# World Gold Council

Gold’s Decade of Reinvention: From Safe Haven to Strategic Reserve

Over the last decade gold has transformed from a peripheral hedge into a central asset, rising more than 300% from under $1,100 to peaks above $5,000 per ounce by early 2026. The shift is driven by sustained central-bank buying, weakening dollar share of reserves, low real interest rates and heightened geopolitical risk, but the market now displays greater volatility and complex implications for investors and policymakers.