Central banks continued to buy gold. Global official gold reserves grew by 100.6% in Q2 of the current year, reaching about 179.9 tons, compared to 89.7 tons in the first quarter of this year, according to data from the World Gold Council. On an annual basis, global central banks’ reserves of gold decreased by 14% in the three months ended June, retreating from 209.6 tons in the same quarter of the previous year. Gold reserves hoard held by central banks increased by about 78% in 2021, as it reached 453.8 tons, compared to 255 tons in 2020.