Gold’s long, grinding bull market has broken into new territory, with spot prices vaulting above $5,000 an ounce and, in some sessions, pushing beyond $5,100 – levels that would have seemed improbable just two years ago.
Data from market trackers show spot bullion trading around $5,050 to $5,090 an ounce after touching intraday highs above $5,100 early Monday, while front‑month US futures have followed closely behind.
Gold has gained roughly 60-65% over the past year, its strongest annual performance since the late 1970s, after spending early 2024 near $2,000.
The move is being driven by an unusually dense cluster of risks including escalating tensions between the United States and NATO partners over Greenland, renewed trade threats and tariff rhetoric from the Trump administration, and ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
For many investors, that combination has turned gold from a tactical hedge into a strategic core holding, while at the macro level, bullion’s ascent has ridden a powerful tailwind from easier US monetary policy, negative real yields across much of the curve, and a structurally weaker dollar.
Central bank buying, especially by China, has impacted gold prices and there could be more to come.
“Our forecast for the year is that gold will see a high of $6,400 an ounce with an average of $5,375,” independent analyst Ross Norman said in comments carried by Reuters. Goldman Sachs last week suggested that prices may continue to see upward pressure throughout 2026.
That kind of upside projection, coming after such a steep run‑up, is forcing investors to reassess what “overweight” really means in client portfolios.
The practical questions now are less about whether to own gold and more about sizing, structure and liquidity.
Even if underlying demand from central banks and institutions remains firm, there is a risk that bullion will lose some of its luster with investors. At the same time, with bullion now trading well beyond previous inflation‑adjusted highs, clients looking for diversification away from equities, Treasurys and the dollar may find that “neutral” allocations need to be recalibrated for a world in which $5,000 gold is no longer a tail‑event headline, but the new starting point.
Salespeople at the firm often went beyond the matching algorithm to recommend network advisors on its Zoe Wealth platform, according to the regulator.
The Protect College Sports Act would cap school payments and codify NIL rights, with implications for advisors guiding young athletes.
"I know the number that I want to be able to retire on, and now I just want out," says Wilmington Trust's Marguerite Weese, describing a common refrain among business-owner clients.
Bessemer and Brown Brothers Harriman veteran Robert Ludricks III and private markets specialist Olof Akesson join the ultra-high-net-worth push on the East Coast.
765 investors were promised 260% annual returns on truck leases
As AI makes financial information more accessible than ever, Lana Hock explains why human judgment, trust, and empathy remain the qualities clients value most in a financial advisor
Northern Trust’s Ken Lassner shows advisors how to convert volatility into after-tax portfolio gains
