China has set its first national standard for gold at 99.999 percent purity, state media Xinhua reported on Friday, citing the National Gold Standardization Technical Committee.

Gold and silver hallmarks are somewhat more universal. Gold purity is measured in karats with 24 karats representing the highest value. Gold jewelry marked "750" or "18k" indicates a blended metal ...

Look for hallmarks. All authentic gold bars and coins have a hallmark stamp that indicates their purity. This stamp is a guarantee from a reputable manufacturer that the gold is 100% pure.

China has installed a gold ATM in Shanghai that melts the precious metal, evaluates its purity and weight, and then transfers the value to a bank account within 30 minutes.

China already held considerable sway in gold markets. But the country’s influence has become more pronounced during this latest bull run — a nearly 50 percent increase in the global price ...