International News
Gemfields Generates $4.8 Million from Mini-Auction of Higher-Quality Emeralds
Mini-auction of unsold emeralds from November 2024 shows a promising rise in demand and prices, with 77% of lots sold.
Gemfields has reported strong results from its mini-auction held from February 19 to 21, 2025, featuring higher-quality emeralds that had remained unsold during its November 2024 auction. The event raised $4.8 million in revenue, signaling a notable recovery in demand and pricing within the emerald market.
Auction Performance:
- Total revenue: $4.8 million
- Lots sold: 10 out of 13 (77%)
- Carats sold: 45,864 out of 59,192 (77%)
- Average price per carat: $105.49
Adrian Banks, Managing Director of Product & Sales at Gemfields, highlighted that the auction offered a valuable opportunity to assess current market trends. “This auction exclusively featured unsold lots from Kagem’s November 2024 higher-quality emerald auction. With the same schedules in place, we could directly compare demand and pricing, and it was encouraging to see a notable increase in bids. Despite a subdued market sentiment, the rise in demand and pricing is a positive sign for the sector,” said Banks.
The emeralds sold were mined at the Kagem mine in Zambia, where Gemfields holds a 75% stake, while the Industrial Development Corporation of Zambia owns the remaining 25%. Proceeds from the auction will be fully repatriated to Kagem, with royalties paid to the Government of Zambia based on the final sales prices.
With positive market signs emerging, Gemfields remains optimistic about the upcoming trade shows in Bangkok and Hong Kong, anticipating further recovery in the emerald market.
International News
Gold Prices On Track To Reach $4,900/oz By End 2026 :Goldman Sachs
Goldman’s $4,900/oz Forecast Assumes Central Bank Demand Averages 50 Tonnes Per Month In 2026 and 40 Tonnes Per Month In 2027
Gold prices are on track to reach $4,900 per ounce by the end of 2026, driven by aggressive central bank purchases—led by undisclosed buying from China—and recovering exchange-traded fund (ETF) demand, Goldman Sachs said in a research note.
The bank maintained its bullish base-case target for bullion while warning that positioning in options markets could amplify price volatility in both directions. Central banks accumulated an estimated 44 tonnes of gold in July, well above the pre-2022 monthly average of 17 tonnes, according to Goldman Sachs’ nowcast model. On a three-month seasonally adjusted basis, central bank buying stood at 91 tonnes per month.
China was the primary driver, with Goldman estimating the People’s Bank of China bought 35 tonnes in July—roughly 75% more than official public disclosures indicated.
To account for unreported sovereign purchases, Goldman’s model tracks physical bullion flows through London’s over-the-counter (OTC) market into custodian vaults. The Bank of England’s central bank holdings alone rose by 63 tonnes in July, exceeding outflows from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Price Risks and Volatility
Goldman’s $4,900/oz forecast assumes central bank demand averages 50 tonnes per month in 2026 and 40 tonnes per month in 2027, alongside steady Federal Reserve policy and a rebound in private ETF inflows.
However, analysts noted that elevated demand for gold call options—used by investors to hedge against macroeconomic and geopolitical risks—creates mechanical upside and downside risks:
Bullish Case: Continued strong ETF inflows combined with existing call option positioning could force options dealers to buy underlying metal to hedge short exposure, pushing prices “well above” $4,900.
Bearish Case: If the Federal Reserve resumes interest rate hikes, unwinding hedge positions and triggering ETF outflows, gold could drop to $4,440/oz by end-2026. Goldman noted that ongoing central bank buying would limit further downside.
Goldman expects the Federal Reserve to remain on hold through 2026 as inflation cools, removing a key interest rate headwind for the non-yielding asset.
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