How the Spot Gold Price Is Set and Who Sets It
The spot gold price emerges from a hybrid of London benchmark auctions and electronic futures trading, with central banks and bullion banks playing key roles.
Gold Market
Explainers
How the gold market actually works.
How the LBMA Gold Price Auction Works and Differs from Spot
The LBMA Gold Price auction is a twice-daily benchmark-setting process that differs fundamentally from the real-time spot price traded on exchanges.
What the London Gold Vaults Hold and Who Owns It
London's vaults store vast quantities of gold owned by central banks, commercial banks, ETFs, and private investors, with the LBMA setting standards.
Why Gold Trades 23 Hours a Day and Where Those Venues Are
The global gold market runs 23 hours a day through a chain of trading venues spanning Asia, Europe and North America.
Why Gold Jewellery Costs More Than Its Metal Content
Gold jewellery prices exceed the value of the gold itself due to making charges, wastage, design complexity, labour, brand markups, and taxes.
Gold Hallmarking Explained: How Purity Verification Differs by Country
Hallmarking is an independent verification of precious metal purity, but systems vary significantly between countries in marks, standards, and regulation.
How to Verify That a Gold Bar or Coin Is Genuine
A practical guide to verifying gold bars and coins using visual, physical, chemical, and electronic methods, plus hallmark recognition.
Physical Gold Storage: Options and Trade-Offs Compared
A comparison of home storage, bank safe deposit boxes, and professional vaults for physical gold, covering the key trade-offs of each option.
How Gold Is Taxed and Reported in Major Markets
An overview of how different jurisdictions tax gold in its various forms, including capital gains, VAT, and reporting obligations.