Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the complexities of gold price fluctuations and emphasizes understanding its four core attributes: commodity, monetary, financial, and hedging properties, to clarify the underlying logic of its price movements [3][4]. Group 1: Gold's Four Core Attributes - **Commodity Property**: Gold prices are primarily determined by supply and demand dynamics, with demand influenced by economic cycles and market expectations. The main contributors to gold demand are jewelry, investment, and central bank purchases, while industrial demand is relatively low [5]. - **Monetary Property**: Gold is considered "hard currency" due to its scarcity, durability, and universal acceptance, serving as an effective store of value. Its price is closely linked to the US dollar index, typically decreasing when the dollar strengthens and increasing when the dollar weakens [6][9]. - **Financial Property**: Gold's investment value is shaped by real interest rates, expected inflation rates, and market liquidity. Lower real interest rates increase gold's attractiveness as a non-yielding asset, especially during periods of low interest rates or rate cuts by central banks [14][15]. - **Hedging Property**: Gold performs well in risk scenarios where market pessimism rises, making it a preferred asset over riskier investments. Historical events show that gold prices tend to rise during crises, highlighting its unique characteristics as a safe-haven asset [17][18]. Group 2: Historical Review of Gold Price Movements - Historical analysis indicates that significant price movements in gold are closely related to Federal Reserve policies, inflation changes, and central bank behaviors. Major price increases are driven by structural trends like de-dollarization and central bank diversification, alongside cyclical factors such as inflation and risk aversion [21][22]. - Price declines are often triggered by tightening monetary policies, rapid inflation declines, or central bank sell-offs. For instance, the period from 1983 to 1985 saw a drop of over 40% due to US economic recovery and interest rate hikes [23][24]. - The article highlights that current global challenges, including debt expansion and economic slowdown, have accentuated gold's monetary and hedging properties, leading to recent price surges. Notably, Ray Dalio views gold as a hedge against unsustainable debt levels, suggesting a reasonable allocation of 10% to 15% in investment portfolios [25].