Gold’s Record-Breaking Rally Continues Unabated

The gold market is demonstrating remarkable strength in 2025, with prices surging past the significant $4,000 threshold and establishing fresh all-time highs during October. This sustained upward movement is being fueled by multiple factors including persistent central bank acquisitions, geopolitical tensions, inflation concerns, and renewed participation from Western investors through gold exchange-traded funds.

Recent performance data reveals substantial gains for gold investments. The VanEck Merk Gold Trust (OUNZ) has delivered robust returns, climbing 17.71% over the past three months and achieving an impressive 50.94% increase since the beginning of the year. The fund experienced only a minor setback during the previous week with a slight correction of -0.16%. Trading activity in North American gold ETFs has surged dramatically, with third-quarter daily volume exploding by 109% to average $5 billion.

Unique Physical Gold Accessibility

What distinguishes the VanEck Merk Gold Trust from competitors is its commitment to complete physical gold backing through London Bars. The trust offers a distinctive feature allowing investors to exchange their shares for actual physical gold, with this transaction remaining tax-free at the time of delivery. As of November 7, 2025, the fund maintained holdings of 570,572 ounces of gold, supported by total assets under management of $2.28 billion. Investors pay an expense ratio of 0.25% for these services.

Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying VanEck Merk Gold Trust?

Competitive Landscape Analysis

Within the competitive physical gold ETF marketplace, OUNZ contends with industry giants including SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) and iShares Gold Trust (IAU). While all three products track the same underlying index and maintain physical gold reserves, OUNZ establishes its competitive advantage through its unique physical delivery option while maintaining cost efficiency.

Market participants seeking to understand how physical gold and gold mining equities can serve as protective assets against inflation and economic uncertainty can access complimentary educational resources, including specialized gold reports that explore these strategic approaches to wealth preservation.