Chinese Investors Rush to Gold ETF as Trade Angst Adds to Risk

(Bloomberg) -- All the talk of a brewing global trade war may turn out to be more bark than bite, but investors in Chinese exchange-traded funds aren't taking any chances.

China's Bosera Gold ETF has attracted $553.8 million so far this year, putting it on course for the biggest annual inflow since it was listed in Shenzhen in 2014. Investors are piling into bullion, taking holdings in all such funds tracked by Bloomberg to 73.2 million ounces, the highest in almost five years. Bosera lured the third most money of all commodity ETFs this year, behind New York-listed iShares Gold Trust and SPDR Gold Shares.

“Inflows in the U.S. and China reflect broader market uncertainty related in part to geopolitical risks such as global trade tensions in March,” Juan Carlos Artigas, director of investment research at the World Gold Council, said in an emailed note.

To contact the reporter on this story: Luzi Ann Javier in New York at ljavier@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: James Attwood at jattwood3@bloomberg.net, Steven Frank, Joe Carroll

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