'₩100,000→₩140,000' Soaring... Word Spreads 'It Pays Off,' and Retail Investors Flock In

Gold Prices Soar, Trading Volume Reaches All-Time High

Individual Investors Flock to the KRX Gold Market

In the First Half of This Year, the Average Price for 1kg Gold Bullion Was ₩144,000 Per Gram

Up 36.7% from Last Year's Average of ₩106,000 Per Gram

Trading volume in the Korea Exchange (KRX) Gold Market hit a record high in the first half of this year.

According to Korea Exchange on the 2nd, the trading volume of the KRX Gold Market in the first half reached 37.3 tons (t), marking the highest volume since the market was launched in 2014.

The average price of 1kg gold bullion in the first half of this year was ₩144,000 per gram. This marks a 36.7% increase from last year's average of ₩106,000 per gram. During this period, trading volume grew 4.1 times, and it was 1.4 times higher than last year's annual trading volume.

By investor category, individuals accounted for 46.9% of total trading, the largest share, up 3.9 percentage points from last year. Institutions followed with 34.0%, and physical business entities accounted for 19.1%.

The number of gold trading accounts opened by individual investors through securities firms increased by 10% from last year to 1.45 million accounts.

It is observed that demand for gold investment expanded in the first half of this year due to a preference for safe assets amid growing uncertainties in the global economy. A Korea Exchange official explained, "The KRX Gold Market has grown quantitatively," adding, "It shows that a large number of investors regard the KRX Gold Market as a reliable key investment destination for gold."

The KRX Gold Market allows small investments in high-quality 99.99% pure gold at fair, market-determined prices in gram units. Capital gains tax and value-added tax are exempted on exchange trading.

Eun-hyuk Ryu, Reporter ehryu@hankyung.com