The demand for gold in Asia reached a record high in first quarter 2011

Asians immense passion for gold continues to grow , China's Gold Imports Soaring almost a fivefold : Under the impetus of a persistent inflation in China and concern for maintaining its currency, the demand for gold in the Asian continent continues to be increasing and reached a record high in first quarter 2011.In this context, the 'new rich' and households with higher incomes in both China and India are turning increasingly to the precious metal as a way to diversify their investments.Just in the month of January, the Commercial Bank of China, a major financial institution in the country, has sold a total of 7 tons of gold bullion, which equates to around half of all sales transactions recorded by the bank over the year 2010. One reason for this growing demand for gold in China is still higher prices, which rose 4.9% in January compared to the same month last year. While analysts expected a higher figure, close to 5.3%, concern about inflationary pressures on the huge Asian continent could lead the Central Bank to review interest rates on the rise.Bank of China has been actively promoting gold and silver products for years. Silver & Gold Pandas can be purchased once again by special order but to my knowledge can no longer be purchased on-site at the bank. Prices for Silver Pandas have increased from about 160RMB a year ago to now about 240 - 270 RMB per coin. The price varies by dealer. One thing is for certain, demand is sure there. Prices will only increase. We are just getting started in the greatest bull run for precious metals in history! and Asia is the biggest player in this bull market