Record gold prices have not curbed Indian investors' appetite for the precious metal as a safe haven to park their funds amid volatility in equity markets, with a 113 per cent jump in buying activity in January-November, 2010, vis-a-vis 2007 levels.
According to sources, gold has gotten an added sheen over the past three years worldwide, as it it is regarded as a safe option for people unwilling to invest in equity markets in the wake of the global financial crisis, besides volatile prices and vagaries in production.
Indians purchased 353 tonnes of gold till the end of November, 2010, as against 168 tonnes in the whole of 2007 globally, in spite of ups and downs in production and price volatility, the sources told PTI, quoting London-based 'Gold Fields Mineral Services' (GFMS).