Wedding rush sets record, sends India's gold imports surging to 6-year high

 About 2.5 million ceremonies are estimated to have taken place since mid-November, around a quarter of this year’s expected annual total.

A quick glance at social media feeds in India over the past month shows a flurry of weddings as couples rush to tie the knot following a lifting of some virus curbs. About 2.5 million ceremonies are estimated to have taken place since mid-November, around a quarter of this year’s expected annual total, after the government eased some restrictions around gatherings. It’s a stark turnaround for India’s jewelers, who have seen demand hammered for almost two years as the coronavirus led to the postponement of many weddings — a key source of demand for the nation that considers buying and gifting of gold as auspicious — while broader financial hardship further curbed purchases.

The bumper festival season may help push India’s gold imports to as much as 900 tons this year, the highest in six years, Metals Focus Ltd said. That’s up from about 350 tons last year, according to World Gold Council figures. “Lower prices and pent up demand has helped boost sales, but we are also seeing a lot of weddings this year with some estimates suggesting that we could have a record number,” said Chirag Sheth, a Mumbai-based consultant with Metals Focus. “What has happened in the past year and a half has revived people’s faith in gold.”