PANews reported on March 5th that the World Gold Council reported net inflows of $5.3 billion into global gold ETFs in February, marking the ninth consecutive month of inflows and the strongest start to the year on record. Global gold assets under management (AUM) climbed to a record high of $701 billion, with global holdings reaching 4,171 tons, driven by rising gold prices and inflated valuations. North America and Asia were the main drivers of inflows, while Europe experienced outflows at the beginning of the month due to the sell-off in late January. Global daily trading volume fell to $478 billion, but remains well above 2025 levels.