Gold is projected to surpass $3,000 per ounce in 2025, driven by strong macroeconomic and geopolitical factors.

At the heart of gold's potential surge is the current macroeconomic landscape that’s characterized by persistent inflation and anticipated monetary policy shifts. Inflation rates in the U.S. are expected to remain above the Federal Reserve's target of 2%, creating an environment in which gold is expected to serve as a crucial hedge against currency devaluation. When inflation erodes purchasing power, investors often turn to gold to preserve their wealth.

Moreover, the Federal Reserve has signaled a shift toward monetary easing, with market expectations indicating potential interest rate cuts in the coming months. Lower interest rates decrease the opportunity cost of holding gold, making it a more attractive investment as compared to interest-bearing assets, such as bonds and savings accounts. With real interest rates projected to remain low or even go negative, gold could experience renewed demand as a safe store of value.

Geopolitical tensions further bolster gold’s appeal. Ongoing conflicts, particularly the strained U.S.-China relationship and the Russia-Ukraine war, create an atmosphere of uncertainty that drives investors toward safe-haven assets. During times of geopolitical instability, gold has historically seen increased demand as investors seek to mitigate risks associated with market volatility.

As global tensions escalate, the demand for gold is likely to rise, reinforcing its status as a reliable hedge against financial instability. Investors tend to flock to gold during crises, viewing it as a secure asset that retains its intrinsic value, especially when other markets are under pressure.

Another significant factor contributing to the bullish outlook for gold is the unprecedented demand from central banks around the world. In 2024, central banks collectively purchased over 1,000 metric tons of gold, marking one of the highest levels of accumulation in recent history. This trend is expected to continue into 2025, particularly among countries like China and Russia that are actively reducing their reliance on U.S. dollar reserves as part of a broader de-dollarization strategy.

This central bank buying provides a strong structural support for gold prices, minimizing downside risks. As these institutions accumulate more gold, the resulting scarcity in the market could lead to higher prices. The growing demand from central banks underscores the renewed confidence in gold as a strategic reserve asset, especially amidst economic volatility and geopolitical tensions.

From a technical perspective, gold is currently in a robust uptrend, trading above key moving averages and nearing critical resistance levels. If gold successfully breaks through the psychological barrier of $3,000 per ounce, momentum could carry it toward higher price targets, potentially reaching $3,200 or even $3,500. 

, such as relative strength index (RSI) and moving average convergence divergence (MACD), suggest that gold remains in a bullish phase, indicating further upside potential.

As gold approaches these key resistance points, technical traders will closely monitor its price movements. A successful breach of the $3,000 level could trigger momentum buying, propelling prices higher as investor confidence grows.

Finally, rising investor sentiment plays a crucial role in gold’s potential price surge. Increased inflows into gold-backed 

 (ETFs), in addition to speculative positioning in futures markets, reflect strong confidence among both retail and institutional investors. As ETF holdings rise, it signals renewed interest in gold as a safe-haven investment.

This optimism is bolstered by a general shift in market sentiment as investors are increasingly turning to gold amid concerns over economic stability and inflation. The combination of robust technical indicators, macroeconomic pressures and favorable investor sentiment positions gold favorably for a significant price increase in 2025.

In summary, gold is well-positioned to reach $3,000 per ounce in 2025, driven by a combination of persistent inflation, geopolitical uncertainty, strong central bank demand and positive technical indicators. As investors seek refuge in safe-haven assets, gold’s intrinsic value and historical performance during times of crisis will make it an attractive option for preserving wealth. The confluence of these factors suggests that gold's upward trajectory could continue, making 2025 a pivotal year for this precious metal.

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Bybit Commodity Insight Report: Why Gold Is Poised to Reach $3,000 in 2025

Our weekly crypto derivatives analytics report delves into macro events, the current state of crypto and trading signals from spot trading volume, as well as futures, options and perpetual contracts.

Macro headwinds are impacting the crypto market, with a sell-off that began over the weekend deepening this week. BTC, ETH and most altcoins are declining alongside equities, gold and treasury yields, though derivatives markets are showing little bearish sentiment or increased volatility expectations. Among perpetuals, there are record consistent positive rates across most markets, indicating a reset in positioning. Meanwhile, ETH retains a volatility premium over BTC, but its term structure hasn’t inverted as sharply as in earlier sell-offs this month.

Please check out the report’s highlights.

Funding Rates Largely Positive Amid Sell-Off

Despite risk-off sentiment across asset classes this weekend and early this past week, USDT-denominated perpetual contracts have shown their most consistently positive funding rates within the past month. While these rates haven't reached the bullish levels of early December 2024, most have returned to a neutral level of 0.01%, signaling a reset in positioning due to recent market movements.

Tuesday's intensified risk-off sell-off led to a significant spike in BTC put trade volume as traders hedged against further declines. Unlike ETH, which leans bullish on calls, BTC's open interest is balanced between upside and downside protection. The volatility term structure is flat again, typical during sharp market moves, but this reflects a decline in longer-dated options, rather than a rise in short-term expectations.

As the sell-off in risk-on assets deepened this past week, ETH outperformed BTC. ETH derivatives markets are showing stronger sentiment, with higher call trade volumes indicating greater demand for upside positioning as compared to puts. However, ETH's volatility term structure has inverted more sharply than BTC's, as seen in previous significant market moves since last November (2024), with front-end volatility levels 15 points above those of BTC options with a similar tenor.

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Bybit X Block Scholes Crypto Derivatives Analytics Report (Feb 26, 2025): Reset in Sentiment Brewing as Fund Rates Turn Positive

Explore four essential tips to help you accumulate more points, optimize your strategy and claim the best rewards in EcoGalaxy: Mantle Surge.

With the rise of gamified crypto events, EcoGalaxy: Mantle Surge stands out as one of the most exciting opportunities for users to earn rewards while engaging with both Bybit and Mantle Network. This limited-time event offers participants a shot at a 1,000,000 MNT prize pool when they complete on-chain and trading-related tasks. 

To help you maximize your rewards and ensure you get the most out of this event, in this guide we’ll break down four essential tips to help you accumulate more points, optimize your strategy and claim the best rewards in EcoGalaxy: Mantle Surge.

EcoGalaxy: Mantle Surge is a limited-time campaign that rewards participants with a share of a 1,000,000 MNT prize pool when they complete both Bybit and on-chain tasks. Players earn "wishes" that can be used to enter Lucky Draws or climb the leaderboard for greater rewards.

This campaign, hosted by Bybit in collaboration with Mantle, blends gamification with 

 engagement, offering users multiple ways to win. Participants can choose to rely on chance via the Lucky Draw or strategically allocate their wishes to compete on the leaderboard. The event runs from Mar 6, 2025 to Mar 27, 2025, making it a limited-time opportunity to accumulate rewards while exploring the Mantle ecosystem.

4 Tips to Maximize Your Wishes and Rewards in EcoGalaxy: Mantle Surge

To make the most out of EcoGalaxy: Mantle Surge, you need to strategize your wish allocation, complete as many tasks as possible and take advantage of all available earning mechanisms. Here are four essential tips to maximize your rewards:

One of the best ways to earn high-value rewards in EcoGalaxy: Mantle Surge is by competing on the leaderboard. There are a total of five rounds, and the rewards are higher with each passing round. 

The more wishes you allocate toward leaderboard rankings, the higher your position and the larger your rewards. However, since the leaderboard is dynamic, your rank can change based on the activity of other participants.

Since leaderboard positions fluctuate, it’s recommended that you monitor your ranking regularly and adjust your strategy accordingly. Players who accumulate the most wishes by the end of each leaderboard round will receive the greatest rewards.

 that each round’s rewards and wishes are calculated independently, and any wishes spent in a round won’t carry over to the next round.

If you prefer an element of surprise, the Lucky Draw is your best bet. By spending wishes on Lucky Draw attempts, you earn the chance to win instant prizes. The Lucky Draw operates on a first-come, first-served basis, so the earlier you participate, the better your chances of securing top-tier rewards.

Since rewards are limited, it's advisable to use your wishes early before the top prizes run out.

An easy way to earn free points in this campaign is by holding Mantle (MNT) and/or Mantle Restaked ETH (cmETH) in your Bybit account. By simply keeping these assets in your wallet, you’ll receive additional wishes, increasing your chances of winning more rewards.

This passive method of earning wishes ensures that you accumulate extra points without actively completing tasks, making it one of the simplest ways to boost your rewards.

Another hidden gem for doubling your rewards in EcoGalaxy: Mantle Surge is through Layer 3. Participants who complete specific Layer 3 quests will receive extra bonuses, including double rewards on certain tasks.

By leveraging Layer 3 bonuses, you can significantly boost your total wish count, increasing your chances of securing leaderboard positions or hitting big wins in the Lucky Draw.

If you’re looking for a fun and rewarding way to engage with the Mantle ecosystem, EcoGalaxy: Mantle Surge is definitely an event worth joining. With 1,000,000 MNT up for grabs, both casual users and seasoned traders can benefit from this campaign.

The event's dual-reward system allows participants to tailor their strategy based on their preferences. Whether you enjoy the thrill of luck-based rewards or prefer the competitive edge of leaderboard climbing, this campaign offers something for everyone.

Additionally, holding MNT and cmETH provides passive earnings, while Layer 3 integration presents an opportunity for double rewards — making the experience even more lucrative for active participants.

EcoGalaxy: Mantle Surge is a limited-time, gamified rewards campaign that blends trading, staking and on-chain interactions. By completing tasks, holding Mantle assets and strategically using your wishes, you can maximize your rewards and secure your share of the 1,000,000 MNT prize pool.

This event runs from Mar 6, 2025 to 27, 2025, so now is the best time to get started. Are you ready to explore the Mantle ecosystem and claim your rewards? Join EcoGalaxy: Mantle Surge today!

Beginner

how to participate in ecogalaxy mantle surge

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Join Bybit’s AI-DOL SUPERSTAR Trading Battle, vote for top AI projects and compete for a share of a $1M prize pool. Earn rewards while shaping the future of AI in crypto.

The Bybit AI-DOL SUPERSTAR Trading Battle is an exciting and innovative trading and voting event that aims to identify and support high-potential AI projects within the cryptocurrency space.

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to revolutionize blockchain technology, this competition offers users a unique opportunity to engage with emerging AI-driven crypto projects while earning substantial rewards of up to $1 million.

 (AI) and cryptocurrency is reshaping blockchain and 

 — autonomous programs powered by machine learning — are revolutionizing the sector by automating trading strategies, optimizing portfolio management and executing on-chain decisions with minimal human input.

These intelligent agents analyze vast datasets, identify market trends and execute trades in real time, significantly enhancing efficiency and reducing risks in the volatile crypto market. Their role extends beyond trading, influencing DeFi protocols, NFT markets and blockchain governance.

Bybit is at the forefront of this AI-driven transformation, launching the 

 to spotlight high-potential AI projects. This event provides a launchpad for groundbreaking AI applications, connecting innovators with a global crypto audience.

What Is the Bybit AI-DOL SUPERSTAR Trading Battle?

Bybit is launching a unique AI trading event designed to highlight the most promising AI-driven crypto projects.

AI is revolutionizing crypto markets, with automated trading bots now executing over 60% of all crypto transactions. The integration of AI and blockchain is unlocking new trading strategies, DeFi innovations and web3 applications, making the AI sector one of the most promising in crypto.

Bybit’s AI-DOL SUPERSTAR Trading Battle bridges AI and blockchain, providing a global stage for emerging projects to gain exposure to a global audience. Participants play an active role in shaping the future of AI in crypto while earning rewards.

How to Participate in the AI-DOL SUPERSTAR Trading Battle

Campaign Period: Feb 28, 2025, 10AM UTC – Mar 27, 2025, 10AM UTC

Bybit users can support AI projects and earn rewards by participating in this AI-powered trading competition. Here's a step-by-step guide to joining:

Projects earn voting points from the following ways:

By actively trading and voting, participants not only have a chance to earn from the $1 million prize pool, but will also play a crucial role in shaping the future of AI in the crypto industry.

Bybit's AI-DOL SUPERSTAR Trading Battle offers an exciting $1 million prize pool, with multiple ways for participants to win rewards.

*Note that to win the prizes, there is a minimum number of voting points required. For example, to win the largest prize of $50,000, 600,000 voting points are required. Refer to the event page for more details. 

The breakdown of how votes are allocated for Bybit Spot is as follows:

The breakdown of how votes are allocated for Bybit Web3 is as follows:

The maximum number of daily votes that a user can receive is 100,400 (50,200 for Bybit Spot and Web3 respectively).

By trading, voting and engaging in the competition, participants not only support innovative AI projects but also receive a chance to maximize their earnings in this high-stakes trading battle.

Bybit's AI-DOL SUPERSTAR Trading Battle offers a distinctive platform that connects cryptocurrency traders with AI innovators. Participants are invited to support leading AI projects, earn attractive rewards and contribute to shaping the future of AI within the crypto ecosystem. 

 and be part of the AI-driven revolution on Bybit!

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How to Participate in Bybit’s AI-DOL SUPERSTAR Trading Battle

Bybit Learn

DeFi

Explainers

Altcoins

Ondo Finance is a blockchain finance system that provides users with tokenized versions of real-world assets. Learn more about how it works here.

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) has the potential to turn the real-world financial system on its head. By offering accessible finance products to everyone, 

 can make it much easier for people to get the services they need. One especially promising financial system to explore is Ondo Finance. Their blockchain finance tools offer users a variety of helpful features. To learn more about Ondo Finance's potential applications, read this helpful guide.

 is a blockchain finance system that provides users with tokenized versions of 

. Through Ondo’s decentralized finance system, investors can explore U.S.–based, institutional-grade securities.

, a Stanford University graduate with a focus on economics and business. Allman worked at several traditional finance companies, including Goldman Sachs and ChainStreet Capital. During his time working with hedge funds, Allman became interested in cryptocurrency.

He realized that there was a real need for innovation in the finance industry. Despite crypto being an extremely lucrative industry, many financial institutions were still stuck in the past. Allman founded Ondo as a way of bridging the gap between traditional financial markets and 

 finance. His goal intrigued many other people, and Ondo has managed to obtain 

 from partnerships with Pantera, Wintermute and Coinbase Ventures.

Ondo Finance hopes to build the next generation of financial infrastructure by taking the standard financial system and applying it to cutting-edge blockchain technology. By combining these two concepts, Ondo Finance aims to create a more efficient and accessible market.

Not only does Ondo want to offer U.S.–based securities outside of the United States — it also plans to make products that are even easier to work with than partnering with a standard hedge fund manager. Ondo Finance also intends to implement a decentralized structure that puts users in control, ensuring that decentralized autonomous organizations (

) provide a transparent look at its business operations.

The Ondo Finance system revolves around the idea of tokenized assets. It works with 

, whose traditional assets represent a lot of different securities ranging from government money market funds to high-yield corporate bonds.

Ondo Finance purchases stakes in these traditional assets and then uses its own blockchain system to represent fund stakes as tokens. Each token fluctuates in value based on the value of the real-world assets it represents. Users can buy and sell these tokenized real-world assets through Ondo to trade in U.S.–based securities, without needing to actually buy exchange-traded funds through a traditional hedge manager.

Ondo Finance's features are available in a few different tiers. Depending upon where you live and how much you want to pay, you can explore these various options.

The general-access products of Ondo Finance are the items anyone can explore without having to get heavily involved in other Ondo Finance services like lending protocols or short-term bonds.

USD Yield (USDY), a tokenized real-world asset secured by the U.S. Treasury securities, appeals to 

 holders but also offers some additional earning potential.

 of around 5% APY. In addition to the great interest rates, the USDY token also provides access to helpful investor protections that prevent the coin from losing its value. As long as you aren't in the U.S., you can purchase this coin without needing to sign up for the rest of Ondo Finance's management services.

Ondo Finance has some products that it only offers to qualifying users. These products are mostly available to institutional-grade investors looking for new ways of profiting from items such as short-term bonds.

This tokenized real-world asset provides exposure to money market funds. OMFF is a stablecoin that’s backed by government money market funds. However, since it's tokenized, it's transferable 24/7. OMMF tokens are based on the 

 network. Their main purpose is to be an accessible form of collateral.

 is based on a short-term U.S. Treasuries ETF. This institutional-grade investment is meant to be stable and predictable, and thus appeals to stablecoin holders. Because it includes so many exchange-traded funds managed by experts, it's also designed to be highly liquid. The OUSG fund that backs the OUSG token contains shares from the iShares Short Treasury Bond ETF, along with shares of USDC and real-world USD.

 offers lending protocols for users who need extra crypto assets. This decentralized lending protocol is backed by the OUSG government bond fund and other forms of stable collateral. Users deposit USDC and other stablecoins, and then receive fStables they can use for leveraged trading or other DeFi strategies. 

Interest rates for Flux vary based on market conditions.

The Ondo Token Bridge ensures that all the various tokens on Ondo Finance can easily get where they need to go. This multi-chain bridge lets users transfer their tokens between exchanges and blockchains while still maintaining security.

The Ondo Token Converter allows users to choose from multiple convenient methods of getting the money they earn from yield-bearing Ondo Finance tokens. It lets users deposit USDC to get USDY, and then as the yield accrues, they get more USDY tokens added to their wallet. You can also use the token converter to get tokens that increase in redemption value as you earn a yield.

Since its founding in 2021, Ondo Finance has already successfully released tokenized securities based on a U.S. Treasuries ETF and money market funds. There are also ongoing plans to add more public securities to the blockchain, such as a rebasing version of USDY, and to offer users even more tokenized access to traditional financial markets.

In addition to adding more features, such as the rebasing version of USDY, Ondo Finance hopes to further expand to create an Ondo Ecosystem that will include software development platforms, more DeFi protocols and a decentralized lending protocol.

 is improved adoption. Ondo plans to start marketing its system more extensively, creating more use cases for its tokens. Ultimately, its system hopes to attract more users and turn tokenized assets into one of the leading types of web3 investing.

ONDO offers many different tokens for investors to work with, but its native token, ONDO, is used primarily to vote in the Ondo DAO. A total supply of 10 billion ONDO tokens will be gradually unlocked throughout 2024.

Unlike many other tokens, ONDO doesn’t have a strict token distribution schedule. Instead, Ondo Finance plans on letting the Ondo DAO vote on different distribution schemes and be able to change distribution plans over time. 

 were allocated to investors, while distribution of the remainder will be left up to later Ondo DAO proposals.

ONDO was just released in mid-January of 2024, but its price is already climbing. As of late January 2024, the Ondo Finance token's price has been hovering between $0.20 and $0.30, with its market capitalization around $340 million. DigitalCoinPrice's data analysis 

 by the end of 2024 and $1.91 by 2030, and CoinMarketCap's market sentiment tracker reports an 

. Some enthusiasts posting on X (Twitter) even believe ONDO might hit $1 within the next few months.

However, other analysts have a less positive outlook. CoinEdition points out that token prices are heavily affected by investors selling off ONDO when their tokens unlock, and believes that ONDO 

 in the first quarter of 2024. As with many other new startups, there’s a chance ONDO may be overvalued and could soon face a price correction.

Looking to trade ONDO tokens? Bybit now offers the ONDO/USDT Spot trading pair. To get started with trading ONDO, you’ll need to first establish a Bybit account and fund it with cryptocurrency before navigating to the 

By bringing tokenized securities to blockchain, Ondo Finance has become one of the most unusual DeFi projects of 2024. This has allowed it to attract a lot of attention, and Ondo token holders have already made some impressive profits. If it can attract a lot of institutional investors, ONDO's market capitalization could skyrocket, so it's no surprise that some analysts are calling ONDO one of January’s hottest tokens.

However, ONDO tokens are still quite new. Even small issues, such as an investor selling their tokens, can be enough to affect prices for quite a while, and the financial system is also vulnerable to regulatory changes. Since Ondo Finance is so closely linked to traditional finance markets, shifting laws could devalue its services and cause the price of ONDO tokens to drop. Therefore, ONDO token holders need to exercise caution and implement some 

 strategies before purchasing this crypto asset.

The ability to trade instruments such as government bond funds or high-yield corporate bonds on blockchain has a lot of intriguing applications. Ondo Finance can potentially appeal to both institutional investors looking for DeFi yields and crypto investors seeking to branch out into traditional assets. Even if you aren't interested in tokenized securities, you can still potentially profit from Ondo Finance by trading the Ondo DAO token.

Ondo Finance (ONDO): Yield-Generating Stablecoins in DeFi

Grab Up to 5,000 USDT in Rewards

Grab Up to 5,000 USDT in Rewards