Gold prices witnessed significant jumps during 2025, prompting investors not only to buy physical gold, but also to increase their investments in gold exchange-traded funds.
The value of gold in gold traded funds rose in an unprecedented way, and the United States of America was a prominent example of this, as Americans rushed to these funds to secure their savings and achieve some gains.
The total value of gold owned by US ETFs tied to physical gold has reached a record $225 billion, according to Morningstar Direct.
Gold holdings have doubled over the past few years, driven by huge investor inflows and rising gold prices.
Before the 2020 pandemic, gold holdings in America were 4:5 times lower, reaching $50 billion. US ETFs linked to physical gold attracted record net inflows of $33 billion in September 2025 alone.
Meanwhile, total assets under management in global gold ETFs rose 23% quarter-on-quarter in Q3 2025, reaching a record high of $472 billion.
Investors are accepting gold funds in an unprecedented manner. Since the beginning of 2025, the price of an ounce of gold has increased by more than 50%, and the ounce is currently trading at $4,017.
Goldman Sachs raised its forecast for the price of gold in December 2026 to $4,900 per ounce, from $4,300 previously, based on strong flows in Western gold-backed index funds and expectations of continued central bank purchases.
