Gold investment demand was strong in the months following gold's decisive breakout to new bull-market highs in late June. The metal's upside momentum fueled big capital inflows, accelerating its gains. But soon after gold's upleg stalled, so did the investment buying. With stock markets still near record highs, the normal portfolio-diversification motive for owning gold is lacking. Thus recent gold demand is fragile.
Gold investment demand is a major driver of gold price trends. Gold naturally surges when investment capital is flooding in and slumps when it flows back out. While investment demand is a