The Global Gold Demand Trends Report for the first quarter of 2025, released by the World Gold Council on April 30, shows that the total global gold demand (including over-the-counter trading) reached 1206 tons in the first quarter, a year-on-year increase of 1%, the highest level since 2016. Among them, the global demand for gold investment was 551.9 tons, a year-on-year increase of 170%. Looking at investment demand separately, the total global demand for gold bars and coins in the first quarter was 325.4 tons, a year-on-year increase of 3%, which is 15% higher than the five-year quarterly average level; The net inflow of global gold ETFs in the first quarter was 226.5 tons, a significant increase from the net inflow of 18.7 tons in the fourth quarter of last year, becoming the main factor driving up investment demand in this quarter. Since the third quarter of last year, global investors have continued to increase their allocation of gold ETFs. The inflow of gold ETFs in the Asian region exceeded the total of the first quarter in April alone. However, there is still room for growth in this sector, and the current global gold ETF holdings are still 10% lower than their peak in 2020. ”World Gold Council senior market analyst Strett believes. From the perspective of consumer demand, the global gold price broke through historical highs 20 times in the first quarter. As a result, the total global gold jewelry consumption decreased by 21% year-on-year to 380.3 tons, the lowest point since 2020. However, in terms of gold jewelry consumption, global gold jewelry consumption expenditure increased by 9% year-on-year. In addition, the demand for technology funds remained stable at 80 tons, unchanged from the first quarter of last year. The report also shows that 2025 will be the 16th consecutive year of net gold purchases by central banks worldwide, with official gold reserves increasing by 244 tons in the first quarter. Although this demand has decreased by 21% year-on-year, it is still at the quarterly average level of continuous large-scale gold purchases by central banks in the past three years, and the overall performance is still strong, "said Jia Shuchang, head of research for the China region of the World Gold Council. From the supply side, the total gold supply in the first quarter reached 1206 tons. Among them, the gold mine production was 855.7 tons, unchanged year-on-year; The total amount of recovered gold was 345.3 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 1%. (New Society)