Investment demand for gold on the rise - WGC

New ways to access the gold market, such as physical gold-backed exchange-traded funds (ETFs), have resulted in the investment demand for gold growing 18% each year since 2001, indicating that the precious metal has now become more mainstream, the World Gold Council (WGC) said in its latest report. Released on Tuesday, the report titled 'The relevance of gold as a strategic asset', further highlighted that the expansion of the middle class in Asia, and a renewed focus on effective risk management following the 2008/9 financial crisis in the US and Europe, were also changing the face of investors, which now ranged from individuals to pension and sovereign wealth funds, located in developed as well as in emerging markets.