Gold Fever 2.0: Why Everyone's Favourite Shiny Rock Is Back on Top

It’s 2025, and once again, humanity is proving that while we may have invented AI, self-driving cars, and oat milk lattes, we still can’t resist a good old hunk of shiny metal. Yes, gold - the world’s most stubbornly glamorous store of value - is surging in price, competing not just with the stock market, but with Bitcoin, the new-age gold it was supposed to replace. Spoiler alert: gold’s still got it.

A Tale as Old as (Monetary) Time

Gold has always been the safe haven. Empires collapsed, currencies died, kings fell - and somewhere, someone was still hoarding gold. Unlike stocks, which rely on businesses doing businessy things (and sometimes doing very silly things), or Bitcoin, which relies on... well, vibes and blockchain, gold has physical heft. You can hold it. You can drop it. And in uncertain times, humans still love tangible reassurance.

Stocks: The Rollercoaster You Thought You Wanted

The stock market lately has been like one of those theme park rides you regret immediately after strapping in: wild drops, sharp turns, a lot of screaming. Between global political tensions, tech bubbles inflating and popping faster than bubblegum, and a general feeling that the economy is playing Jenga with wet noodles, investors are jittery. And jittery investors have one classic move: buy gold.

Gold doesn’t promise explosive returns like some sexy new AI stock. But it does promise not to vanish overnight because a CEO tweeted something embarrassing at 2 am.

Bitcoin: The Shiny Challenger That’s Lost a Little Shine

Ah, Bitcoin - once hailed as "digital gold", now occasionally behaving like "digital confetti". 

Bitcoin made a strong case for itself over the last decade as a decentralised, limited-supply asset immune to traditional finance’s mess. But here's the rub: Bitcoin’s volatility makes the stock market look stable by comparison. When inflation spikes, wars break out, or governments get grumpy, Bitcoin tends to throw a fit, while gold quietly sips its martini and nods knowingly.

Plus, in times of real crisis, your grandad trusts gold. Your grandad doesn’t trust a QR code.

Inflation, Interest Rates, and the Human Heart

Inflation - the slow pickpocket of savings accounts - has been dancing uncomfortably close to our wallets lately. High inflation tends to nudge investors towards assets that hold their value, and historically, gold has outperformed during inflationary periods.

Add to this the unpredictability of interest rates. When real interest rates (what you earn on money after inflation) are low or negative, gold gets even more attractive. Why park your cash somewhere that quietly erodes it when you could have a shiny, eternal paperweight that historically holds up?

In short: gold is the investment version of comfort food. Reliable. Familiar. Slightly boring. But in an economy throwing temper tantrums, boring is the new brilliant.

Enter Trump: Tariffs, Trade Wars, and Turbulence

Then there’s the Trump Effect. In classic Trump fashion, he’s back in the spotlight with a new round of tariff threats and trade war theatrics.

New tariffs on imports - especially metals, tech goods, and manufacturing parts - have global markets second-guessing everything. Higher tariffs generally mean higher costs for businesses and consumers, which feeds inflation and triggers fears of economic slowdown or even recession.

And when investors smell inflation mixed with instability? They reach for gold faster than Trump reaches for a microphone.

By shaking up global trade relationships - and by making it more expensive and complicated to move goods across borders - Trump's policies have added another layer of uncertainty to the global economy. Uncertainty is gold’s favourite flavour. And every time the tariff headlines roll in, gold gets a little more sparkle in its step.

So, Why Is Gold Up?

In one sentence: because the world feels weird right now, and tariffs are tossing extra petrol on the fire.
People are scared, sceptical of flashy promises, and quietly betting that when the dust settles, the person with the most gold still wins.