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Gold prices touch Rs 1 lakh/10 gm mark: AUGMONT BULLION REPORT
Gold prices reached a record high of $3397 (~Rs 96747) on exchanges and nearly Rs 1 lakh in the spot market after adding 3% GST. Concerns over global economic growth as a result of the escalating Sino-U.S. trade war are driving the rise, with a weaker dollar adding to the momentum.
Fundamentally, markets are pricing in increased geopolitical risks, fueled by U.S. trade tensions and stagflation concerns, while persistent central bank demand adds to price pressures. On April 2, US President Donald Trump imposed “reciprocal tariffs” on dozens of countries, and while his administration has suspended duties for some, it has escalated its trade war with China.
China cautioned countries on Monday not to strike a bigger economic deal with the United States at its expense, a move Trump is allegedly looking for from countries seeking tariff reductions or exemptions. Meanwhile, Trump launched a slew of attacks on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Thursday, as his administration considers firing him.
On the geopolitical front, Russia and Ukraine accused one other of hundreds of strikes that breached President Vladimir Putin’s one-day Easter ceasefire, with the Kremlin claiming there was no instruction to extend the pause in frontline fighting.
The next potential milestone for gold could be around $3500 (~Rs 100,000) if this rally continues further, but positioning may appear crowded in the short run, and technical indications suggest near-term overbought circumstances. However, one must exercise extreme caution because prices have skyrocketed in a relatively short period. If prices fall below $3300 (~Rs 94300), profit-booking can lower prices to around $3100 (~Rs 90000). Silver prices have been trading in the range of $32 (~ Rs 94000) and $33 (~ Rs 97000) and to to continue same range in the coming week
India’s appetite for borrowing against gold is reshaping the country’s credit landscape. Outstanding gold-backed loans have surged 128% from a year earlier, crossing Rs.4 lakh crore ($48 billion) for the first time, according to data from the Reserve Bank of India. As of Jan. 31, loans secured by gold jewellery stood at Rs.4,00,517 crore, marking one of the fastest expansions in retail credit in recent years.
The boom in gold loans has helped propel overall non-food bank credit growth to 14.4% year-on-year. Personal loans now account for 34.5% of total bank lending, outpacing other segments and underscoring a broader shift toward consumer-driven credit expansion
Gold loans alone contributed roughly 9% of incremental bank credit during the period. Between January 2024 and January 2026, outstanding gold-backed credit rose by nearly Rs.3.1 lakh crore—an increase of about 338% over two years—more than quadrupling the size of the portfolio.
Two factors are driving the surge. First, gold prices have climbed roughly 152% over the past two years, increasing the collateral value of household holdings. Second, regulatory guidance requiring banks to classify loans secured by gold explicitly as gold loans has sharpened reporting and accelerated balance-sheet growth in the segment.
The trend highlights a distinctive feature of India’s financial system: households’ vast stock of physical gold, long viewed primarily as a store of wealth, is increasingly being mobilized as collateral for formal credit.
While personal lending and credit to nonbank financial companies within the services sector continue to expand rapidly, industrial credit remains uneven. Loans to micro, small and medium enterprises are growing steadily, but borrowing by large corporations has stayed relatively muted.
Since March 21, 2025, banks have added Rs.21.8 lakh crore to their non-food loan books, translating into 12% growth for the financial year to date. Yet it is gold—rather than factories or infrastructure—that is emerging as one of the most dynamic engines of India’s current credit cycle.
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