November 22 2024
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‘Average’ demand for gold expected to continue until Ramadan
Razan Abdelhadi, Jordan News
last updated:
Oct 10,2022
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AMMAN — A gram
of 21-karat gold was selling on Saturday for JD34.9 in jewelry shops; some 300
fils lower than a few days ago.اضافة اعلان
A gram of 24-karat
and 18-karat gold was selling for JD41 and JD31.20, respectively, both
registering slightly lower selling prices as well.
Yet, despite the
decrease, demand for gold coins and 1-ounce gold bars in the local market is
“average”, according to the head of the General Syndicate of Owners of Jewelry
and Jewelry Trade and Crafting Rebhi Allan.
The yellow metal
was selling on Friday in the global market at $1693 per ounce.
According to
Allan, demand for gold is expected to remain “weak to average” until Ramadan.
“After Ramadan,
demand for gold usually increases significantly, especially since there are
more occasions and weddings following the fasting month,” he pointed out.
Demand for gold
was greater in the summer, Allan said, adding that sales witnessed an increase.
Summer is usually
the season for weddings and school graduation, which traditionally come with
increased demand for gold, and that could explain this summer’s sales.
Still, according
to jewelry shop owner Abu Anas, demand for gold “has dropped significantly
since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic”.
“Buying gold is
not a priority anymore; people want rather to buy food and clothes for their
children, in view of the hard economic conditions we witness,” he said.
But if “demand is
linked to prices; whenever prices fall, demand increases”, this time, even though
prices went slightly down, “this is not the demand we were hoping for, given
that we have to pay salaries and rents”, he stressed.
Only lowering prices and
increasing salaries, thus raising the purchasing power and liquidity in the
hands of citizens, would help increase demand for gold, Abu Anas said.