Gold demand falls 34 pct in 3rd qtr - World Gold Council

By Jan Harvey

LONDON (Reuters) - Gold demand fell 34 percent in the third quarter as high prices weighed on investment flows and led to a slump in jewellery buying in key markets like India and the Middle East, a World Gold Council report showed on Thursday.

But speculation in gold futures and expectations for more official sector bullion buying are keeping prices elevated despite a dearth of physical demand, according to the WGC's investment research manager Rozanna Wozniak.

"For most of last year, the buying was very physical," said Wozniak. "(Now), it seems to be more financial market-driven, by some of those other less visible instruments -- derivatives, futures, over-the-counter transactions."

"In terms of why it is happening, we have had some good news coming out from the central bank sector, as well as the fall in the U.S. dollar," she said. "That says something about potential future demand."

A 200-tonne gold purchase by India's central bank pushed gold prices sharply higher in early November. Prices hit a record above $1,150 an ounce on Wednesday as momentum buying pushed prices through key technical resistance levels.

But high prices have pressured physical offtake this year as consumers shied away from the metal, even as large investors and central banks bought gold as a portfolio diversifier.

Indian jewellery demand tumbled 42 percent to 111.6 tonnes in the third quarter from a year earlier, though it inched up from extremely low levels earlier in the year. In the Middle East, jewellery buying was down 34 percent at 69 tonnes.

Greater China, however -- which comprises China, Hong Kong and Taiwan -- saw a 10 percent rise in overall demand to 128.6 tonnes, while jewellery demand rose 7 percent.