Loading...
Loading reserves data...
Gold Reserves
125.3t
Reserve Value
$11.56B
% of Reserves
0.0%
YoY Change
-0.1t
Est. Purchase Cost
—
Gold/Currency Ratio
16.28%
South Africa sells minor gold amid fiscal pressures from energy crises and unemployment, needing liquidity for spending. Reduction aids reserve rebalancing toward yields. Profit-taking funds domestic priorities.
Notable Activity
South Africa reduced by 0.1 tonnes year-over-year.
Key Motivations
What this means
The gold/currency ratio measures how much of a country's money supply is "backed" by gold reserves. A higher ratio suggests stronger implicit gold backing of the currency. This country has relatively strong gold backing compared to peers.
Bullion Fear & Greed Index
Was the market fearful or greedy when South Africa was buying? Central banks often buy gold during market fear — the opposite of retail.
Gold/Silver Ratio
Central banks buy gold, not silver. Track the gold/silver ratio to understand relative value between the two metals.
Mining ETFs
Central bank buying supports gold prices, which flows through to mining company valuations. Track GDX, GDXJ, and miner sentiment.
Data Sources
Gold holdings from IMF International Financial Statistics (IFS) and World Gold Council. M1 money supply from FRED and IMF. Geopolitical context enriched monthly. Last updated: 2025-12-31.