Why banks are flying gold bars on industrial flights from London to NYC

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President Donald Trump’s tariff plans have prompted among the largest banks within the U.S. and Britain to fly gold bars from London to New York Metropolis on industrial flights.

Trump’s plans to impose tariffs on U.S. buying and selling companions – together with a reciprocal tariff regime that is anticipated to be formalized by early April and tariffs on the European Union he hasn’t but detailed – have spurred banks to relocate their gold reserves.

That transfer has been pushed by a worth differential between gold bought in London and New York – The Wall Road Journal reported final week that the costs of gold per troy ounce have been roughly $20 decrease in London since early December. London is the principle buying and selling location for the bodily gold market, whereas New York is a hub for futures contracts. 

Because of the disparity, shifting the gold from London to New York may also help banks cowl what would in any other case have been money-losing trades on gold futures by flying the gold throughout the Atlantic, permitting them to at the least pare their losses or make more cash by locking in new futures contracts.

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Banks are shifting bodily gold from London to New York Metropolis to reap the benefits of a worth disparity. (iStock / iStock)

JPMorgan Chase and HSBC are two main gamers out there for bodily gold and have appeared to capitalize on the chance, the Journal reported. 

The quantity of gold being flown throughout the Atlantic on industrial airliners is important – JPMorgan stated in a submitting with CME Group’s Comex that it plans to maneuver about $4 billion in gold from London to New York in February.

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Gold bars are being flown throughout the Atlantic on industrial airliners. (Picture by ARNE DEDERT/dpa/AFP by way of Getty Pictures / Getty Pictures)

Business airline flights provide probably the most cost-effective method for banks to move the gold from one location to the opposite – although the journey additionally essentially consists of the usage of armored automobiles and safety to make sure it arrives safely at its vacation spot.

Amid uncertainty over the financial system and Trump’s tariff plans, gold costs have surged to all-time highs in latest months.

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Gold futures had been buying and selling round $2,950 on Thursday and Friday – up greater than 10% in 2025 thus far and over 44% from a yr in the past.