Gold in the international reserves of countries

Abstract

Subject. The article addresses the enhanced position of gold as the main international reserve asset of countries. Objectives. The purpose is to prove the increasing role of gold as the main financial asset in the international reserves of countries throughout periods of economic volatility. Methods. The study rests on economic analysis, statistical, economic, and systems approach. Results. Annual changes in the structure of international reserves of the Russian Federation show a decrease in reserve assets denominated in foreign currency. The reserve position in the IMF makes up about 1% of the country's total assets, and SDR-denominated reserve accounts – from 1 to 2 percent. The share of monetary gold has increased; the overall increase in Russian gold reserves amounts to over 14%, in USD. Conclusions and Relevance. Currently, the reserves of six largest leading countries in terms of gold reserves amount to over 20 thousand tonnes of the precious metal. However, the presence of large gold reserves does not always allow the gold to occupy a leading position in the structure of international reserves of countries. This is evidenced by statistics from China, Switzerland and other countries. The U.S. reserves contain the largest amount of physical gold, its value at the official price that was established after the dollar devaluation in 1973 is as follows: one Troy ounce of the precious metal (31.1 grams) is equivalent to 42.2 USD.