Gold Crushed the S&P 500: 25-Year Data Reveals the Shocking Winner
Forget the stock tickers. Over a quarter-century, the real heavyweight champion wasn't a tech giant or a blue-chip fund—it was the ancient metal sitting in vaults.
The Golden Gloves Are On
The numbers don't lie. While Wall Street celebrated bull runs and weathered crashes, gold quietly stacked gains, outperforming the benchmark S&P 500 index across a full 25-year span. This isn't a short-term blip or a crisis-driven spike; it's a long-term trend that flips the conventional investment script on its head.
A Hedge That Actually Hedged
Gold's role as a portfolio diversifier and inflation hedge is textbook finance. But this data shows it did more than just provide safety—it delivered superior returns. While equities zigged and zagged with earnings cycles and Fed announcements, gold offered a steadier, often more lucrative, path. It turns out 'barbarous relic' can throw a mean punch.
What's an Investor to Do?
This isn't a call to liquidate your 401(k) for bullion. Modern portfolios thrive on diversification. But it is a stark reminder that the 'set it and forget it' S&P 500 strategy has a serious, shiny competitor in the long-game arena. Maybe those finance bros obsessed with the latest IPO should spend less time on their Bloomberg terminals and more time studying... history. The data's in: sometimes the oldest assets write the newest rules.
Gold Has Been Outperforming the US500 for Years
As pointed out by Rashad Hajiyev, a leading metals expert, gold has been seriously outperforming the S&P 500 for 25 years. The asset has been slowly gaining traction under the radar, delivering steady gains as compared to the S&P500.
Statistically, Hajiyev shared how gold has increased nearly 17-fold over the last 25 years, while the S&P 500 has risen a little less than 5 times.
Gold price increased 17 fold over the past 25 years (since 2001). During the same period S&P500 increased a little less than 5 times. Gold definitely beat US500… pic.twitter.com/AoPghtubfP
— Rashad Hajiyev (@hajiyev_rashad) January 4, 2026With the new geopolitical tensions taking over as the US-Venezuela matter heats up, gold is expected to rise again, as investors seek safety amid chaos.
I think we are going to see further development of geopolitical events in 2026 along with a reset of a global financial system triggering gold and silver repricing. It worth noting that the USA has the largest gold reserves in the world…
— Rashad Hajiyev (@hajiyev_rashad) January 4, 2026Gold’s Next Price Targets
As per Hajiyev, gold is now trying to climb the high radar, aiming to breach the $5K mark in the NEAR future.
Gold to silver ratio (GTS) broke 11-year support in December 2025. Broken support should act as a resistance. Upon successful retest, I expect GTS to head back lower lows of 40 and then lows of 30.
Even with $5k gold and GTS 40 – 44, silver should be trading around $115 – 120… pic.twitter.com/zGgPN9PtZt
