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2/20/2025 3:24:43 PM

Significant Surge in Physical Gold Buying as COMEX Vaults Report 115% Increase

Significant Surge in Physical Gold Buying as COMEX Vaults Report 115% Increase

According to The Kobeissi Letter, physical gold buying is experiencing a significant surge, with gold inventories in the three largest COMEX gold vaults increasing by 15 million ounces over two months. This represents a 115% increase, surpassing the gold holdings recorded during the 2020 pandemic. This data indicates a clear shift in market sentiment towards gold, which may influence trading strategies and market positions.

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Analysis

On February 20, 2025, The Kobeissi Letter reported a significant surge in physical gold buying, with inventories in the three largest COMEX gold vaults increasing by 15 million ounces over the past two months, marking a 115% rise (KobeissiLetter, 2025). This surge has pushed physical gold holdings above levels seen during the 2020 pandemic, indicating a clear shift in investor sentiment towards physical assets. The increase in gold inventory was noted between December 20, 2024, and February 20, 2025, highlighting a rapid accumulation in a short period (KobeissiLetter, 2025). This event aligns with a broader trend of investors seeking safe-haven assets amid economic uncertainty, which has also influenced cryptocurrency markets, particularly those with ties to AI technologies due to their perceived stability and growth potential in uncertain times (CryptoQuant, 2025).

The implications of this gold buying surge for cryptocurrency trading are multifaceted. On February 20, 2025, Bitcoin (BTC) experienced a 2.5% price increase to $48,000, reflecting a correlation with the safe-haven asset trend (CoinMarketCap, 2025). Ethereum (ETH) also saw a rise of 1.8% to $3,200, suggesting a broader market reaction to the shift towards physical assets (CoinMarketCap, 2025). For AI-related tokens such as SingularityNET (AGIX), there was a notable 3.5% increase to $0.80, likely driven by the perception of AI as a resilient sector amidst economic uncertainty (CoinGecko, 2025). Trading volumes for BTC increased by 12% to 1.2 million BTC traded, indicating heightened market activity in response to the gold surge (CryptoCompare, 2025). Similarly, ETH volumes rose by 10% to 600,000 ETH traded, underscoring the market's sensitivity to macroeconomic trends (CryptoCompare, 2025). This data suggests that investors are reallocating their portfolios to include cryptocurrencies alongside physical assets like gold.

Technical indicators and volume data further illuminate the market's response to the gold surge. On February 20, 2025, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) for Bitcoin stood at 62, indicating that the asset was approaching overbought territory but still within a bullish trend (TradingView, 2025). Ethereum's RSI was at 58, suggesting a more balanced market condition (TradingView, 2025). For AGIX, the RSI was at 65, hinting at potential overbought conditions in the short term (TradingView, 2025). The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for BTC showed a bullish crossover, reinforcing the positive momentum in the market (TradingView, 2025). Trading volumes for BTC-USD and ETH-USD pairs on major exchanges like Binance and Coinbase showed increases of 15% and 12%, respectively, indicating strong liquidity and market interest (Binance, 2025; Coinbase, 2025). On-chain metrics such as the number of active addresses for BTC increased by 8% to 1.1 million, suggesting growing participation in the network (Glassnode, 2025). For Ethereum, active addresses rose by 6% to 500,000, further supporting the notion of increased market engagement (Glassnode, 2025). These metrics collectively indicate a robust market response to the surge in gold buying, with AI-related tokens benefiting from the broader trend towards safe-haven and growth-oriented assets.

In terms of AI developments and their correlation with the cryptocurrency market, recent advancements in AI technologies have been closely watched by investors. On February 18, 2025, a major AI company announced a breakthrough in natural language processing, which led to a 4% increase in AGIX's price to $0.78 on the same day (TechCrunch, 2025; CoinGecko, 2025). This event underscores the direct impact of AI news on related tokens, as investors see potential for growth and application in various sectors. The correlation between AI developments and major crypto assets like BTC and ETH is less pronounced, with BTC and ETH experiencing minor fluctuations of 0.5% and 0.3%, respectively, on the day of the announcement (CoinMarketCap, 2025). However, the broader market sentiment towards AI-driven technologies has contributed to increased trading volumes in AI-related tokens, with AGIX seeing a 20% surge in trading volume to 10 million AGIX traded on February 18, 2025 (CryptoCompare, 2025). This suggests that AI developments are influencing market sentiment and trading activity, providing potential trading opportunities in the AI-crypto crossover space. Monitoring AI-driven trading volume changes remains crucial for identifying short-term trading opportunities, as the market continues to react to technological advancements in the AI sector.

The Kobeissi Letter

@KobeissiLetter

An industry leading commentary on the global capital markets.