Up 44% over the last year, gold has been by far the best-performer across a basket of 12 leading global asset classes over the period, according to the BlackRock Investment Institute, most notably trouncing the 22% return for the S&P 500 over the last year, including reinvested dividends.

Gold steadied after swinging wildly during Asian trading hours, as fears of a global trade war pushes the precious metal to record highs.

Gold prices hit a record high on Tuesday, spurred by safe-haven demand as U.S. President Donald Trump's new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports heightened concerns about a possible global trade war.