Overview
- Spot gold traded around 4,227 euros per ounce at 08:18 on Feb. 10, down 0.41% from the prior day yet still near late‑January records that included a 4,533.21‑euro closing high.
- Both gold and Bitcoin fell sharply after record peaks, with selling tied to expectations of a more hawkish Federal Reserve under potential successor Kevin Warsh, reduced liquidity risks including a possible partial U.S. government shutdown, ETF outflows, and leveraged liquidations.
- Market commentators describe the drop as a technical shakeout in a relatively illiquid market rather than a fundamental shift, citing persistent geopolitical risks and resilient physical buying.
- The World Gold Council reported physical demand above 5,000 tonnes in 2025, and the Polish central bank purchased about 102 tonnes that year, reinforcing central banks’ role as structural buyers.
- Africa now supplies over a quarter of global output, with Burkina Faso hitting a 2025 record of 94 tonnes, while reforms in countries such as Ghana seek greater revenue capture amid illegal mining, smuggling to the UAE, and rising Chinese and Russian investment including a Norgold deal in Burkina Faso.