Gold rockets to an unprecedented $3,875 per ounce peak on Wednesday, fueled by safe-haven frenzy as the U.S. plunges into its first government shutdown in nearly seven years.

Gold prices surged to record peaks Wednesday, riding a safe-haven wave as the U.S. government stumbled into its first shutdown in nearly seven years, triggered by congressional gridlock over funding.

Shutdowns rarely rattle markets much, but this one's clocking in at a precarious moment: Friday's pivotal jobs report gets shelved, muddying the Fed's crystal ball mere weeks from its next powwow. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has dangled the chaos as leverage to slash "a lot" of federal jobs—beyond the standard furloughs that snap back once the lights flicker on again.

Bereft of a bipartisan breakthrough, the standoff's endgame stays foggy; recall Trump's prior 34-day partial closure—the longest ever.

As chaos swirls from the U.S. shutdown, riskier bets tumbled, but gold—ever the bunker in economic or geopolitical storms—powered on to bag its 39th all-time high of 2025.

Spot prices climbed to $3,893.06 an ounce by 5:02 a.m. ET, with December U.S. futures pushing further to $3,918.10.

$4,000 next? "Gold's safe-haven rep is no secret, but its relentless climb these past years is downright jaw-dropping—fresh peaks again today," Morningstar's chief equity strategist Michael Field emailed CNBC Wednesday.

He pegged the immediate spark to the shutdown but called it mere tipping point: "Two raging wars, France's political mess, fresh tariffs—it's all brewing a nightmare for investors. Tough times? Gold thrives."