During Dhanteras, the main trading day for gold and silver, about 80 kg of gold and 1,500 kg of silver were sold in a single day.

This volume of gold and silver sales is the same across the country, said Arjun Rasaili, president of the Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers Federation. ‘ On the day of Dhanteras, the price of gold had set a record  . It is very good to sell 70 to 80 kg in a single day when the price is at a record high,’ he said, ‘Although gold sales are slightly lower than last year, it is very good in terms of price.’

Recently, the price of gold and silver has been increasing unnaturally . Various ups and downs in the international market have directly affected the Nepali market. On the day of Dhanteras (Kartik 1), the federation had fixed the price of gold at Rs 258,000 per tola . The general public has to pay a higher price when buying jewelry. Because businessmen charge an average of 12 to 15 percent extra, including wages and salaries .

‘It seems that the general public is investing in jewelry for safe investment, and the gold sales during Dhanteras also confirm this,’ said Rasaili. He said that 1,500 kg of silver was sold on the day of Dhanteras. The federation has fixed the price of silver at Rs 3,335 per tola. But the general public has to pay an additional fee when purchasing silver jewelry.

Jewelry entrepreneurs say that the trend of using gold and silver instead of money to worship Lakshmi is increasing. The general public buys gold and silver jewelry, idols, coins, etc. according to their ability. With the expectation that the price will increase further, the general public has shown interest in coins, dhikas, beruva rings, etc. rather than jewelry. ‘Dhanteras is a festival for jewelry entrepreneurs. Even if there is no business at other times, it is expected that there will be a lot of business on Dhanteras,’ said Diasharatna Shakya, senior vice president of the federation, ‘Although the business is less compared to last year, the general public is interested in gold even if the price has increased. Sales have been slow.’

He said that silver sales have increased compared to last year. According to Shakya, even if gold bars cannot be sold, silver can be sold. The expectation that the price will increase further has made the general public want to buy silver. It is believed that goods purchased on the day of Dhanteras bring Lakshmi, which is why businessmen say that as soon as Dhanteras approaches, the general public has started ordering jewelry.

Even though the price of gold has increased, the demand for gold has increased due to Tihar (Dhanteras). The quantity that banks can buy daily has been increased from 20 kg to 25 kg. Businessmen say that even though the National Bank has fixed a daily quota of 25 kg of gold, the demand in the market has reached 40 to 45 kg. They said that the old gold returned and gold from abroad have mostly met the demand.