Gold prices hit record highs as investors turn to the precious metal amid global trade tensions and economic uncertainty. Learn about the factors driving this surge and future predictions.

Gold prices have surged to a record high of $3,500 per ounce due to economic uncertainty and political tensions, making it the top-performing commodity of the year.

Strong returns in various financial markets and increased trading volumes have benefited businesses in the industry. Companies provide underwriting, brokering and market-making services for different financial instruments, including bonds, stocks and derivatives. Businesses benefited from improving macroeconomic conditions despite the high-interest-rate environment for most of the period due to inflationary pressures. However, the anticipation of interest rate cuts in the current year can limit interest income from fixed-income securities. As interest rates fall, fixed income securities will experience an outflow of capital and equities will experience an inflow of funds. The Fed is monitoring inflation, employment figures and the effects of tariffs along with other economic factors before making rate cut decisions. Overall, revenue has been growing at a CAGR of 8.5% to $491.0 billion over the past five years, including an expected increase of 1.8% in 2025 alone. Industry profit has grown during the same time due to greater interest income from bonds and will comprise 16.2% of revenue in the current year. While many industries struggled at the onset of the period due to economic disruptions stemming from the volatile economic environment and supply chain issues, businesses benefited from the volatility. Primarily, companies have benefited from increased trading activity on behalf of their clients due to fluctuations in asset prices. This has led to higher trade execution fees for firms at the onset of the period. Similarly, debt underwriting increased as many businesses have turned to investment bankers to help raise cash for various ventures. Also, improved scalability of operations, especially regarding trading services conducted by securities intermediaries, has helped increase industry profits. Structural changes have forced the industry's smaller businesses to evolve. Because competing in trading services requires massive investments in technology and compliance, boutique investment banks have alternatively focused on advising in merger and acquisition (M&A) activity. Boutique investment banks' total share of M&A revenue is forecast to grow through the end of 2030. Furthermore, the industry will benefit from improved macroeconomic conditions as inflationary pressures are expected to ease. This will help asset values rise and interest rate levels to be cut, thus allowing operators to generate more from equity underwriting and lending activities. Overall, revenue is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 1.4% to $526.8 billion over the five years to 2030.