Precious Metals Sell-Off and Stock Market Gains: Year-End Market Wrap

Year-End Market Performance

• 📉 Precious metals experienced a last-minute sell-off on the final day of 2025, as investors took profits on significant year-end gains.
• 📈 Stocks quietly consolidated, marking their best year since before the COVID pandemic, with the broadest index of world stocks up $15 trillion for the year.

Precious Metals Performance Details

• 🥇 Gold had its best year since the 1979 oil crisis, though it dipped 1% on the final day.
• 🥈 Silver prices climbed nearly 6% during morning trade, following a remarkable 150% surge over the year.
• 🥉 Platinum saw an 8% plunge, tempering its 120% gain for the year.

Broader Market Context

• 🌍 European share markets were little changed, hovering near record highs, boosted by strong performance in the banking and weapons sectors.
• 🎢 The past 12 months were described as a roller coaster, influenced by geopolitics, dollar weakness, bond market jitters, and the AI stock frenzy.

Federal Reserve and Interest Rates

• 🏦 Investors digested the Federal Reserve's December meeting minutes, which highlighted significant divisions among policymakers regarding US interest rates.