Gold just wrapped up one of its most impressive years on record in 2025, and it's hard not to notice the shift happening across global markets. The metal hit fresh peaks repeatedly throughout the year, eventually claiming a central position in institutional and retail portfolios alike.

What's really striking? The flood of capital into physically backed gold ETFs. Institutions and everyday investors both rushed to secure exposure through these vehicles, signaling serious conviction about the asset's role as a hedge against macro uncertainty. The inflow numbers tell the story—this wasn't casual interest, it was deliberate accumulation.

For crypto participants watching from the sidelines, the gold momentum matters more than you'd think. When traditional safe-haven assets rally this hard, it often reflects broader hedging behavior across the entire financial system. It reshapes how people think about portfolio construction and risk management—lessons that apply just as much to digital assets.