The Institutional Risk Analyst

The upsurge in the price of gold during 2025 has surpassed the rate of increase for stocks and crypto tokens, begging the question as to whether the world is headed back to the future in term of money. Yet for most investors and nations, gold remains at the apex of value in terms of monetary assets, with fiat currencies next in line and crypto still occupying the periphery in terms of mediums of exchange.

So the $200 billion asset Fifth-Third Bank (FITB) is buying $80 billion asset Comerica Incorporated (CMA)? Is this the start of a wave of similar transactions among regional banks? Hopefully not. This deal neither creates great value nor promises significant synergies, but it does make for a bigger regional bank with so-so financial metrics. Essentially FITB is rescuing CMA shareholders.

The Treasury should begin to buy gold again to demonstrate that the dollar is real.