Swiss gold exports to China and Turkey remained strong in October while shipments to India fell, Swiss customs data showed on Thursday. Switzerland is the world's biggest refining and transit hub for gold and its data reveal global market trends.

Gold has moved from West to East in recent months as investors in Europe and the United States sold, pushing down prices and boosting demand in Asia, where buyers typically take advantage of low prices. Economic turbulence in Turkey has also encouraged buying of gold, which is often seen by investors as a safe way to store wealth.

Switzerland in October exported 43.7 tonnes of gold worth around $2.4 billion to mainland China, down from 44 tonnes in September, and 31.4 tonnes to Turkey, down from 32.2 tonnes in September. The shipments to Turkey in September were the highest for any month since April 2013, the customs data showed.

Switzerland also exported 10.1 tonnes of gold to Singapore in October, up from 9.1 tonnes in September and the most for any month since August 2018. Exports to India fell to 22.2 tonnes in October from 34.9 tonnes in September. Gold prices fell from more than $2,000 an ounce in March to below $1,650 in September and October, before recovering to around $1,765 on Thursday.

Below are numbers for October and comparisons. SWISS TRADE DATA (KG) EXPORT (kg) Oct-22 159,568 Sep-22 174,381 Oct-21 142,732 SHIPMENTS TO KEY MARKETS (KG) To China To Hong To India To Turkey Kong Oct-22 43,736 3,321 22,194 31,440 Sep-22 44,020 610 34,850 32,226 Oct-21 58,525 16,685 40,912 0 * Source: Swiss customs. Data subject to revision by source. (Reporting by Peter Hobson Editing by Mark Potter)