Gold Bullion Allowed As Collateral In China

China’s Shanghai Gold Exchange said it will allow physical gold to be used as collateral on futures contracts from September 29, according to a statement posted on its website this morning as reported by Reuters.

Physical gold will be permitted to be used for up to 80 percent of margin value, according to the statement.

Reuters then corrected the story and the second refiled story was changed and given a different focus:

The Shanghai Gold Exchange said on Thursday it will allow A-shares, exchange-traded funds and treasuries to be used as collateral for gold trading.

Reuters then corrected the story and the second refiled story was changed and given a different focus:

The Shanghai Gold Exchange said on Thursday it will allow A-shares, exchange-traded funds and treasuries to be used as collateral for gold trading.  The move comes as Beijing unleashes a slew of measures to stave off a collapse in its stock market and restricts trading in stock index futures. 

With counterparty and sovereign risk remaining high although unappreciated, gold is no longer being seen simply as a commodity – particularly in China, India and Asia. Rather, it is increasingly viewed by more astute market participants as an important asset and a currency with no counterparty risk.

Gradually, we are seeing the re-monetization of physical gold as it is being reincorporated into the modern financial and monetary system. Keynes’s ‘barbaric relic’ is becoming less barbaric by the day.

The development is an important one for the gold market and is bullish for the “pet rock.” It shows, once again, that gold is slowly but surely becoming a cash equivalent and as money again.

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Courtesy of http://www.goldcore.com/