(Kitco News) – Sovereign demand for gold shot higher in May, with central bank purchases reaching the second-highest level of the year, surpassed only to February’s outsized performance, according to the latest data from Marissa Salim, Senior Research Lead, APAC at the World Gold Council.“Central banks were back in buying mode in May – and with a little more spring in their step,” Salim wrote on Thursday. “Based on the latest reported data, official gold reserves increased by a net 41t during the month, with purchases once again concentrated among a familiar cast of buyers.”