Looks like QE scared Putin into buying gold:
Russia Continues To Buy Gold
By Rhiannon Hoyle
April 28 (Dow Jones) — Russia’s central bank is continuing to make steady gold purchases, while sales by signatories to the third Central Bank Gold Agreement meanwhile remain negligible, the World Gold Council said Thursday.
Russia added 8.2 metric tons of gold to its reserves between December and February–the most significant change in reserves reported by any country, the WGC said.
It appears to be continuing “its long-term program of gold accumulation,” with sustained buying primarily in the domestic market, the industry body added.
At the end of February the Russian central bank held 7.3% of its reserves in gold, at a total of 792.3 tons, according to data the WGC collected from the International Monetary Fund and other sources.
Sales of gold by CBGA signatories have meanwhile accounted for less than one ton so far during the second year of the agreement, which began in September, the WGC added. The agreement, which covers the gold sales of the Eurosystem central banks, Sweden and Switzerland from September 2009 to 2014, states that annual sales will not exceed 400 tons and total sales over the period will not exceed 2,000 tons.
Other substantial purchases between December and February included a reported 7-ton reserve increase in Bolivia, taking the country’s total holdings to 35.3 tons, or 15.1% of its overall reserves, the WGC said.
“While Bolivia has not made any public comment on this increase in gold holdings, it is very likely that the central bank has simply decided to restore its gold holdings relative to its growing foreign currency reserves, similar to other recent emerging market central bank purchases,” it noted.
The data was released in the council’s regular statistical update on gold reserves in the official sector.