Gold and Bitcoin go through the roof as U.S. shutdown forces investors to trade in the dark

Core Insights - There is a 67% chance that the U.S. federal government shutdown will last longer than 10 days, impacting stock traders significantly [1] - The U.S. departments of labor and commerce will not publish key economic data until the shutdown ends, affecting at least 12 data releases through October 16 [2] - Investors are adopting a mixed approach, being both risk-on and risk-off due to the lack of official data [2] Market Performance - S&P 500 futures were up 0.33% in premarket trading, following a record close of 6,715.79 [3][8] - Gold futures are expected to surpass $4,000 per troy ounce, with a year-to-date increase of 50% [4] - Bitcoin has risen to over $125,000 per coin, nearing its all-time high, and is being viewed as a "safe" alternative to stocks [5] Investor Behavior - Investors are concerned about high government debt levels in the U.S., Japan, and Europe, leading them to seek assets less affected by currency depreciation [5] - Momentum trading is driving the surge in gold prices, with investors participating due to fear of missing out (FOMO) [6]