Overview

• CAIT estimates total Dhanteras trade at about Rs 1 lakh crore, with gold and silver contributing roughly Rs 60,000 crore, up around 25% from last year.
• Domestic prices set fresh peaks before a brief pullback: gold neared Rs 1.30–1.35 lakh per 10g and eased by about Rs 2,000–2,400 on Saturday, while silver slipped to roughly Rs 1.70 lakh per kg after touching about Rs 1.77 lakh.
• Silver led retail demand, with coin and bar sales rising 35–40% year-on-year and overall silver business more than doubling, and some jewellers reporting supply constraints on bars.
• Gold buying shifted to smaller, lower‑karat pieces and coins as volumes fell about 10–15% but value rose; average ticket sizes climbed 20–25% and interest in digital gold and ETFs increased.
• Industry and market reports tie the rally to expected US rate cuts, heavy ETF inflows and central‑bank buying, renewed US–China trade frictions, and tight physical silver inventories, with analysts broadly positive on 12‑month prospects but cautioning on volatility.