Last week, the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) published its latest monthly update on gold holdings in the LBMA vaults in London, claiming that there are now record gold stocks of 9452 tonnes of gold held in these vaults.

Trumpeting record physical gold holdings in the London vaults is one thing, but it’s a very hollow proclamation if only a fraction of these total holdings are available to ‘back-up’ the gigantic fractionally-backed London paper gold edifice.