31 March 2014 - Gold Sales by Japanese Retailer Jump Before Tax Change

Posted: 31 Mar 2014 07:16 PM PDT

From:http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-31/gold-sales-by-japanese-retailer-jump-before-tax-change.html

By Jae Hur and Ichiro Suzuki Mar 31, 2014 5:08 PM GMT+0800

Gold sales by Tanaka Kikinzoku Jewelry K.K., Japan's biggest bullion retailer, increased fivefold in March as investors accelerated purchases before the nation's consumption tax rises tomorrow.

Sales at Tanaka's seven directly-owned stores jumped 423 percent in the first 27 days of March, compared with the entire month a year earlier, the Tokyo-based company said in an e-mailed statement. Sales for the quarter through March 27 were 249 percent higher than the same three months in 2013, it said. Tanaka didn't provide a yen value for sales.

The tax changes to 8 percent from 5 percent amid efforts by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government to address the nation's swelling public debt and to stoke inflation. Gold's value as a hedge against price rises, and its own decline this month, also spurred sales, according to Tanaka Kikinzoku, which is a unit of Tanaka Holdings Co.

"We've seen an increase in people who want to buy for the first time," said Naoto Mizuki, general manager for the retailer's marketing department.

Gold in London has fallen 2.6 percent this month, trimming its advance this year to 7.5 percent. Bullion lost 28 percent last year, the most since 1981. Gold for immediate delivery in London fell 0.2 percent to $1,292.50 an ounce at 6:05 p.m. in Tokyo, according to Bloomberg generic pricing.

The precious metal priced in yen fell 1.2 percent this month. Futures for delivery in February 2015 on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange rose 0.6 percent to close at 4,292 yen per gram ($1,293 an ounce) today.

First Purchase

Yasuhiro Endo, a 59-year-old office worker in Tokyo, was among those buying gold bars for the first time this month.

He paid about 800,000 yen ($7,779) for two 50-gram and three 20-gram gold bars from Tanaka's store in Ginza, one of Tokyo's luxury shopping districts.

"Gold is a safer asset than stocks and currencies as it will not bring huge losses," Endo said.

Naoko Tateishi, a 59-year-old self-employed business woman in Tokyo, bought 100-grams of gold with money she raised selling some of her stock holdings. It was her first purchase in 10 years and came as she revised her investments in preparation for retirement, she said.

Japan's current-account and fiscal deficits boost the attraction of gold as a haven investment for Japanese households, which had combined savings totaling 874 trillion yen at the end of December, said Koichiro Kamei, managing director at independent research company Market Strategy Institute.

Bullion demand in Japan jumped threefold in 2013, according to the World Gold Council. In January, Tanaka said that its bullion sales surged 63 percent to a five-year high in 2013, exceeding purchases for the first time since 2004.

Tokuriki Honten Co., another gold retailer in Japan, said it has been importing bullion since October to meet an increase in demand from individual consumers, in addition to purchases from smelters and trading houses, said Masahiro Arai, general manager at the company.

Source:http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-31/gold-sales-by-japanese-retailer-jump-before-tax-change.html

31 March 2014 - 专家畅谈黄金消费趋势：未来是藏金于民的时代

Posted: 31 Mar 2014 07:11 PM PDT

From:http://gold.hexun.com/2014-03-31/163511060.html

2014年03月31日07:36 来源：中国黄金网

"我国黄金消费量跃居世界第一，不应太过自豪，其实早该如此。"3月18日，在多边金都商业有限公司举办的黄金消费发展趋势论坛上，著名财经评论员马光远一语引爆全场气氛。

"崛起中的中国，凭借大国优势，在任何领域里量的数据成为世界第一，不值得太过自豪。特别是我国有着藏金传统，去年黄金消费量跃居世界第一，只是发展中的第一步，接下来人均拥有量还有更大空间。"马光远说，"未来是藏金于民的时代"。

去年，我国黄金消费量超千吨，一跃成为世界最大的黄金消费国。然而和西方国家的人均黄金拥有量相比，相差依然很大。深圳粤豪珠宝有限公司总裁周德奋在现场提供的数据显示，中国台湾地区人均黄金拥有量超49克，美国人均黄金拥有量37克，而中国内地人均黄金拥有量却还不足3克。

中国消费者协会消费指导部副主任张德志表示，黄金价格行情尽管不能把控和准确判断，但黄金的价值稳定性和抗通胀性迟早会体现出来，这已经成为我国老百姓购买和投资黄金的共识。

"随着国民经济发展的进步和环保要求的日益提高，为了更好地保护环境，许多西方国家开始缩减和停止金矿的开采，比如瑞士。在世界黄金存量一定的条件下，百姓又对黄金的青睐有加，未来黄金应该会成为抢手货。"张德志判断。

同时，黄金作为自身包含重要价值的产品，在保障国家金融安全稳定和人民币国际化过程中发挥着信用支撑等诸多不可替代的作用。近年来，藏金于民已经成为中国黄金协会着力推动的一项重要工作。

2012年，中国黄金行业首次发布社会责任报告。在中国黄金协会副会长崔建国看来："中国黄金行业最大的社会责任，不是修桥补路，不是慈善捐献，而是保障国家金融安全和稳定，在一定程度上保障百姓资产安全。"

崔建国认为，要让国家金融安全、百姓资产有保障，就应该藏金于民。而在业内人士看来，现在藏金于民的时机恰逢其时。

"盛世藏金，乱世搜古董，"多边金都商业有限公司金融创新部总经理孙吉光对"乱世黄金、盛世古董"的内涵有了更深的理解：相比盛世太平的时代，黄金在乱世中可以维持一定的购买力，保值作用大，意义非凡。而此时黄金需求大，价格则比较高，临时抱佛脚购进黄金不是明智之举。相反，在盛世时，黄金价格相比较低，藏金所需要代价也较小。

但是，并不是所有人都需要购买黄金。张德志建议消费者要量力而行，根据家庭资产情况予以考虑，首先应该保证健康和教育等生活必需品的满足。"小鸟的翅膀假如绑上黄金，就再也飞不高。"他认为，投资和存储黄金更应该成为中等以上收入人群的必选。

Source:http://gold.hexun.com/2014-03-31/163511060.html

31 March 2014 - Gold Sales by Japanese Retailer Jump Before Tax Change

31 March 2014 - Gold Sales by Japanese Retailer Jump Before Tax Change

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