China And India - The Asian Gold-buying Phenomenon

Given that S/E Asia India and China are probably going to be growing in the coming years , and given the culture of owning gold

Is gold a one way bet ?

"China and India are the world's two largest consumers of gold - and the former is the world's largest gold miner. To many the future path of the gold price is inextricably related to the world's two most highly populated nations, both of which are undergoing internal growth at a phenomenal rate in comparison with anything Western nations are able to achieve - even in a major turn round from the recent recession. And such a turnaround seems increasingly far away.

What is particularly important for gold market followers is that both nations' populations seem to have an inbuilt propensity to hold gold. For India this has always been the case. For the Chinese it is a more recent phenomenon, perhaps because it is only recently that much of the general populace has had the wherewithal to invest, but basically it is a desire which is prevalent throughout virtually all Far Asian nation states.

Both China and India have populations which dwarf those of Western nations, and both are becoming increasingly urbanised. In both countries the people are building wealth at an unprecedented rate which means more and more people are entering the consumer classes. The rise in sales of perhaps previously unattainable items in urban China has been phenomenal. Mobile phones are glued to almost every ear, TV in the households is virtually the norm rather than the exception, white goods are seeing huge increases in sales and Chinese auto demand is booming to the extent sales are exceeding those of King Car - the U.S.A. Indian sales growth too is also surging and although still well behind China in its development, the potential is equally as big."

continued http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/minewe...etail&pid=1