[World Gold Council: Annualized Gold Price Return Around 5%, Long-Term Trend Supported by Wealth Storage Demand] Deep Tide TechFlow News, September 7 – Recently, the World Gold Council, in collaboration with twelve retail brands including Caibai Jewelry, Chow Tai Fook, Chow Sang Sang, and Lao Feng Xiang, officially released the '2026 China Gold Jewelry Retail Trend Insights' report. They also addressed questions from reporters regarding the evolution of the hard pure gold category and the transformation of gold jewelry consumption structures. Wang Lixin, CEO of the World Gold Council China, stated to the media: 'Hard pure gold is still like the "sun at eight or nine in the morning." It will undoubtedly dominate the future, and its potential remains vast.' This assessment, made in the context of a rapidly restructuring industry, is particularly noteworthy. China's gold jewelry market is undergoing a typical trend of 'rising prices and declining volumes.' According to the Council's data, in the first half of 2026, gold jewelry consumption volume decreased by 30% year-on-year to 136 tons, while total consumption value increased by 5% to 143.7 billion yuan. Store consolidation continues, and self-purchasing and self-rewarding demand has risen for three consecutive years, shifting from 'special occasion' consumption to 'every moment' consumption. (Jin10)