For the 16th month in a row, China bought gold into reserves in February even as bullion prices hovered near record highs. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) added another 30,000 troy ounces last month, lifting official reserves to approximately 2,309 metric tonnes (74.22 million ounces), valued at $388 billion. This represents roughly 9-10% of China’s total foreign reserves. At this pace, China is closing in on the top global holders (still behind US ~8,133t, Germany ~3,352t, but climbing fast). Since November 2024, the PBOC has increased its gold holdings by a total of 1.4 million ounces. Central banks are not alone, as CoinTelegraph’s Martin Young reports, retail gold purchases have tripled over the last six months, while Wall Street selling has accelerated over the past four months, according to data from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). “Retail-driven exuberance,” increasingly channeled through exchange-traded funds (ETFs), “set the stage for outsize moves,” continuing the precious metal rally from 2025, reported the BIS in a quarterly review released on Monday.  Since Q2 2025, retail investors have bought around $70 billion in gold ETFs, and these purchases have more than tripled over the last six months, observed the Kobeissi Letter, citing BIS data on Thursday. “Retail […]