Chinese investors funneled a record 7.6 billion yuan ($1 billion) into four major onshore gold ETFs last week, with strong inflows continuing this week. This investment surge followed steep tariffs announced by US President Trump, which erased trillions from global equities and heightened recession fears. China has vowed to “fight to the end” against Trump’s threatened 50% duties unless it withdraws its retaliatory measures against earlier US tariffs.
Gold, traditionally bought as jewelry in China for cultural reasons, is increasingly being viewed as a safe haven during economic uncertainty. Most recent inflows have been driven by retail investors, according to ETF providers. While Chinese gold ETFs remain relatively small globally, they’re growing at an impressive rate—year-to-date additions already equal four-fifths of last year’s total.