How much gold do Indian families hold? What's their estimated net worth?

How much gold do Indian families hold? What's their estimated net worth?

Gold is treated by Indian households as an asset to be liquidated in cases of emergency. Photograph: (File)

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Gold prices in India: It said that only real income is the primary driver of the growth of consumption. It also found that the impact of real returns from assets on consumption is negative.

A report by a research company has said that the gold prices have boosted the net worth of Indian households. The report noted that the surge in net worth highlights the importance of buying the precious metal in Indian families.

How much Gold do Indians hold?

The report, published by Systematix Research, has estimated the net worth of Indian households to be Rs 3.24 trillion.

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"The doubling of traded gold prices would have increased their net worth to INR 3.24 trillion," it added.

The report said Indian households own around 24,000 tons of gold, which accounts for 11 per cent of the world's total gold reserves.

Impact of consumption

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The report, however, said that despite the rise in prices of gold, the impact on the consumption in the economy is minimal. The company said that the net-worth effect from rising gold prices has little to no influence on actual spending behaviour.

It said that only real income is the primary driver of the growth of consumption. It also found that the impact of real returns from assets on consumption is negative.

The report said that in rural houses, people spend most of their income on consumption, and they hold gold. If real incomes decline, the increase in net worth due to gold is not realised.

Rural households also buy gold as a mode of investment. So steep prices can squeeze consumption rather than boost it.

Also, gold is treated by Indian households as an asset to be liquidated in cases of emergency. Hence, most people in India tend to hold the precious metal.

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Vaibhav Tiwari

Vaibhav Tiwari is a journalist with over 14 years of experience in digital media. He has expertise in writing on a range of topics -- from news and policy to international affairs,...Read More

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