Posted on 01/01/2026 4:58:03 PM PST by SeekAndFind
2025 was an extraordinary year for precious metals. Gold, silver, and platinum each outperformed other asset classes, including equities, bitcoin (2024’s best performer), and even indexes tracking artificial intelligence (AI)—one of 2025’s most popular investment themes.
Silver and platinum rose by approximately 170 percent in 2025, while gold returned a highly respectable 73 percent.
Among AI stocks, only Palantir outperformed gold.
Why such stellar performance from assets once derided by governments as “barbarous relics” and shunned by investors as outdated?
The reason I wrote at the start of last year that we should “expect gold to shine in 2025” was because global conditions had fundamentally - and perhaps irreversibly - shifted.
I noted then that the primary factors driving gold prices included shifting geopolitics prompting central bank stockpiling, investor concerns over the creditworthiness of the U.S. government (and, by extension, the dollar), persistent inflation eroding the purchasing power of paper currencies, and widening supply-demand imbalances.
These forces are unlikely to abate in 2026.
As a result, we should expect precious metals—including gold, silver, and platinum—to continue performing well in the coming year. Indeed, deglobalization and the continued push toward resource nationalism and the protection of critical materials lend additional support not only to these metals but also to the broader commodities complex.
In recent years, central banks around the world have reduced their purchases of U.S. Treasury securities—formerly their largest reserve asset—and have instead been stockpiling gold. China, Russia, and India have all been significant buyers, as have many smaller, independent nations eager to remain outside the U.S.–China conflict.
Observing how the United States imposed financial sanctions on Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, many countries have concluded that dependence on a dollar-dominated financial system is too risky. They fear that the U.S. government may weaponize the dollar system—via financial sanctions or trade policy—and they’re seeking alternatives. Shifting from Treasurys to gold and other metals offers a hedge. A prominent example of efforts to reduce reliance on the U.S. dollar is the development of alternative currencies partially backed by gold reserves, such as those being pursued by BRICS nations.
Beyond geopolitics, foreign central banks are concerned about the deteriorating credit condition of the United States, which has been downgraded by all three major ratings agencies. The federal government holds more than $38 trillion in debt—growing by trillions each year—which cannot realistically be repaid except through issuing more debt.
Heavily indebted governments have few options other than allowing inflation to erode the real value of their obligations. The United States cannot default outright, as the dollar is the global reserve currency, and tax increases have political limits. Inflation, then, becomes a hidden tax, steadily undermining the dollar and diminishing household wealth.
A new generation of Americans has now experienced the painful effects of inflation firsthand. Since 2020, the dollar has lost more than 20 percent of its real value—and over 40 percent since 2000. The lesson of inflation, once internalized during the 1970s, had been largely forgotten after decades of relative price stability. But it’s once again relevant as people around the world lose confidence in government-issued money—paper IOUs that lose value annually.
Gold and silver, long regarded as hedges against inflation, are resuming their traditional role as stores of value amid geopolitical, monetary, and economic uncertainty.
Retail investors are also part of this trend, purchasing both gold-backed paper assets and physical bullion. In the third quarter of 2025 alone, tons of metal held by U.S.-based, publicly traded gold ETFs increased by 160 percent. In the first half of the year, 95 million ounces of silver flowed into silver-backed funds globally—surpassing the total for all of 2024. Costco and other retailers now offer gold and silver coins to a growing number of households, many of whom previously saw no need for anything beyond dollars in their pockets or savings accounts.
Gold supply remains constrained due to high production costs and limited new mine development. Meanwhile, silver and platinum have each faced multi-year supply shortages, though for different reasons. These imbalances are unlikely to ease anytime soon—except in the case of a global recession. With the United States and other nations designating these metals as strategic resources, pressure is mounting to develop new domestic sources—a multi-year process. In the meantime, stockpiling is accelerating.
I don’t expect the metals rally to end soon, as the underlying drivers remain intact. While price gains in 2026 may not match 2025’s dramatic surge, these commodities are still poised to advance. Assuming additional interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve and other Western central banks—and ongoing government failure to rein in deficits and debt—investor concern about the inflationary effects of loose monetary and fiscal policy will likely persist. This will continue to support gold, silver, platinum, and other commodities and real assets that preserve value against fiat currencies.
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
I think Gold is in a bubble. Rhenium, which is more rare than Gold , is 10 times cheaper. The market is clearly over excited about Gold .
Silver kissed 80 before heading south again. Still, I’m up by a decent amount on silver futures.
If you would like to be on the Gold & Silver PING LIST, please pm me.
The Gold & Silver Ping List covers the following:Everything Gold & Silver
Stock market investments in mining companies,
etc.
PING!
Today in Tokyo, silver was selling for $130/oz
Somethings breaking
I'm sure untamed horses consider a bit and bridle to be "barbarous relics" too.
Rhenium is a relatively poor electrical conductor, far below the top conductor of silver, and also below others like gold, copper, aluminum.
I conducts heat though quite well, so I’ll give it that.
Yep, COMEX/FED/banksters got some ‘splainin to do, given that they injected at the last minute billions of liquidity into the system prior to New Years, driving the price down from $84 to $71, in a matter of hours.
To: AnotherUnixGeek
Today in Tokyo, silver was selling for $130/oz
Somethings breaking
The AG (Asian guy) on X said silver on comet has the highest leverage ratio:
350 contracts (claims) on one ounce of silver.
If TSHTF, no one has a clear claim of ownership.
Also, China’s new rule prohibiting exports of physical silver takes effect today.
Tomorrow will be lit.
(Note: I do not know who The AG guy is, but content of his videos is worth pondering)
AG Asian Guy is well done AI. Never coughs, says ummm or scratches nose.
AG works especially well given the silver symbol of the periodic table
Indeed. All I know is it appears to be someone overseas, because I'll sometimes watch one of his videos at night shortly after it's posted and he's already giving tomorrow's date. Maybe the real person behind the channel is a trader in London or Asia. He seems to talk a lot about the markets and uses options terms like Gamma.
A lot of his info is the type of stuff that typical gold and silver bug channels don't think about.
Not really a MAGA portfolio, Gold, Bonds, and global stocks.
Also ASE premiums up about $3-$4. They rose last weekend even while markets closed
Why not? I’d include gold and mining stocks in any MAGA portfolio. Probably not the bonds though
Huh?!? What a strange comment...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
