Gold Climbs 24 Spots on Roundtable 100 Despite Warning of a Potential Threat to Its Scarcity

Gold jumped 24 positions in the Oct. 30 Roundtable 100 ranking, rising from No. 97 to No. 73 with an overall score of 73 out of 100. The precious metal scored 84 in Team, 75 in Safety, and 77 in Market Dominance, but received weaker scores in Innovation and Value.
However, Sean Hagan of Bitcoin Magazine warned that advances in AI and nuclear fusion could eventually challenge gold's scarcity and its role as a store of wealth. His concerns follow an Oct. 21 announcement from fusion startup Marathon Fusion, which claimed to have converted mercury into stable gold using fusion neutrons at a rate 10 times CERN's previous record.
Hagan cited research estimating that the technology could potentially produce around two metric tons of gold annually per gigawatt of thermal power, although the figure remains based on simulations rather than real-world demonstrations. He warned that technological progress could lead to massive demonetization of gold over time, despite the metal's strong rally and recent record high of $5,595 on Jan. 29.