Stocks or Gold? Where Americans Are Investing as Economy Wobbles

Newsweek

06-05-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Americans may be altering their investing habits following a shaky period for the stock market and ahead of upcoming difficulties some experts have predicted for the U.S. economy at large.
According to new polling by Gallup, only 16 percent of Americans now consider stocks the most lucrative form of long-term investment. That number is down six percentage points from the same time last year and has fallen behind buying gold, which has risen by five percent to be what 23 percent of respondents called the ideal investment.
Real estate remains America's most trusted mode of investment, with 37 percent considering it the safest choice for long-term returns.
Why It Matters
Significant stock market volatility has accompanied President Donald Trump's tariff announcements, in particular his "Liberation Day" speech on April 2 which sent both American and global indexes into a decline.
Markets have largely rebounded from the early April dip after Trump announced a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs and reports have emerged of deals being struck with America's trading partners, but the public is still bracing for an possible recession, as well as the high duties still in place on Chinese imports.
Trump swept into office largely on the promise of improving the American economy. As he has implemented his economic policies, recession concerns have spiked and his polling on the issue has slipped underwater.
Golden bull and bear figures on security papers in Germany on May 29, 2011.
Golden bull and bear figures on security papers in Germany on May 29, 2011.
Berliner Verlag/Steinach/Steinach/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
What To Know
Gallup's results were based on surveys of over 1,000 American adults from across the country, conducted between April 1 and April 16. As the pollster notes, this covers the period following the April 2 announcement of a 10-percent baseline tariff and varying reciprocal duties on dozens of nations, as well as the April 9 pause on the latter.
Stocks were rocked in immediate aftermath of Liberation Day, with the Dow, S&P and Nasdaq all shedding over 10-percent prior to the pause announcement. Each index has largely recovered, with only the Dow Jones Industrial Average still valued below its price on April 2, ahead of markets opening on Tuesday.
However, it is worth noting that Gallup's poll—which surveyed American adults rather than active investors—only reflects Americans' perceptions of the safest long-term investment, rather than active investment choices.
According to Adrian Ash, director of research at BullionVault, trading data points to a less pronounced increase in gold interest than Gallup's poll suggests.
"The Gallup poll says American investors think gold is a standout asset, but they're not buying it," Ash told Newsweek.
"There's an upturn in U.S. new investors, and it's becoming notable," he added, "but it's just a long way behind the jump that we've already seen in Western Europe."
In addition to gold and real estate—which has remained the most trusted investment each year since 2014—Gallup's poll found a growing number now consider bonds and cryptocurrency a lucrative long-term asset. Both have risen one percentage point since 2024, bonds now at 5 percent and cryptocurrency at 4 percent. Faith in savings accounts or CDs, meanwhile, has remained flat at 13 percent.
What People Are Saying
Billionaire investor Paul Tudor Jones said on Tuesday that the stock market could reach "new lows" if the administration does not pull back on tariffs. Jones told CNBC: "For me, it's pretty clear. You have Trump who's locked in on tariffs. You have the Fed who's locked in on not cutting rates. That's not good for the stock market"
"We'll probably go down to new lows, even when Trump dials back China [tariffs] to 50 percent," he added.
BullionVault director of research Adrian Ash told Newsweek: "The U.S. is clearly the epicenter of what's been driving gold prices in terms of global geopolitics and trade tariffs and his threat to sack Jerome Powell, all this stuff. But domestic U.S. investors as yet don't seem to be as anxious about that. They're not turning to gold on a comparative basis in the same way that we've seen Western Europe do."
"In the UK, Germany, and Spain—especially last month was notably up—you're a long way ahead of the five-year average for the monthly number of new first-time [gold investors]," Ash added. "The US is up about 39-40 percent above its five-year average, which is a change, but it's not like the 120-percent move that we've seen in the UK or Germany."
What Happens Next?
The administration is hopeful that it can soon reach a deal with China which would bring the tariffs on its imports down. While Beijing has repeatedly denied its interest in negotiating with the U.S., the country's foreign ministry on Friday said it would be "evaluating" the offer.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, meanwhile, has said the central bank will wait for "greater clarity" before announcing any adjustments in monetary policy.
Gold is currently valued at just under $3,400 per troy ounce, according to BullionVault's live spot price chart, having briefly edged over $3,500 last month. However, financial institutions and experts who previously spoke to Newsweek predict that the commodity could break further milestones in 2025.