Indian dealers offer 5oz discounts vs 11 last week
India39;s April gold imports plunge to 3month low
Singapore premiums range between 0.50 to 2 an ounce
May 19 Reuters A pullback in domestic prices for physical gold from record highs lured back some buyers in India this week and prompted dealers to slash discounts to a 10week low, while the bullion market in top hub China saw subdued activity.
Indian dealers offered discounts of up to 5 an ounce over official domestic prices inclusive of 15 import and 3 sales levies versus last week39;s 11 discount.
Retail buying has been improving slowly. Footfalls at jewellery stores have improved because of lower prices, said Ashok Jain, proprietor of Mumbaibased gold wholesaler Chenaji Narsingji.
Local gold prices were trading around 59,900 rupees per 10 grams on Friday after hitting a record high of 61,845 rupees earlier this month.
Scrap supplies have also come down after a correction in prices, said a Mumbaibased dealer with a private bullion importing bank.
India39;s April gold imports plunged 45 from a year earlier to 16 tonnes as the rally in local prices curtailed demand during a key festival, a government source said on Tuesday.
In China, premiums of 2 to 4 were charged.
A weaker Chinese yuan versus the U.S. dollar deterred buyers using the domestic currency, increasing the cost of importing or sourcing bullion from abroad, said Bernard Sin, regional director, Greater China at MKS PAMP.
The offshore yuan…