Global ETF News for the Past 2 Months
you are currently viewing::Why gold retains enduring value in an era of digital assetsDecember 17, 2025--For more than five millennia, humanity has been captivated by gold-the immutable metal that has illuminated temples, crowned emperors, and underpinned monetary systems. Its story is as much about economics as it is about psychology. Across the centuries, gold has functioned as currency, ornament, reserve, and metaphor-embodying the human desire for permanence in a world of change. In an age of crypto assets, artificial intelligence, and central bank digital currencies, its persistence raises a question both ancient and modern: Why does gold still hold value? Gold's legacy as a standard of value began long before modern finance. The Lydians were among the first to mint gold coins in the seventh century BCE, transforming trade through standardization. Ancient Egypt and Rome regarded it as divine, associating its incorruptible gleam with eternity. In economic terms, its durability, scarcity, and divisibility made it uniquely suitable for money. It did not rust, could be stored indefinitely, and existed in limited quantities—a perfect medium of exchange. By the 19th century, gold had become the foundation of the global financial order. Under the classical gold standard, the British pound, the world's premier reserve currency, was directly convertible into a fixed quantity of gold held in the Bank of England's vaults. This system, adopted by much of the industrial world, imposed fiscal discipline and constrained governments from printing excessive money. Source: imf.org |
Middle East Conflict Sends Global Growth to Lowest Rate Since COVID-19
June 11, 2026-The conflict in the Middle East is expected to slow global growth to the lowest rate since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic amid higher energy prices, steeper inflation, and increased borrowing costs , according to the World Bank Group's latestGlobal Economic Prospects report.
Global growth is forecast to slow to 2.5% in 2026, down from 2.9% in 2025. Forecasts for two-thirds of economies have been downgraded relative to January of this year.
