Households in Covid vulnerable districts bought more gold: IIMA study

Households in India's COVID-19 vulnerable districts allocated more gold to their savings portfolio during the pandemic compared to households in other districts, as per a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA). The shift towards gold is accompanied by a shift away from other financial assets and cash, as per the IIMA working paper titled 'Gold in household portfolios during a pandemic: Evidence from an emerging economy'. The study, published on IIMA's website on June 30, captured the variation in the intensity of the crisis using two main indicators: COVID-19 cases per 1,000 population, and satellite-based night-time lights intensity. The survey covered 142 districts across 21 states. India is the second-largest consumer of gold (in the form of jewellery) in the world and an average Indian household invests 11 per cent of its overall holdings in the precious metal, as per the study paper. It said addressing geographical inequalities in the availabil

from Markets https://ift.tt/LeJhxTA