For Gold Bugs, This Rally Isn’t A Rush, But One Long Coming
https://www.investing.com/anal…one-long-coming-200455725
In a precious metals note issued this week, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said central bank could still have a lot of buying left to do in gold.
"We acknowledge that the paper market is very long, but we note at the same time that investor gold holdings excluding central banks, measured as a percentage of global equity markets still remain well below the levels seen in the 70s: then, gold holdings were equivalent to more than 6% of equity market cap, while this number is now less than half that at 2.7%.
Hence, if concerns over central bank credibility and equity/ fixed income valuations increase, gold could easily see further inflows."
BAML said monetary authorities buy gold for various reasons, including de-dollarization and safe haven hedging, while portfolio diversification has become a major incentive too.
"A gold allocation of just below 5% maximizes the risk-return profile of a conservative portfolio. We estimate the gold holdings at 12% of central banks are below that threshold. If all those monetary authorities lifted their allocations to optimal levels, this would generate an impressive 5,870 tonnes of additional gold demand, compared to last year's combined mine and scrap supply of 4,600 tonnes."