Gold surged past $4,000 per ounce for the first time late Monday, then again Tuesday, extending a rally that has lifted prices close to 50 percent since the start of the year.

Institutional investors, central banks and individuals have been snapping up the “safe haven” asset, feeding an upswing in prices that typically signals economic uncertainty. Gold’s latest string of record highs coincides with the government shutdown that began Oct. 1. But its 2025 run-up is rooted in ongoing trade policy and geopolitical tensions, gathering steam in April as President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs rattled markets. Prices jumped again in August and September as the U.S. job market showed signs of cooling.

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