It's difficult to think of another time in the last 30 years when the world has felt quite as perilous
as it does right now.
There's war in Europe,
the Middle East risks sliding into a full-scale regional conflict, and at the same time,
the US is in the middle of what is possibly the most bitter and consequential election campaign for a generation.
All of that... has been great for one asset class in particular.
Gold, it's up again this morning.
It's another all-time high.
It's a five-day winning streak, gained so far this year of more than 30%.
The precious metal is now selling for $2,700 per troy ounce, a record high.
And the buzz has reached some unusual places.
There's a gold rush at Costco.
Along with jumbo packs of paper towels and giant piles of pants,
the superstore actually sells one ounce gold ingots like this one.
But it's not just Costco shoppers stocking up on gold bars.
The world's central banks are also filling their vaults, and with good reason.
Because buyers aren't just picking up gold in the hope of hedging against inflation.
It's also a very effective way for central banks to shield their assets from Western sanctions,
and dangerous-looking geopolitics.
So how long might this gold rush continue?