Record high values spark a gold rush

THIS YEAR has been a strong year for stock markets, with the FTSE 100 ending the year around 20% higher, but it's been an even better one for gold.

- Edited by HARVEY JONES

IN DEMAND The investment of the millennium

The precious metal surged another 65%, hitting an astonishing all-time high of more than $4,400 an ounce, or around £3,250.

And this is no one-off. Gold has undoubtedly been the investment of the millennium.

From $288 on December 31, 1999, the price has since climbed 1,834%, turning a £10,000 investment into around $193,400.

As the world's oldest surviving store of value, gold is still seen as a safe haven in stormy times. Its price has climbed steadily through a turbulent 25 years, starting with the dotcom crash in 2000, followed by the September 11 attacks, the global financial crisis, the Covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the escalating tensions between the US and China.