Venezuela gold reserves drop by $1bn in first half 2019

Gold reserves held by Venezuela’s central bank fell by $1-billion in the first half of 2019, official data released this week showed, amid opposition accusations that the government is selling the precious metal abroad to raise revenue in the face of US sanctions.

The value of the gold bars in central bank vaults fell to $4.62-billion, down 18.5% from $5.67-billion dollars at the end of 2018 – the lowest in 75 years, according to bank dat