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Gold in household portfolios during a pandemic: Evidence from an emerging economy

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Listed:
  • Oindrila Chatterjee
  • Balagopal Gopalakrishnan
  • Sanket Mohapatra

Abstract

This paper examines how Indian households allocate their savings portfolio across gold, financial assets, and cash during the COVID-19 crisis. Our study relies on an extensive household survey in 142 districts across 21 states in India conducted during the 2020-2021 financial year. We find that the portfolio allocation of households in districts with a higher incidence of COVID-19 shifted towards gold during the pandemic compared to households in other districts. The shift towards gold is accompanied by a shift away from financial assets and other assets (primarily cash). A similar shift towards gold is observed for districts that experienced the most adverse economic impact--as measured by lower night-time lights intensity--during the pandemic. Households in districts with greater banking access and better health infrastructure show a smaller shift towards gold. A panel estimation with normal and COVID-19 period surveys confirms the baseline results. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the role of economic crisis in shaping the financial decisions of households.

Suggested Citation

  • Oindrila Chatterjee & Balagopal Gopalakrishnan & Sanket Mohapatra, 2023. "Gold in household portfolios during a pandemic: Evidence from an emerging economy," IIMA Working Papers WP 2023-06-01, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Research and Publication Department.
    • Handle: RePEc:iim:iimawp:14697
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