Indeed, the WGC confirmed in a report on Thursday that on the back of increasing bond rates, a stronger dollar, and a decrease in COMEX-managed money net long holdings, global gold-backed ETFs witnessed a net outflow of 15.2 tonnes or $830 million in September.  In total, global gold ETFs have experienced withdrawals of $8.3 billion so far this year (-156 tonnes). As a result of the latest outflows from ETFs, gold prices fell by 4% in the last month, which potentially indicates as long as gold prices remain over $1,750 an ounce, the market will continue to struggle to generate continuous bullish momentum. 

European based funds

According to the study, European-based funds accounted for the majority of the withdrawals, with 11.5 tonnes of gold being liquidated in the process. Meanwhile, markets in North America saw outflows of 6.6 tonnes. Investors are fleeing the gold market, according to experts, because of changing monetary policies. For instance, the analysts stated in the report:

Indian gold ETFs

In contrast, WGC said that holdings in Indian gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs) reached their highest level since September 2013, owing to increased volatility in stock markets and a fall in domestic gold prices. In fact, net inflows of $68.3 million were seen in Indian gold ETFs in September, bringing the year-to-date flows to $433 million. As global gold ETF holdings dropped to 3,592 tonnes or $201 billion in value during the month, the lowest tonnage level since April, outflows in Europe and North America were partly offset by inflows in Asia. It’s worth mentioning that the WGC stated in the report: As a result of central banks’ announcements that policy would be tightened, outflows started in both regions.  Contrastingly, inflows of 2.4 tonnes ($135 million) into Asian-listed funds finished the quarter positively, bolstered by the downturn in Chinese equities that occurred in late September due to the Evergrande liquidity crisis. [coinbase]