Gold rush: Hong Kong sees sudden jump in bullion imports from Dubai amid US-Iran war



Gold imports and trading have surged in Hong Kong recently as merchants and investors from the Middle East and Russia move their holdings from Dubai to the city amid the regional war, according to the Hong Kong Gold Exchange (HKGX).

Since early April, some gold merchants from these regions have been selling physical gold in Hong Kong at a discount of 15 to 20 per cent to the market price, said Haywood Cheung Tak-hay, chairman of HKGX.

“The discounted sales were a result of the US-Israel war with Iran, which has led these merchants to shift their gold stocks, which they originally planned to sell in Dubai, to Hong Kong,” Cheung said in an interview with the South China Morning Post.

These merchants offered discounts to Hong Kong buyers as they wanted to make a quick sale, he said.

Some of this gold was first sold in Dubai and then re-exported to Hong Kong, but now the traders were selling the precious metal directly here, without going through intermediaries, and were therefore able to offer a lower price, Cheung added, without giving details as the official import data would only be available later.

Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates, is a major gold-trading hub.

  • Related Posts

    Chinese EV sales edge higher in April despite weakening domestic demand

    Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers – including BYD and Geely Automobile – saw their sales stabilise in April, as exports and new technologies continued to help offset weakening demand at…

    Continue reading
    Hong Kong residential property upturn drives recovery in office, retail: Morgan Stanley

    Hong Kong’s property market is poised for a broad-based recovery as a strong upturn in the residential segment spills over to the struggling office and retail sectors, according to analysts.…

    Continue reading

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *