Not for the first time, the US Treasury has just gone and frozen the US held assets of Afghanistan’s central bank, the Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB).

In a significant and strategic development for monetary metals, the Government of the Russian Federation has just introduced legislation which will allow Russia’s giant National Wealth Fund (NWF) to invest in gold and other precious metals. The NWF is Russia’s de facto sovereign wealth fund, and has assets of US$185 billion.

Russia sells 100,000oz in January

The Reserve Bank of India stepped up hedging against currency volatility by purchasing 0.48 million troy ounce, close to 15 tonnes, of gold in October-November, central bank data showed.

Mongolia's central bank announced on Tuesday that it has bought a total of 14.4 tons of gold from legal entities and individuals in the first 11 months of this year.

In early July, BullionStar covered the notable news from Poland’s central bank, that it had boosted its monetary gold reserves to 228.6 tonnes by buying 125.7 tonnes over the 2018-2019 period, with a staggering 100 tonnes of this total purchased at the Bank of England in London during the first half of 2019.

Let’s first consider a typical International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan to a sovereign in trouble, and then examine a typical gold carry trade transaction to support a sovereign arms deal. The intent is to demonstrate the importance of physical sovereign gold holdings in all forms of international trade.

Currently, Exter’s Pyramid has grown too big and is unstable. The moment the pyramid falls, “gold will do its job.” History teaches us gold protects its owners through all types of weather, and central banks know this. Ever wondered why virtually every central bank owns gold? Because gold is physical. Immutable, yet divisible. Independent and without counterparty risk. It is the ultimate store of value—as it retains its purchasing power through time—and works as an eternal payment instrument.

This development points to the necessity of seeking and building a new financial order, which is the fundamental basis for the re-emergence of the gold standard in the world financial market.

Central banks continued to load up on gold in the first half, helping push total bullion demand to a three-year high, according to the World Gold Council.

Nations added 374.1 tons in the first six months as Russia and China kept building reserves and Poland made a massive purchase. The trend is expected to continue, with a recent survey of central banks showing 54% of respondents expect global holdings to climb in the next 12 months.