The financial markets witnessed a stark divergence on January 20, 2026, as the price of spot gold surged to a new all-time high near $5,100, while Ethereum's price fell below the critical $3,000 level. This movement highlights a significant shift in investor sentiment towards traditional safe-haven assets and away from riskier cryptocurrencies.
Gold's record-breaking rally saw the precious metal reach an intraday high of $5,092.785, marking a daily gain of 2.11%. The price action displayed a strong vertical movement on intraday charts, continuing an established uptrend and decisively breaking past the $5,000 psychological barrier. Analysts interpret this surge as a clear indicator of a risk-off sentiment permeating the market, likely driven by broader economic uncertainties or geopolitical tensions.
Concurrently, the cryptocurrency market faced headwinds. Ethereum (ETH) stumbled, losing its footing above $3,000. While the news does not specify the exact magnitude of ETH's decline, the breach of this key level is presented as a significant market event. The shift in capital flows towards gold suggests a temporary lack of confidence in digital assets, impacting major cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and, as mentioned, Bitcoin (BTC).
In a separate but related development, the meme coin Shiba Inu (SHIB) exhibited relative stability amidst the market turbulence. Over a 24-hour period, SHIB saw a modest decline of 1.0%, trading around $0.057658 while holding above a noted technical support level of $0.057414. Furthermore, SHIB showed minimal movement against both Bitcoin and Ethereum, trading at 0.0108739 BTC (a 0.2% change) and 0.082653 ETH (a 0.5% change), indicating a stable positioning relative to its major crypto pairs despite the broader market shift.
