China raised its gold reserves for a ninth straight month in July as central bank purchases continue to underpin prices of the precious metal. Bullion held by the People’s Bank of China rose by 740,000 troy ounces, the central bank said on Monday. That’s equivalent to about 23 tons. Total stockpiles now sit at 2,137 tons, with around 188 tons added in a run of purchases that began in November.

China added to its gold reserves for an eighth consecutive month, with economic and geopolitical risks as well as a desire to move away from the US dollar driving the purchases. People’s Bank of China holdings of bullion rose by 680,000 troy ounces last month, according to official data released Friday. That’s equivalent to 23 tons. Total stockpiles now sit at 2,330 tons, with around 183 tons added in the run of buying from November. China has been an enthusiastic buyer of gold, partly due to...

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Australia will keep its international borders closed for at least three to four months to protect itself from the coronavirus pandemic that continues to deepen in other parts of the world. Border restrictions would likely be the final measure lifted and would stay in place even if other rules were eased according to Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Thursday. Murphy told a government inquiry focusing on the Australian virus response the measures...

SHARE THIS ARTICLE Share Tweet Post Email Photographer: Vano Shlamov/AFP via Getty Images For a fresh perspective on the stories that matter for Australian business and politics, sign up for our new weekly newsletter. As the coronavirus death toll surpasses 250,000 and the world scrambles to find a vaccine, a new scientific taskforce is headed to the wilderness to try and stop the next pandemic. After decades of patchy global investment into researching the linkages between animal and human...