2011年12月28日星期三

“山寨”黃金交易所被明文勒令停業

“山寨”黃金交易所再次被下禁令。昨日,央行聯合公安部、工商總局、銀監會、證監會等部門,下發關於加強黃金交易所或從事黃金交易平台管理的通知,矛頭再次直指“山寨”黃金交易所,並希望藉此整頓黃金市場亂象。
通知指出,上海黃金交易所和上海期貨交易所是經國務院批准或同意的開展黃金交易的交易所,兩家交易所已能滿足國內投資者的黃金現貨或期貨投資需求。任何地方、機構或個人均不得設立黃金交易所(交易中心),也不得在其他交易場所(交易中心)內設立黃金交易平台,已開設的要立即停止,並妥善做好黃金業務的善後清理工作

實際上,對於黃金交易所及黃金交易平台的整治,央行的通知已是第三發“砲彈”。早在11月下旬,國務院便已經發出清理整頓各類交易所、防范金融風險的“整改令”。 12月26日,上海黃金交易所也發出通知稱,近期對相關的四項規則及業務細則進行了修訂,大多將於2011年12月28日起實施,同時,一批原有規則被廢止。
近年來黃金價格的不斷走高,讓不少人覬覦其中的高額回報,“山寨”版黃金交易所就此遍地開花,如天津貴金屬交易所(簡稱天交所)、湖南維財大宗貴金屬交易所等6家規模較大的交易所;10餘家如恆泰大通、世元金行、金明黃金等規模較小、起步不久的泛金屬交易網點。投資者地下炒金大多血本無歸

 黃金市場的連續走牛,在帶來巨大投資機會的同時,也讓地下炒金公司層出不窮,很多非法金商更是藉此大發橫財。據中國黃金協會的一位人士保守估計,全國以黃金公司或投資公司名義經營此類業務的公司約有1000家,其中有規範者,但魚目混珠者也比比皆是。
據悉,國內的地下炒金公司,大多對外宣稱是“××黃金交易所會員”、“××金礦、××銀行合作夥伴”。它們通常以幾十甚至上百倍的高槓桿、連續交易誘惑投資者,但事實上幾乎沒有一個投資者可以真正賺到錢,參與地下炒金的投資者大多血本無歸。
而業內人士透露,地下炒金公司的獲利模式主要有三種:一是鼓勵投資者頻繁交易;二是通過金價的價差來獲利,如採用不正規報價軟件來獲取高額利潤;三是與投資者做對手盤。更有甚者,有些地下炒金公司直接通過“網絡系統問題”使得獲利的投資者無法平倉,最終導致虧損出局。
除了交易風險之外,參與地下金投資,客戶的資金安全也沒有保障,一些不正規的地下炒金公司甚至可能一夜之間“人間蒸發”。如2008年,浙江世紀黃金案發,法人代表張勇卷資600億元潛逃。


廣東省黃金協會副會長表示,此次《通知》下達,對於所有的投資者均不會有資金方面的影響,即使是真的要進行一部分交易平台的關停,也會採取比較緩和的退出機制。 “比如說不能建新倉,只能平倉,不會出現強行平倉的現象,保証投資者不受損失。”他同時認為,從《通知》表述來看,有可能只關停黃金交易品種,而不是關停整個交易所,天交所的白銀、鈀金等品種可能不受影響。

Nation Urged To Increase Holdings Of Gold

Gold displayed at a shop in Shanghai. As of December, China ranked sixth worldwide in gold holdings, with about 1,054 tons, says a report released by the World Gold Council. Provided to China Daily

BEIJING - China should further diversify its foreign-exchange portfolio and make more gold purchases when the metal's price dips but is still at a relatively high level, a senior central bank official said on Monday.

"The Chinese government should not only be cautious of the imported risk caused by rising global inflation, but also further optimize its foreign-exchange portfolio and purchase gold assets when the gold price shows a favorable fluctuation," said Zhang Jianhua, director of the research bureau affiliated with the People's Bank of China (PBOC).

He made the remarks in an article in the Beijing-based Financial News, a newspaper run by the PBOC.

The spot gold price declined 16 percent over the past three months to less than $1,600 an ounce last week. It touched a record of more than $1,900 in early September.

Zhang said bleak economic conditions, increasing international liquidity as countries turned to monetary easing and the resulting high inflation had dampened investors' confidence. He said that gold had become the only "safe haven" for risk-averse investors. "No asset is safe now. The only choice to hedge risks is to hold hard currency - gold."

Zhang didn't specify what proportion of China's $3.2 trillion foreign reserves should be held in gold.

China is the largest foreign holder of US Treasury securities, having invested about one-third of its foreign reserves in those bonds. About 20 percent has been invested in euro-denominated assets.

As of this month, China ranked sixth worldwide in gold holdings, with about 1,054 tons. The value accounted for about 1.8 percent of the country's total foreign reserves, according to a report released by the World Gold Council (WGC).

The US topped the list by holding more than 8,133 tons of the metal, 76.6 percent of its foreign reserves by value, while Germany ranked second by holding 3,396 tons, 73.7 percent of its reserves.

In 2011, countries including Russia, Thailand, South Korea, Bolivia, Colombia, Kazakhstan and Venezuela purchased the metal to increase gold holdings of their central banks' reserves.

China didn't sell or buy gold from 2010 to 2011, according to WGC statistics.

"The PBOC may have realized that its euro-denominated assets are in greater danger than it expected and started to eye gold," said Li Jie, director of the foreign-reserves research center at the Central University of Finance and Economics.

"But it's impractical for China to put its foreign reserves into commodities, including gold, because all these markets are too small for such a big hoard.

"For example, China's purchasing gold would push up the price of the metal and increase its own cost," said Li.

Li added that there was no easy way for China to get as much gold as it wished because major economies such as the US hold the majority of gold and market supplies are very limited.

China produced 31.75 tons of gold in October, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Monday. Gold production gained 5 percent in the first 10 months of this year to 290.752 tons.

Driven by increasing demand from risk-averse investors, the international price of gold repeatedly reached new highs in 2011.

Central banks made their biggest gold purchases for a single year in 2011 since the Bretton Woods system dissolved in 1973 and major currencies began to float against each other without being pegged to gold. China has vowed to further diversify the nation's foreign-reserve portfolio amid growing global financial uncertainty. In October, it cut holdings of US Treasury securities by $14.2 billion to $1.13 trillion, the lowest level this year.

Media reports have said that the PBOC plans to create a fund worth $300 billion to invest the country's foreign reserves in the US and European markets. The fund will reportedly seek to invest in real assets and company shares, rather than government securities.

Play it, Sam

炒股求助升2成 高薪欠債勁




【經濟日報專訊】股市近月持續波動的影響逐漸浮現,有輔導機構過去兩個月接獲的債務求助個案,顯著上升兩成,平均欠債30萬至90萬。
求助者多為收入高、職位高的行政或專業人士,長期倚賴最低還款或借貸「冚數」,結果雪球愈滾愈大,最終爆煲,有月入5萬元的中產人士欠債逾百萬。市況波動 欠30萬至90萬
受歐美債務危機影響,全球股市波動,東華三院健康理財家庭輔導主任陳福龍表示,過去兩個月,接獲因投資失利及欠債求助的個案增加兩成,平均欠債30萬至90萬。他相信是因為自9月初開始,市況波動,投資失利的影響日漸浮現。
大部分求助者,都是高收入人士,包括行政人員、專業人士,最新的求助個案是一名月入5萬元的女子,欠下百萬元債務。
專業易借貸 債務滾更大
陳解釋,身居高位者同時收入較高,而且入息穩定,遇上財政問題,借貸較易,亦可獲借大數額,再加上態度上認為「自己高薪厚職,容易搵得番」,以致不斷「數冚數」,債務滾存愈來愈大。
中產欠債者若仍然獨身,肯減少日常開支,較易捱過難關,但已有家室者,則影響較大。
40多歲葉先生(化名)與太太二人正值職場打拼黃金期,育有3名子女,再加上一名工人,生活安穩舒泰。
葉先生早前在股市短炒獲利後,改選高風險股票,初時遇上股市波動已出現虧蝕,但他並無告知太太,反而向銀行借貸,意圖再獲利翻身,豈料市場波動令他損手更嚴重。
葉先生初時仍以「最低還款」清繳債務,後來欠款累積至100萬,手上股票只值60萬,他最終在事發一個月後才告知太太,令太太不但震驚而且憤怒,全 家即時陷入困境,目前二人收入只足夠應付每月家庭開支,無法再承擔數十萬元債項或「最低還款」,二人均要接受輔導,且仍未決定如何處理債務。
損手瞞伴侶 恐婚姻破裂
丈夫隱瞞太太欠債,隨時導致婚姻破裂;陳福龍建議,若遇上財務困難,應盡早告知家人,特別是太太,他指不少人婚後有共同儲蓄習慣,「炒股時往往認為只是小數目,應無問題,又抱有希望賺少少足可補償虧蝕,但忽略少少錢亦是家庭開支。」
當儲蓄變成一無所有,不但當事人會變得沮喪,也累及家人。「若然太太某日打開存摺、月結單發現事實時,甚至會影響婚姻。」
陳又指出,中國人傳統思想認為大問題應留待過節後才慢慢處理,不過,今年聖誕及農曆年只相差不足一個月,令他們避無可避。
「月結單一到,由初期以借卡數、借銀行錢,數冚數,不斷還最低還款額,至雪球愈滾愈大,過節意味要重新開始,惟有求助。」陳說。