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Gold Bull Markets Explained: History, Drivers and Scenarios

Gold is a globally traded precious metal investors use for portfolio diversification, as a potential inflation hedge, and as a store of value during uncertaint…

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NIXON SHOCK

The Nixon Shock Ends the Gold Standard

On August 15, 1971, President Nixon unilaterally ended the direct convertibility of the US dollar into gold, ending the Bretton Woods system that had pegged the dollar t…

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RECORD SPIKE

Gold Spikes to a Record $850 per Ounce

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Iranian Revolution and years of high US inflation and oil-price shocks drove gold to approximately $850/oz in January 1980 -- a r…

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CENTRAL BANK AGREEMENT

Central Banks Agree to Limit Gold Sales

A group of European central banks signed the Washington Agreement on Gold in September 1999, agreeing to limit collective gold sales to less than 400 tonnes a year, afte…

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GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS

An Initial Selloff, Then a Safe-Haven Rally

Gold initially fell alongside other assets in late 2008 as investors sold broadly for liquidity, then rallied as central banks slashed rates toward zero and launched qua…

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RECORD HIGH

Gold Reaches a Record Near $1,921 per Ounce

The European sovereign-debt crisis and the August 2011 downgrade of the US credit rating by S&P drove gold to a then-record price near $1,921/oz in September 2011, cappi…

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COVID-ERA RECORD

Gold Reaches a COVID-Era Record Near $2,067 per Ounce

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, unprecedented monetary and fiscal stimulus, and near-zero interest rates, gold reached a then-record price near $2,067/oz in August 2020, ref…

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RECORD CENTRAL-BANK BUYING

Central Banks Buy Over 1,000 Tonnes Annually for Three Straight Years

Despite the fastest Federal Reserve rate-hiking cycle in decades, central banks bought approximately 1,136 tonnes in 2022, ~1,037 tonnes in 2023, and a record 1,092.4 to…

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STRONGEST YEAR SINCE 1979

Gold Crosses $4,000/oz; 2025 Becomes Its Strongest Year Since 1979

Gold rose more than 50% during 2025 -- its largest calendar-year percentage gain since 1979 -- crossing $4,000/oz for the first time in October 2025. The World Gold Coun…

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QUARTERLY RECORD

LBMA Price Averages a Record $4,873/oz; Central-Bank Figure Later Revised

The LBMA (PM) gold price averaged a record US$4,873/oz for Q1 2026, per the World Gold Council. Total Q1 demand including OTC reached 1,231 tonnes (+2% y/y). Central-ban…

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