BIS: Retail gold purchases have tripled in the past six months, while institutional selling has accelerated.

PANews reported on March 19th, citing Cointelegraph, that data from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) shows that retail investor gold purchases have tripled in the past six months, while institutional investor selling has accelerated during the same period. Since the second quarter of 2025, retail investors have purchased approximately $70 billion in gold ETFs, more than doubling their purchases in the past six months. Institutional selling began in mid-November last year and accelerated after the precious metals market began its correction in January.

A BIS report points out that retail funds flowing into ETFs and leveraged positions drove up precious metals prices, but daily rebalancing of leveraged ETFs and margin-triggered liquidations amplified price volatility, particularly in the silver market. Gold prices are down 9% from their all-time high at the end of January, while silver has plummeted 34% over the same period. The BIS states that the decline in precious metals coincided with changes in market expectations regarding US monetary policy and the performance of the US dollar, but these changes are difficult to align with fundamental shifts. Meanwhile, the total market capitalization of the cryptocurrency market has fallen by approximately 43% from its October peak.