Oil & gasoline

Gold Surges 1.9% as Maduro Capture Sparks Safe-Haven Rally

Is Venezuela's resource wealth a strategic goldmine for America, or an economically negligible distraction?

Published JAN 5

Gold Surges 1.9% as Maduro Capture Sparks Safe-Haven Rally

Story

Above: A staff member arranges gold necklaces at a gold store in Hangzhou, on Dec. 30, 2025. Image credit: Long Wei/VCG/Getty Images

The Facts

The spot price of gold climbed approximately 1.9% to around $4,411 per ounce on Monday following the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, with events in Venezuela allegedly reigniting safe-haven demand, as investors sought protection against geopolitical risks.
Bangkok Post
ABC News
Geopolitical tensions, interest rate cuts, central bank purchases and exchange-traded fund inflows contributed to gold's 64% gains in 2025, its largest annual increase since 1979. Gold reached a record high of $4,549.71 per ounce on Dec. 26, 2025.
The Standard
The Hindu
Spot silver added approximately 4.4% to reach $75.82 per ounce on Monday after hitting an all-time high of $83.62 on Dec. 29. Silver ended 2025 with a 147% surge, marking its best year on record and significantly outpacing gold's performance.
Hürriyet Daily News
CNBC
More broadly, the FTSE-100 index topped the 10,000-mark on Monday, after hitting it briefly on the Friday before. Defense stocks like BAE Systems and Thales rose over 4%, while aerospace firm Leonardo was up 6%.
Guardian
proactiveinvestors.co.uk
Brent crude slid 1.7%, reportedly following President Donald Trump's statement that firms would “spend billions of dollars” on oil from Venezuela, which has the world’s largest proven reserves.
The Star
The Telegraph
While Trump has demanded “total access” to Venezuela oil reserves, its neglected infrastructure and years of underinvestment have reportedly resulted in the country accounting for roughly only 1% of global oil supply today.
The Wall Street Journal
News.az

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

Venezuela's massive resource wealth — 303 billion barrels of oil worth $17.3 trillion, 161 metric tons of gold reserves valued over $22 billion, and vast natural gas and mineral deposits — represents a huge opportunity. U.S. oil firms stand ready to invest billions to restore Venezuela's broken infrastructure and unlock these resources. Their control would generate billions in income and significantly strengthen U.S. strategic position in global commodity markets.

Standard HK

Narrative B

Venezuela's economic impact on global markets is negligible, with its GDP collapsed from $350 billion to just $80 billion — a drop in the bucket of the $116 trillion world economy. Current Venezuelan oil production of 950,000 barrels per day is immaterial in a global market producing 103 million barrels daily, and most refineries can't even process Venezuela's heavy crude. The recent gold price movements reflect broader safe-haven buying patterns, not Venezuela-specific factors.