Gold has long been a traditional safe-haven asset, in steady demand from individuals, businesses, banks, hedge funds and central banks alike. Given its scarcity and persistent demand, gold prices are highly sensitive to factors such as geopolitical tension, monetary policy and macroeconomic data — all of which can be important drivers of its pricing. Silver behaves similarly, also used by investors to hedge against financial market stress, but tends to be more volatile than gold given its larger industrial-demand component and smaller market size — attracting significant short-term and swing trading interest. Austex Markets offers 24-hour trading on both Gold and Silver CFDs, long or short, with leverage up to 1000:1.