Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Special reports
  3. 10 May 21
  4. Gold ETF outflows continue, but slow with gold price strength

Gold ETF outflows continue, but slow with gold price strength

Published by , Editor
Global Mining Review,

New data released by the World Gold Council shows global gold ETFs lost 18.3t t (-US$1.1billion, -0.5% assets under management [AUM]) in April, marking outflows for 5 of the past 6 months. However, global outflows slowed significantly, as European funds added assets for the first time since January. Global AUM stand at 3567 t (US$203 billion), after slipping below US$200 billion for the first time in over a year during March. Since the peak asset levels in November 2020, gold ETF AUM have fallen nearly 14%, with 8% coming from outflows and 6% coming from the gold price selloff in US dollar terms.

April regional overview

North American funds, particularly in the US, represented nearly all the global outflows as the region lost 28.4 t (-US$1.6billion, -1.6%). In contrast, European funds saw inflows of 10.6 t (US$514 million, 0.6%), from funds across France, Switzerland, and the UK. Funds in 'other' regions also experienced net inflows but they were considerably smaller in magnitude. Asian-listed funds reversed their 2021 strength with very minor outflows of 0.5 t (-US$13 million) led by China, which lost 2 t (-US$111 million, -2.8%). However, funds in India continued to grow, adding 1.3 t (US$84 million, 4.4%) during the month.

Low-cost gold ETF segment continues to grow

Strong inflows continue to be seen into low-cost ETFs across the globe, most recently evidenced by 1.7 t (US$93 million, 473%) into WisdomTree Core Physical Gold in London and 1.3 t (US$74 million, 1.9%) into SPDR® Gold MiniShares during in April. In addition, late last month, there were inflows of approximately 27.5 t or US$1.6 billion into three low-cost Xtrackers funds, which coincided with equivalent outflows from three of their higher-fee funds, which may indicate a transfer to the newer structures.

Price performance and trading volumes

Gold finished the month 4.5% higher at US$1768.1/oz, flirting but failing to break through resistance at US$1800/oz during the second half of April. Gold remains 6.5% lower during the year, while its implied price volatility continues to fall and is back to the early 2020 pre-COVID levels of 14%. This is well below gold’s realised volatility levels of 20% last year and lower than its historical 20-year realised volatility of 16%.

Gold daily trading averages fell significantly for a second straight month, averaging US$138 billion per day during April. This is 25% below the 2020 average of US$183 billion, more in-line with the 2019 average of US$146 billion. The decrease in April was largely a function of lower COMEX futures volumes reported through the LBMA Trade Data. Net long positioning, via the recent Commitment of Traders (COT) report for gold COMEX futures, ticked higher to 540 t, well below the 2020 average net long level of 871 t.

Market Commentary

The Gold Council’s short-term price-performance model suggests that the primary driver of gold’s recovery during April was a weaker US dollar, alongside declining interest rates, impacting the opportunity cost of holding gold as sensitivity to these variables remains elevated. It also believes the recent strength in gold was a function of:

  • The weaker US dollar.
  • Gold prices catching up to other commodities ‘reflation’ strength.
  • Increased fiscal stimulus and continued central bank support.

Regional flows

  • US funds continue to weigh on global gold ETF demand.
  • North American funds had outflows of 28.4 t (-US$1.6 billion, -1.6%).
  • Holdings in European funds rose by 10.6 t (US$514 million, 0.6%).
  • Funds listed in Asia had net outflows of 0.5 t (-US$13 million).
  • Other regions had minor inflows.

Individual flows

  • SPDR Gold Shares (US) led global outflows in April, followed by iShares Gold Trust.
  • In North America, SPDR Gold Shares lost 20.4 t (-US$1.1 billion, -2%), followed by iShares Gold Trust, which lost 8.2 t (-US$458 million, -1.7%). SPDR Gold MiniShares had holdings rise by 1.3 t (US$74 million, 1.9%), while Graniteshares Gold Trust added 0.5 t (US$30.3 million, -4.2%).
  • In Europe, Amundi Physical Gold added 3.7 t (US$217 million, 7.3%), while iShares Physical Gold added 1.9 t (US$124 million, 1%). WisdomTree Physical Gold lost 3.4 t (-US$190 million, -3.1%).
  • In Asia, two Indian funds ICICI Prudential Gold and Nippon India combined to add 1 t (US$60million), while Huaan Yifu Gold lost 1.5 t (-US$81 million, -4.7%.

Long-term trends

  • Global AUM has fallen over 20% since the August 2020 high.
  • The downward trend in overall global flows continues to be dominated by US funds.
  • Gold ETF flows have been largely correlated with gold prices and interest rates in recent months, but have yet to ‘catch up’ to gold strong April performance.
  • Asian gold ETF holdings continue to grow assets despite other regions faltering.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/special-reports/10052021/gold-etf-outflows-continue-but-slow-with-gold-price-strength/

You might also like

 
 

Embed article link: (copy the HTML code below):

 

This article has been tagged under the following:

Gold mining news World Gold Council news