
Gold bonds: Investors stay put despite making a killing
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. MUMBAI : A majority of the investors in the popular sovereign gold bonds (SGBs) are saying no to premature redemption despite making stellar returns on their original investment.
Investors have encashed just around half a tonne out of SGBs against 14.7 tonnes of the precious metal eligible for premature redemption, showed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data as of Monday. The bonds first issued in November 2015 have a tenure of eight years, but the Centre through the RBI allows premature redemption after five years.
Currently bonds issued between 12 May 2017 and 11 March 2020 are eligible for premature redemption. Market experts attribute this to investor belief that the prices will hit the ₹1 lakh per 10 gm mark due to global trade war unleashed by US President Donald Trump and the ongoing wars in the Middle East and Europe.
"There is a strong belief among investors that the price, driven by global factors, will hit the ₹1 lakh mark, so they are holding on despite making sweet returns," said Surendra Mehta, national secretary of the India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA), whose rates the central bank uses to price the bonds. Mehta, a chartered account by profession, expects gold to rise by another 5% in the medium term, but to hold on for three more years “might not be expedient".
"My advice to investors is to take the killing and put the proceeds into a fixed deposit whereby you can earn a higher 7-8% per annum (than the coupon of 2.5% per annum) for the next three years instead of waiting three years more where nobody can tell whether prices would continue rising," he said, adding that "investors weren't giving this a serious thought". Apart from capital appreciation,
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