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Covered in Gold: Examining gold consumption by middle class consumers in emerging markets

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  • Liu, Jingting

Abstract

As wealth and status rise for middle class (MC) consumers in emerging markets (EMs), they increasingly acquire gold for both consumption and investment. The authors delineate a conceptual map for gold consumption drawing insights from the context of MC in EMs. Perceived benefits of gold and disposable income directly determine the attractiveness and availability of gold for individual consumers. Cultural, institutional and economic factors account for country variations in gold consumption. Based on theoretical considerations and empirical evidence, we contend that gold consumption and disposable income have a curvilinear relationship: as EMs mature and MC consumers’ shopping baskets become more diverse and sophisticated, their gold consumption decreases and eventually stabilizes.

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  • Liu, Jingting, 2016. "Covered in Gold: Examining gold consumption by middle class consumers in emerging markets," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 739-747.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:iburev:v:25:y:2016:i:3:p:739-747
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ibusrev.2016.03.004
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Tripathi, Nitya Nand & Raj, Asha Binu & Tiwari, Aviral Kumar, 2022. "Do employees' salaries and board of director's remuneration impact gold demand?: An empirical study," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    3. Chatterjee, Oindrila & Gopalakrishnan, Balagopal & Mohapatra, Sanket, 2024. "Gold in household portfolios during a pandemic: Evidence from India," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 93(PA), pages 1288-1306.
    4. Gilboa, Shaked & Mitchell, Vince, 2020. "The role of culture and purchasing power parity in shaping mall-shoppers’ profiles," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    5. 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.
    6. Ohara,Moriki & Pulikkamath,Ashraf, 2024. "Hierarchy of Consumer Demand and Industrial Development in China and India: A Comparison of Automobile Consumption in Shandong and Tamil Nadu," IDE Discussion Papers 923, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).

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