China’s central bank expanded its gold reserves for a second month in December, signaling renewed appetite after temporarily pausing purchases last year as prices soared.

Justin Trudeau is resigning as Canadian Prime Minister, and Germany’s solar power industry is in trouble. US bankruptcy filings hit their highest rate in 14 years, and the People’s Bank of China has announced a major policy overhaul as pressures on the economy mount.

Assessing the final act of 2024, central banks around the world continued to play a leading role in the demand for gold. Click to read.