Gold premiums in China held near three-year highs this week amid limited supply of the precious metal, with traders saying Beijing was restricting imports, while prices in India swung to a discount as a severe cash crunch dampened appetite.
The import curbs may be part of China's efforts to limit outflows of the yuan after the currency's slide to its weakest in more than eight years, traders say. China allows only 15 banks to import gold, including three foreign lenders.
"There is severe restriction on the banks' quota to import gold into China. Each has to justify their need," a Hong Kong-based banker said.
Gold was sold in China at about $24 an ounce above the international spot benchmark this week. Premiums went as high as $30 last week, the most since January 2014, according to Thomson Reuters data. ...
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