World Gold Council: In February, global central banks net purchased 19 tons, with some central banks maintaining continuous net buying records.

ME News update, April 4 (UTC+8). The World Gold Council released this week its February central bank gold purchase monthly report. In February 2026, central banks across countries net bought 19 tons of gold, although this remains below the monthly average of 26 tons reported for 2025. This is an improvement versus the net purchases of 5 tons in January 2026. The World Gold Council said that the February figures appear to show that after a quiet January, central bank gold buying rebounded, highlighting central banks’ recognition and continued commitment to gold as a reserve asset. In addition, the report shows that some central banks maintained records of continuous net purchases of gold; from November 2024 to February 2026, cumulative gold purchases totaled 44 tons, and the Czech Republic reported a net purchase for the 36th consecutive month. China has increased its gold holdings for the 16th consecutive month. A Goldman Sachs research note issued at the end of March pointed out that, supported by central banks’ continued gold purchases and expectations that the Fed will cut rates another two times this year, the medium-term outlook for gold remains solid, with the gold price expected to rise to $5,400 per ounce by the end of the year. UBS, meanwhile, expected at the end of March that its target price for gold at the start of 2027 would be $5,900 per ounce. (Source: ODAILY)