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Dovish Minutes Increase the Appeal of Bullion
Dovish Minutes Increase the Appeal of Bullion
Uncertainty boosts safe haven demand for bullion.
Third consecutive week of inflows for long silver ETPs.
Largest cumulative rig count drop for twenty years drives inflows into crude.
ETFS Daily Short Natural Gas (SNGA) receives US$9.6mn, the largest inflow since 2011.
Investors increased precious metal exposure last week as Greek debt negotiations and US monetary policy minutes prompted some investor caution. Despite the agreement to extend the Greek bailout last Friday, some details remain unknown. Lack of clarity over the conditions could give cause for investors to remain cautious. Fed Chair Yellen’s testimony to congress will be watched closely this week for any further hints as to the pace of policy normalisation and could therefore be a key influence on the gold price. Crude inflows continued to be strong following a sustained fall in oil rigs, however with US oil stocks building to a record level, gains may be limited.
Uncertainty boosts safe haven demand for bullion. Long physical gold ETPs witnessed US$136.9mn of inflows despite a decline in the price of the underlying. Demand for gold exposure appeared to be stimulated by dovish minutes from the latest Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting minutes as officials displayed concerns that a premature rate hike could harm the US labour market recovery in the context of weakness in international markets. Additionally, uncertainty in Europe surrounding the outcome of Greek debt negotiations has helped to buoy gold ETP demand.
Third consecutive week of inflows for long silver ETPs. US$5.8mn flowed into long silver ETPs this week as investors see silver as a means of gaining leveraged exposure to gold. Silver’s correlation to gold remains elevated and it therefore has benefited from ambiguity surrounding the pace of policy normalisation in the US and potential economic impact of a Greek exit from the Eurozone.
Largest cumulative rig count drop for twenty years drives inflows into crude. Long WTI ETPs attracted US$57.6mn of inflows as the Baker Hughes oil rig count fell for the 11th consecutive week representing a 31% decline. This fall has been composed primarily of horizontal oil rigs, leading investors to believe that tightening supply fundamentals as shale producers curtail output, will boost the US crude benchmark. However, this week oil prices have been volatile as prices oscillated intra week, as bearish US crude inventory data contrasted with bullish sentiment.
ETFS Daily Short Natural Gas (SNGA) receives US$9.6mn, the largest inflow since 2011. The natural gas price rallied during the week as heating demand was lifted by colder than average weather in the gas hungry Northeast. Speculation that a bearish inventory report would prompt a turnaround encouraged inflows into SNGA. While natural gas prices have fallen considerably over the last three months as mild temperatures in the US in December and strong shale gas output has left the market well supplied, recent extremely cold weather in parts of the US has resulted in strong gains.
Key events to watch this week. This week investors will closely monitor any revisions made to Q4 GDP data from the US and UK, as both are viewed as the engines driving global economic growth. In addition, investors will be awaiting the reaction of Euro group members to the list of proposed reforms that Greece hopes to undertake in order to secure a four month extension to its bailout. Finally, monetary policy remains in the spotlight as Yellen delivers her semi-annual monetary policy testimony to congress.
Video Presentation
Josh Tiwana, Research Analyst at ETF Securities provides an analysis of last week’s performance, flow and trading activity in commodity exchange traded products and a look at the week ahead.
Important Information
This communication has been provided by ETF Securities (UK) Limited (”ETFS UK”) which is authorised and regulated by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority.
2024 was a landmark year for bitcoin, solidifying its role as a fully institutionalised asset class.
Institutional inflows into physical bitcoin exchange-traded products (ETPs) reached nearly $35 billion globally, signalling a major shift in how traditional investors view crypto. As bitcoin continued to enhance portfolios’ risk-return profiles, more institutional investors followed suit, reshaping the financial landscape.
Looking ahead, 2025 promises to bring exciting developments across the crypto ecosystem. Here are the top five crypto trends to watch.
Fear of being left behind
The era of bitcoin as a niche investment is over. Institutional adoption is creating a ripple effect, forcing hesitant players to reconsider. Portfolios with bitcoin allocations are consistently outperforming those without, highlighting its growing importance.
Figure 1: Bitcoin in a multi-asset portfolio
| 60/40 Global Portfolio | 1% Bitcoin Portfolio | 3% Bitcoin Portfolio | 5% Bitcoin Portfolio | 10% Bitcoin Portfolio | MSCI AC World | Bloomberg Multiverse | Bitcoin | |
| Annualised Return | 5.77% | 6.46% | 7.83% | 9.20% | 12.57% | 9.07% | 0.56% | 56.24% |
| Volatility | 8.79% | 8.86% | 9.14% | 9.62% | 11.42% | 13.94% | 5.05% | 67.28% |
| Sharpe Ratio | 0.48 | 0.55 | 0.68 | 0.79 | 0.96 | 0.54 | -0.20 | 0.81 |
| Information Ratio | 1.01 | 1.01 | 1.01 | 1.00 | ||||
| Beta | 70% | 71% | 73% | 75% | 81% | 100% | 24% | 181% |
Source: Bloomberg, WisdomTree. From 31 December 2013 to 30 November 2024. In USD. Based on daily returns. The 60/40 Global Portfolio is composed of 60% MSCI All Country World and 40% Bloomberg Multiverse. You cannot invest directly in an index. Historical performance is not an indication of future performance and any investment may go down in value.
With bitcoin’s ability to noticeably improve portfolios’ risk-return profiles, asset managers face a clear choice: integrate bitcoin into multi-asset portfolios or risk falling behind in a rapidly evolving financial landscape. In 2025, expect the competition to heat up as clients demand exposure to this powerhouse cryptocurrency.
Expanding crypto investment options
In 2024, regulatory breakthroughs opened the doors for physical bitcoin and ether ETPs in key developed markets. This marked a critical step towards making cryptocurrencies mainstream, providing seamless access to institutional and retail investors alike.
Figure 2: Global physical crypto ETP assets under management (AUM) and 2024 net flows
Source: Bloomberg, WisdomTree. 02 January 2025. Historical performance is not an indication of future performance and any investment may go down in value.
In 2025, this momentum is expected to accelerate as the crypto regulatory environment becomes more friendly in the United States and as key developed markets follow Europe’s lead and approve ETPs for altcoins such as Solana and XRP. With their clear utility and growing adoption, these altcoins are strong candidates for institutional investment vehicles.
This next wave of altcoin ETPs will expand the diversity of crypto investment opportunities and further integrate cryptocurrencies into the global financial system.
The maturing of Ethereum’s layer-2 ecosystem
Ethereum’s role as the backbone of decentralised finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and Web3 is unmatched, but its scalability challenges remain a hurdle. Layer-2 solutions—technologies such as Arbitrum and Optimism—are transforming Ethereum’s scalability and usability by enabling faster, cheaper transactions.
In 2025, Ethereum’s recent upgrades, such as Proto-Danksharding (introduced in the ‘Dencun’ upgrade), will drive layer-2 adoption even further. Innovations like Visa’s layer-2 payment platform leveraging Ethereum for instant cross-border transactions will underscore the platform’s evolution.
Expect Ethereum’s layer-2 ecosystem to power real-world use cases ranging from tokenized assets to decentralised gaming, positioning it as the infrastructure of a truly scalable digital economy.
Stablecoins: bridging finance and blockchain
Stablecoins are becoming indispensable to the global financial system, offering the stability of traditional assets with the efficiency of blockchain. Platforms such as Ethereum dominate the stablecoin landscape, hosting stablecoin giants Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC), which facilitate billions in daily transactions.
Figure 3: Key stablecoin chains
Source: Artemis Terminal, WisdomTree. 05 January 2025. Historical performance is not an indication of future performance and any investment may go down in value.
As we move into 2025, stablecoins will increasingly interact with blockchain ecosystems such as Solana and XRP. Solana’s high-speed, low-cost infrastructure makes it ideal for stablecoin payments and remittances, while XRP Ledger’s focus on cross-border efficiency positions it as a leader in global settlements. With institutional adoption rising and DeFi applications booming, stablecoins will serve as the backbone of a seamless, interconnected financial ecosystem.
Tokenization: redefining ownership and revolutionising finance
Tokenization is set to redefine how we think about ownership and value. By converting tangible assets like real estate, commodities, stocks, and art into digital tokens, tokenization breaks down barriers to entry and creates unprecedented liquidity.
In 2025, tokenization will expand dramatically, empowering investors to own fractions of high-value assets. Platforms such as Paxos Gold and AspenCoin are already showcasing how tokenization can revolutionize markets for gold and luxury real estate. The integration of tokenized assets into DeFi will unlock new financial opportunities, such as using tokenized real estate as collateral for loans. As tokenization matures, it will transform industries ranging from private equity to venture capital, creating a more inclusive and efficient financial system.
For the avoidance of any doubt, tokenization complements crypto by expanding the use cases of blockchain to include real-world applications.
Looking ahead
2025 is set to be a defining year for crypto, as innovation, regulation, and adoption converge. Whether it is bitcoin cementing its position as a portfolio staple, Ethereum scaling for mainstream use, or tokenization unlocking liquidity in untapped markets, the crypto ecosystem is poised for explosive growth. For investors and institutions alike, the opportunities have never been clearer or more compelling.
This material is prepared by WisdomTree and its affiliates and is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. The opinions expressed are as of the date of production and may change as subsequent conditions vary. The information and opinions contained in this material are derived from proprietary and non-proprietary sources. As such, no warranty of accuracy or reliability is given and no responsibility arising in any other way for errors and omissions (including responsibility to any person by reason of negligence) is accepted by WisdomTree, nor any affiliate, nor any of their officers, employees or agents. Reliance upon information in this material is at the sole discretion of the reader. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.
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