A barrage of policy initiatives aimed at purging India of black money and instilling greater transparency rocked India’s economy last year, including its gold market. The most dramatic was the radical decision to demonetise over 15 trillion rupees, around US$220bn. Other policies – such as the re-introduction of excise duty – affected the gold market, too. And the forthcoming Goods & Service Tax (GST) will change the shape of the industry. India’s gold market faces some short-term headwinds. But looking ahead, these policies may deliver a stronger economy and a more transparent gold industry, underpinning gold demand, which we expect to be between 650-750t in 2017.
