Eric Sprott Has Purchased Nearly 9 Tonnes Of Gold Bullion This Week

The Sprott Physical Bullion Trust (PHYS) is now holding 286,870 ounces of gold, with a market value of $327,003,510. The estimated net proceeds of their IPO are approximately $390,000,000, possibly higher depending on total fees for the IPO and initial bullion purchases.

They have now purchased 8.923 tonnes of gold bullion since last Friday (at 32,150.746 Troy ounces per metric tonne).

The total units outstanding are 40,000,000 for a Net Asset Value of 9.50 including cash and bullion. With the price of the Trust closing at 9.96 today, it is at about 4.85% premium according to their website.

By way of comparison, the Central Gold Trust (GTU) closed at a premium of 8.2%. This is on the high side, reflecting gold's recent run higher, and a flight to safety over recent concerns regarding sovereign debt. Gold has reached record prices in the euro and the British pound.

It will be interesting if we can see identify the drawdowns in the inventories that sourced this gold, wherever they may be. There are those who contend that the supply is coming from the unallocated inventories of bullion banks who are engaging in a kind of 'fractional reserve' gold selling to their customers.

[link to www.businessinsider.com]