Key Takeaways AI, tariff turmoil and a weaker dollar helped shape the year's returns, rewarding investors in hard assets over digital ones.Demand from solar panels, data centers and EVs drove silver and copper to their best years in decades. Close the books on 2025. The oldest money beat the newest as gold, adjusted for inflation, hit prices last seen during the Carter administration. Bitcoin, after doubling in 2024, slipped. Silver surged 146%, leading all major asset classes. Platinum, palladium and ...