Gold prices reach a record level while anxious investors are looking for a refuge for their money

Gold-term contracts have climbed over $ 4,000 US Troy for the first time, while many investors are looking for a safe place to park their money while the US government closes.

The raw material jumped Tuesday morning to reach a record level. The cash price of gold in New York had closed on Monday at 3,960.60 dollars per Troy – the standard to measure precious metals.

Gold sales can increase sharply when anxious investors are looking for safe investments for their money.

Even before closing, the assets – as well as other metals, such as money – had recorded significant gains in last year, while the customs duties damage imposed by President Donald Trump aroused uncertainty about the prospects of the global economy.

More recently, the prospect of a drop in interest rates has also made gold a more attractive investment than remunerated investments.

Why prices have climbed this year

Gold -term contracts have increased by around 50 % since the start of 2025 – running around $ 4,013 per ounce Troy around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday. This represents an increase compared to the approximately $ 2,670 recorded in early January.

Other precious metals have also recorded gains, money knowing an even higher percentage since the beginning of the year. The term contracts on money are up approximately 60 percent, exchanging nearly $ 48 per ounce Troy Tuesday morning.

A large part of the recent economic crisis arises from trade wars led by Trump. Since the beginning of 2025, the new high customs duties that the president has imposed on goods entering the United States from around the world have tested businesses and consumers, bringing up costs and contributing to weaken the labor market.

As a result, hiring has dropped while inflation has raised slightly – gold is considered to be protection against inflation. And more and more consumers express their pessimism about the future.

The current closure of the United States government has added to these concerns. Key economic data has been delayed – and many federal employees already feel the effects of unemployment and work without salary for the duration of the closure, which has no immediate end in sight.

Trump also threatened to use the closure to make massive layoffs and perhaps close offices permanently in order to punish Democrats for voting against republican legislation.

Look | Why Costco started selling gold a few years ago:

Why Costco now sells gold

Gold has long been considered a stable investment and, at a time of global uncertainty, it becomes so popular that large -surface stores such as Costco have taken the train on the move.

“A refuge value”

Giovanni Staunovo, analyst of raw materials at UBS Global Wealth Management, also underlines the persistent weakness of the US dollar and the new drop in rates of the federal reserve. Last month, the Fed lowered its key rate of a quarter of a point – and plans that it will do it twice this year.

Investments in gold have also been stimulated by other factors over time. Analysts have already underlined the high demand for gold on the part of central banks around the world, in particular in a context of increased geopolitical tensions, such as the ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine.

“The gold rally began in 2022,” said Staunovo on Tuesday by email. He noted that the “trigger” took place when the United States and other Western allies decided to freeze around $ 300 billion in Russian foreign participation at the start of the Ukraine war.

“Gold is perceived by many market players as a refuge value. But investors must be aware that it has a volatility of 10 to 15 percent,” added Staunovo, noting that smaller amounts of physical gold, such as gold coins or a gram bars, also have larger differences between purchase and sale prices.