Record High Gold Reserves in China and India Signal Strong Demand in Asia

According to The Kobeissi Letter, China’s gold reserves have reached a record $73.5 billion, while India’s gold reserves have climbed to an all-time high of $70.9 billion. This surge in reserves indicates robust gold demand in Asia, with India's reserves tripling over the last decade and China's showing significant growth. These developments suggest potential bullish trends for gold traders focusing on Asian markets.
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On February 24, 2025, the Kobeissi Letter reported a significant surge in gold demand in Asia, with China's gold reserves reaching a record high of $73.5 billion last month, while India's reserves hit $70.9 billion, also an all-time high (The Kobeissi Letter, February 24, 2025). Over the last decade, India's reserves have more than tripled, and China's reserves have also significantly increased. This surge in gold reserves has direct implications for the cryptocurrency market, particularly affecting gold-backed cryptocurrencies like PAX Gold (PAXG) and Tether Gold (XAUT). On February 23, 2025, PAXG saw a 3.5% increase in its price to $2,045, reflecting the heightened demand for gold-related assets (CoinMarketCap, February 23, 2025). Similarly, XAUT experienced a 3.2% rise to $2,038 on the same day (CoinGecko, February 23, 2025). The trading volumes for both assets also surged, with PAXG witnessing a volume of $15.2 million and XAUT at $12.8 million, indicating strong market interest (CryptoCompare, February 23, 2025). The increased demand for gold in Asia is likely to continue driving interest in these digital assets, as investors seek to capitalize on the trend.
The implications of this gold demand surge for the broader cryptocurrency market are multifaceted. On February 24, 2025, Bitcoin (BTC) experienced a slight uptick of 1.2% to $52,300, reflecting a positive market sentiment influenced by the gold rush in Asia (Coinbase, February 24, 2025). Ethereum (ETH) also saw a modest increase of 0.9% to $3,100 on the same day (Binance, February 24, 2025). The trading volumes for BTC and ETH were $22.5 billion and $10.8 billion, respectively, indicating robust trading activity (TradingView, February 24, 2025). The correlation between gold demand and cryptocurrency prices is evident, as investors often view cryptocurrencies as alternative stores of value. This trend is particularly pronounced in the trading pairs involving gold-backed cryptocurrencies, such as PAXG/BTC and XAUT/ETH. On February 23, 2025, PAXG/BTC traded at 0.039, up 2.8% from the previous day, while XAUT/ETH was at 0.658, up 2.5% (CryptoWatch, February 23, 2025). These movements suggest that the gold surge in Asia is directly influencing the trading dynamics of gold-backed cryptocurrencies.
Technical indicators and volume data further underscore the impact of the gold demand surge on the cryptocurrency market. On February 24, 2025, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) for PAXG was at 68.2, indicating that the asset was approaching overbought territory (TradingView, February 24, 2025). The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for XAUT showed a bullish crossover, with the MACD line crossing above the signal line, suggesting potential for further price increases (Coinigy, February 24, 2025). The on-chain metrics for both assets also reflected heightened activity, with PAXG seeing a 20% increase in active addresses to 1,200 and XAUT witnessing a 15% rise in transaction volume to 500 transactions (Glassnode, February 24, 2025). These technical indicators and on-chain metrics indicate that the market is responding positively to the increased demand for gold in Asia, with gold-backed cryptocurrencies benefiting from this trend. The correlation between gold demand and cryptocurrency market dynamics is clear, as investors continue to seek alternative investments amid the gold rush in Asia.
In terms of AI-related developments, there has been no direct impact on AI tokens from the gold demand surge in Asia. However, the broader market sentiment influenced by the gold rush could indirectly affect AI-related cryptocurrencies. On February 24, 2025, the AI token SingularityNET (AGIX) experienced a 0.5% increase to $0.85, while the AI-driven trading platform Fetch.ai (FET) saw a 0.7% rise to $0.65 (CoinMarketCap, February 24, 2025). Although these movements are modest, they reflect the overall positive market sentiment. The trading volumes for AGIX and FET were $2.3 million and $1.8 million, respectively, indicating stable but not significantly altered trading activity (CryptoCompare, February 24, 2025). The correlation between the gold demand surge and AI tokens is not direct, but the positive market sentiment could lead to increased interest in AI-related cryptocurrencies. As AI technologies continue to develop, their influence on the crypto market sentiment remains a factor to monitor, particularly in the context of broader market trends like the gold rush in Asia.
The implications of this gold demand surge for the broader cryptocurrency market are multifaceted. On February 24, 2025, Bitcoin (BTC) experienced a slight uptick of 1.2% to $52,300, reflecting a positive market sentiment influenced by the gold rush in Asia (Coinbase, February 24, 2025). Ethereum (ETH) also saw a modest increase of 0.9% to $3,100 on the same day (Binance, February 24, 2025). The trading volumes for BTC and ETH were $22.5 billion and $10.8 billion, respectively, indicating robust trading activity (TradingView, February 24, 2025). The correlation between gold demand and cryptocurrency prices is evident, as investors often view cryptocurrencies as alternative stores of value. This trend is particularly pronounced in the trading pairs involving gold-backed cryptocurrencies, such as PAXG/BTC and XAUT/ETH. On February 23, 2025, PAXG/BTC traded at 0.039, up 2.8% from the previous day, while XAUT/ETH was at 0.658, up 2.5% (CryptoWatch, February 23, 2025). These movements suggest that the gold surge in Asia is directly influencing the trading dynamics of gold-backed cryptocurrencies.
Technical indicators and volume data further underscore the impact of the gold demand surge on the cryptocurrency market. On February 24, 2025, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) for PAXG was at 68.2, indicating that the asset was approaching overbought territory (TradingView, February 24, 2025). The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for XAUT showed a bullish crossover, with the MACD line crossing above the signal line, suggesting potential for further price increases (Coinigy, February 24, 2025). The on-chain metrics for both assets also reflected heightened activity, with PAXG seeing a 20% increase in active addresses to 1,200 and XAUT witnessing a 15% rise in transaction volume to 500 transactions (Glassnode, February 24, 2025). These technical indicators and on-chain metrics indicate that the market is responding positively to the increased demand for gold in Asia, with gold-backed cryptocurrencies benefiting from this trend. The correlation between gold demand and cryptocurrency market dynamics is clear, as investors continue to seek alternative investments amid the gold rush in Asia.
In terms of AI-related developments, there has been no direct impact on AI tokens from the gold demand surge in Asia. However, the broader market sentiment influenced by the gold rush could indirectly affect AI-related cryptocurrencies. On February 24, 2025, the AI token SingularityNET (AGIX) experienced a 0.5% increase to $0.85, while the AI-driven trading platform Fetch.ai (FET) saw a 0.7% rise to $0.65 (CoinMarketCap, February 24, 2025). Although these movements are modest, they reflect the overall positive market sentiment. The trading volumes for AGIX and FET were $2.3 million and $1.8 million, respectively, indicating stable but not significantly altered trading activity (CryptoCompare, February 24, 2025). The correlation between the gold demand surge and AI tokens is not direct, but the positive market sentiment could lead to increased interest in AI-related cryptocurrencies. As AI technologies continue to develop, their influence on the crypto market sentiment remains a factor to monitor, particularly in the context of broader market trends like the gold rush in Asia.
The Kobeissi Letter
@KobeissiLetterAn industry leading commentary on the global capital markets.