The Bank of Korea increased its holdings of gold ETFs by over 40% in the third quarter of this year. Subsequently, affected by the decline in international gold prices, the market value of these ETF holdings is expected to decrease by tens of billions of won.
According to a report submitted by the Bank of Korea to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on the 15th, as of the end of the third quarter, the Bank of Korea held 956,869 shares of the SPDR Gold Trust ETF. The Bank of Korea reinvested in gold in the second quarter, purchasing 679,765 shares of the ETF after a 13-year hiatus. In the third quarter, it further increased its holdings by 277,104 shares, an increase of 40.8%. During the same period, the market value of its holdings rose from $250.41 million to $364.41 million, an increase of $114 million, or 45.5%. It is worth noting that the ETF price declined in the fourth quarter. The gold ETF held by the Bank of Korea closed at $355.45 per share in the US market on the 13th of this month, 6.7% lower than the valuation of $380.84 per share at the end of the third quarter. Assuming the Bank of Korea maintains its holdings at the end of the third quarter, the market value of its holdings would decrease to $340.12 million. In other words, due to the price decline, the market value of its holdings decreased by $24.29 million, equivalent to approximately 32.5 billion won.
