holdings of about 6.9 tons, according to International Monetary Fund data. Russia increased its reserves by 18.8 tons to 811.1 tons in March and Thailand expanded assets by 9.3 tons to 108.9 tons in the same month, the data show.
Central banks are expanding their gold reserves for the first time in a generation as purchases by billionaire investors including John Paulson contributed to bullion extending its longest winning streak since at least 1920. Countries were also boosting their holdings in 1980 when gold rose to a then-record $850 an ounce, only to fall for most of the next 20 years.

“Central banks have good reason to buy gold,” said Peter Morici, a professor of business at the University of Maryland in College Park and a former economic adviser to the U.S. government. “The dollar is no longer a safe asset for backing currencies. Treasuries are not a sound investment” and budget and debt issues mean central banks should buy gold, he said.

Gold for immediate delivery climbed to a record $1,577.57 an ounce on May 2 and traded at $1,539.29 by 3:04 p.m. in London today. Prices are up 8.3 percent this year and have gained the past 10 years. Global holdings of gold by governments and official institutions such as the IMF stood at 30,523 tons by April, according to the World Gold Council.

Lowest Level

The dollar today slid to the lowest level since July 2008 against six major currencies. Treasuries lost investors 0.14 percent in February and March, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch indexes.

Bullion earlier today dropped after the Wall Street Journal reported Soros Fund Management LLC sold precious metal holdings because of a reduced risk of deflation, citing unidentified people close to the matter. The Soros fund held shares in the SPDR Gold Trust and the iShares Gold Trust equal to about 508,800 ounces as of Dec. 31, a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Feb. 14 showed.

Since the end of 2009 countries including India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Bangladesh have bought gold. Before this year’s purchases, gold accounted for about 0.2 percent of Mexico’s total reserves, and 2.6 percent of Thailand’s reserves. The metal accounts for more than 70 percent of reserves of the U.S. and Germany, the biggest holders, World Gold Council data show.

“Mexico’s gold accumulation confirms the demand of emerging market central banks to diversify their reserves,” said Bayram Dincer, an analyst at LGT Capital Management in Pfaeffikon, Switzerland. “They will be the big buyers for years to come.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Nicholas Larkin in London at nlarkin1@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Claudia Carpenter atccarpenter2@bloomberg.net