The price of gold increased Monday morning as people all over the world reacted to the news that the United States had seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. When major, unexpected events occur between countries, many people invest in gold because they view it as a “haven,” helping keep their savings secure during uncertain times.
Precious Metals on the Rise
In the early hours of trading across Asia, the price of gold jumped about 1.8% to above $4,400 an ounce. Silver increased even more, climbing nearly 3.5%.
And it’s not the first time we’ve seen these metals at such elevated levels. Gold and silver set multiple records throughout 2025. Indeed, gold had its best annual performance since 1979, rising more than 60 per cent. Investors have been accumulating gold as they bet that interest rates will stay low, and amid concerns about global tensions.
The “Oil Prize” in Venezuela
Oil was more of a “roller coaster,” though, rising and falling as people tried to guess what would become of the world’s fuel supply. Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world, more than Saudi Arabia. The United States, President Donald Trump has vowed, will “run the country” for a brief period before bringing in big American oil companies to repair the damaged pipes and pumps. He also hopes that, over time, this will result in more oil being sold to other nations.
But this is unlikely to lower gas prices for everyday people any time soon, experts say. Venezuela’s oil sector has been deteriorating for more than two decades. Before the country can produce large amounts of oil again, it would probably take billions of dollars and many years to rebuild everything. Today, Venezuela’s oil output accounts for just 1% of the world’s supply.
Why the Stock Market Keeps Going Up
It’s surprising that, with everything happening in Venezuela, stock markets, from Japan to South Korea, actually rose on Monday.
• In Japan, the Nikkei 225 was up by 2.6%.
• The Kospi in South Korea also posted strong gains.
This, experts said, was because investors believe the “fallout” from Venezuela is distant and won’t harm major global companies. Instead, they’re focusing on the ongoing “AI boom” (Artificial Intelligence) that began in the U.S. last week. Evidently, as long as tech companies perform well, the stock market seems content to overlook political troubles in South America.
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