The Gold Crunch of 2025: Why You May Never Hold a Gold Coin Again (Unless You Act Fast)

I recently had lunch with my brother and uncle. It’s been a while since we’ve met face-to-face because we usually just text each other.

But my uncle wanted to meet in person to pick my brain on the markets. He’s ex-NSA. He’s pretty sharp. 

But when it came to navigating the current chaos in the market, he turned to me. I turn to him for geopolitical insights.

Inevitably, our conversation turned to gold and what gold is telling us. It’s not good.

I don’t know if he owns physical gold or silver. I do. And have for a very long time. I also own gold ETFs and gold and silver mining stocks.

Toward the end of our lunch, I told him one of my life philosophies I strictly follow: The time to prepare for war is during a time of peace. Ergo, the time to prepare for financial chaos is during times of financial stability and euphoria. 

Buy gold or add to your current holdings when it’s an afterthought to the masses. 

For years now, we’ve been telling anyone who would listen to buy gold. So has William Devane!!

And now our prudent actions seem Nostradamus-like.

And it’s about to get tricky if you haven't been buying gold.

You see, in the shadow of geopolitical upheaval, soaring global debt, and a trust crisis in fiat currencies, something historic is happening behind the scenes — central banks around the world are quietly hoarding gold at a pace not seen since the end of the Bretton Woods system in the 1970s.

And unless you're paying close attention, you’ll miss what could be the biggest wealth migration of the decade.

A Global Gold Buying Binge — Led by the East

Since 2018, central banks have been net buyers of gold, but since 2022, they’ve shifted into overdrive. In fact, global central bank gold buying hit an all-time record in 2022 and remained historically elevated through 2023 and 2024. The biggest player? China.

The People's Bank of China (PBOC) has been purchasing gold every single month for over a year, adding over 300 metric tons in 2023 alone — and that’s just what’s been officially reported. Many analysts believe the real figure is much higher, as China is known to route some of its buying through sovereign wealth entities or state-controlled banks to keep official numbers understated.

They’re not alone. Countries like India, Turkey, Singapore, and Kazakhstan have joined the gold rush. Russia, long a gold accumulator, continues building its gold stockpile as a hedge against Western sanctions and U.S. dollar risk.

Meanwhile, U.S. and European ETFs, sovereign wealth funds, and mega-rich family offices are also quietly soaking up bullion — faster than it can be replaced.

Above-Ground Gold Supply Is Drying Up

Here’s the hard truth: The amount of freely available above-ground gold is collapsing.

It’s estimated that of the roughly 205,000 metric tons of gold ever mined, over 60% is held by governments, central banks, or long-term institutional vaults, or is locked in jewelry that rarely comes back to market. The actual float of gold available for new retail and institutional investment is shrinking every day.

The World Gold Council recently reported that global gold mine production is plateauing, barely growing at 1%–2% annually, even as demand surges. Combine that with higher costs of extraction, lower ore grades, and environmental and permitting barriers — and the gold supply curve is starting to look dangerously inelastic.

Meanwhile, mints are warning of product delays. Bullion dealers are quietly raising premiums on coins and bars. ETFs like GLD have seen drawdowns from their vaults even as demand spikes. It’s the classic sign of a market in crunch mode.

Retail Investors Are Still Asleep — for Now

Despite gold prices testing all-time highs, retail gold participation remains surprisingly low.

Here’s a recent survey by the investment group AAII:

It’s been my experience that when mom-and-pop retail investors wake up to gold, the price move is shocking. We saw this during the gold bull market between 2001 and 2011.

The smart money was buying gold and silver in the early years. The average Joe was buying it in 2009!!

Most average investors are still stuck in the 60/40 stocks-and-bonds matrix. Crypto has lured away the speculative crowd. Real estate is illiquid. Tech stocks dominate headlines. Gold is the quiet, forgotten corner of the portfolio — until it isn't.

All it takes is one spark: another bank failure, a hot inflation report, a war in the South China Sea, or a sovereign debt crisis. Once retail money starts chasing gold, there simply won’t be enough physical gold to go around.

That’s when the market becomes disorderly. Premiums explode. Delivery times stretch into months. Spot price becomes meaningless — because you can’t buy the real thing at that price anymore.

And that’s when the world will start looking for alternatives.

Enter NatGold: The Next Generation of Gold Ownership

If above-ground gold is vanishing into vaults, what’s left?

Below-ground gold.

That’s where NatGold comes in — a revolutionary new token backed by verified, unmined gold reserves.

Every NatGold token represents a claim on actual, geological gold that has been independently verified and proven to exist, but has not yet been extracted. This is gold that doesn’t rely on minting, refining, or shipping. It doesn’t require you to wait three weeks for a coin dealer to send you a scratched Krugerrand with a $250 markup.

It’s real gold ownership, but reimagined for the digital age — and potentially far more profitable.

Because here’s the kicker: As above-ground supply dries up and demand soars, the market will increasingly assign real-world value to in-ground assets. Just like oil companies with proven but untapped reserves are valued based on what's underground, NatGold brings that model to the gold market.

This isn’t speculation. It’s happening already:

• Major mining companies like Newmont and Barrick trade at premiums not just based on ounces they produce, but ounces they control.
  
  
• Junior miners sitting on large undeveloped gold projects are becoming acquisition targets overnight.
  
  
• Institutional capital is waking up to the fact that the gold of the future may not be in your hand — but in the ground.

The Inevitable Price Explosion

Think of it like this: If gold demand doubles and mine supply stays flat, the only pressure release valve is price.

And if central banks keep absorbing available float, while ETFs and tokenized gold options like NatGold grow in popularity, the retail investor is going to wake up to a $3,000… then $5,000… and possibly even $10,000 per ounce reality.

It’s already started.

• The Shanghai Gold Exchange is reporting record-high premiums on gold imports.
  
  
• U.S. coin sales have tripled year over year.
  
  
• Premiums on physical gold are widening across major dealers.
  
  

We’re witnessing the beginning of a generational shift in how the world views — and values — gold.

Final Thought: When Gold Is Unavailable, NatGold Will Be the On-Ramp

By the time most people decide to buy gold, they won’t be able to.

The physical market is being suffocated by sovereign accumulation. Supply is flatlining. The float is vanishing. Retail investors are still asleep — but once they wake up, it’s too late.

That’s why NatGold isn’t just an investment. It’s an escape hatch. A bridge to gold ownership when all other bridges are burned.

And for early adopters, the rewards could be extraordinary.

In the coming weeks, Wealth Daily will offer our members a way to “pre-order” NatGold tokens before they hit the market.

This will be the first time in history, you can own real, certified gold that’s still in the ground — long before Wall Street gets a whiff of it.

NatGold is a revolutionary new asset: a token backed by audited, unmined gold reserves that may never be extracted… but are 100% real and fully documented.

NatGold will be offering a limited pre-order exclusively through Wealth Daily, giving early investors the chance to lock in priority pricing before the token goes live.

No mining risk. No storage costs. No Wall Street middlemen. Just pure, untouched gold — tokenized and ready for the new era.

Reserve your spot for NatGold tokens now — before the fat cats catch on.

The Prophet of Profit,