ASA Gold & Precious Metals renews 5% share buyback program

ASA Gold and Precious Metals Limited reauthorized a share buyback program allowing repurchases of up to 5% of outstanding common shares over the next year. The move is aimed at addressing the fund’s large NAV discount (about -14.4%) and could provide targeted support to the fund’s share price, though it is unlikely to move the broader gold market (XAUUSD) materially. ASA’s quoted price was $62.00 (down 2.7%) with a pre-market indication at $63.00. The fund shows NAV of $72.44, AUM of $1.34B, a semiannual dividend and a 1.88% expense ratio. Overall market impact on gold prices should be limited; the buyback is primarily a corporate action that may narrow the discount to NAV and be modestly bullish for the fund’s shares.