Gold import volume down 18%, silver surges 56%

Wed Feb 18 2026

Despite the surge in gold and silver imports upsetting the trade balance, the trends for the two precious metals are very contrasting.

With the average price of gold rising nearly 25% on a year-on-year basis to $94,554 a kg during April-December, buyers became cautious, resulting in demand falling. Data released by the commerce department showed that gold import volume dipped 18.3% to 522 tonnes during the nine-month period. But higher unit value meant that the value of imports was 1.8% higher at $49.4 billion.

In contrast, even though silver prices climbed 46.7% to $1,357 per kg, import volumes jumped 56% to 5,727 tonnes. This pushed the value of silver imports to $7.8 billion in April–December, more than double the $3.4 billion recorded in the same period in 2024. Strong industrial demand has supported silver buying, while gold is largely treated as an investment asset.

Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com