PRECIOUS METALS | World Gold Council Says Gold’s Annualized Return Is About 5%

According to Jin10, the World Gold Council said gold’s annualized return is about 5% and that the long-term trend is supported by wealth-preservation demand. The council, together with 12 retail brands including Caibai Jewelry, Chow Tai Fook, Chow Sang Sang, and Lao Feng Xiang, recently released the 2026 China Gold Jewelry Retail Trend Insights and answered questions from reporters on the evolution of hard pure gold products and changes in gold jewelry consumption structure. Wang Lixin, chief executive of the World Gold Council's China region, said hard pure gold is still in its early stage and has huge room for growth. The council said China's gold jewelry market is undergoing a typical pattern of higher prices and lower volumes, with gold jewelry consumption in the first half of 2026 falling 30% year on year to 136 tons, while total consumption value rose 5% to 143.7 billion yuan. It also said store consolidation is continuing, self-purchase and self-reward demand has risen for three consecutive years, and consumption is shifting from important-occasion purchases to everyday purchases.