Malaysia reportedly jolts bullion trade with 10% import duty on gold bars

Malaysia has imposed a 10% import duty on certain gold bar shipments, according to traders and Bloomberg, disrupting bullion trade in the country and prompting extra charges on some inbound cargoes. The move has put near-term pressure on prices and liquidity in the regional physical market; spot gold (XAUUSD) is shown down about 1% in the article’s snapshot and the gold ETF GLD is also weaker. Market participants may face higher premiums, diverted flows to other hubs, and short-term volatility in Asian gold trading as import economics change. Overall, the policy shift is a negative near-term development for gold demand and price dynamics in the Malaysian market and could have knock-on effects for regional bullion flows.