Gold has crossed the $5,000 per ounce mark, a historic milestone, pushing its total market capitalization beyond $35 trillion.
This upward trend continued into the early hours of Monday trading in Asia. Investors are expressing heightened risk-off sentiment, influenced by ongoing economic uncertainties and geopolitical tensions. Recent headlines have focused on escalating tensions between the US and NATO, discussions surrounding Greenland, and concerns over potential US military actions in Iran, all reinforcing gold's strong appeal.
In addition, investor unease has grown regarding the Federal Reserve's independence following recent reports of a Justice Department probe into its activities. This week, the administration is set to announce a nominee to succeed Fed Chair Jerome Powell after the appointment of Stephen Miran to the board last year.
Amid this backdrop, silver prices have also surged, reaching an impressive new record high over $107. Silver's price increase has been notably pronounced since late 2025, marking it as the standout performer among asset classes, with a year-to-date gain of roughly 47%, compared to gold's 17% increase.
While traditional safe havens like gold and silver are thriving, investor sentiment towards cryptocurrencies seems to have weakened. The total crypto market capitalization has decreased by about 2% over the last 24 hours, according to CoinGecko. Bitcoin, in particular, has seen a decline of over 2% in the last day and around 7% over the past week, currently trading near $87,500.
Given this landscape, investors are faced with difficult choices and must weigh the opportunities presented by precious metals against the ongoing volatility in the crypto markets.