Gold could be poised to benefit from a number of factors in 2018 that could further drive its price.

After hitting a price low of $1,050 last month, gold prices have risen dramatically, topping $1,270 on Monday.

In the meantime, the price of Bitcoin has also increased significantly over the last month, up to over $9,000 as of Monday.

While prices of the cryptocurrency have been volatile, some are predicting that it could be at the center of a bigger discussion on monetary policy this year.

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Amid all the volatility, the steady price of gold has kept the price relatively steady, leading some analysts to speculate that it could become a great investment this year.

For the last three decades, financial advisers have encouraged their clients to consider the investment as a way to protect themselves from major market dips.

Here’s why it could be a good investment in 2018, and how to spot the true bargains:

Gold could be poised for a good year in 2019

One of the biggest factors that could bring prices of gold up in 2019 is the US Federal Reserve’s raising interest rates.

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In December, the Fed raised interest rates for the sixth time since the financial crisis, but this is the first time the interest rate hike occurred since Jerome Powell became the chairman of the Fed.

With the Fed signaling that it plans to raise rates several times this year, according to a rate hike and rate change calendar created by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, gold prices have had a good start to 2018.

Additionally, the US dollar is still fairly strong compared to other currencies, and even strong against gold, leading many to say that a weaker dollar is making gold a good investment in 2018.

Gold has a lot of potential as a currency hedge

Gold was originally intended as a gold standard. That is, the value of gold in terms of its monetary unit was equal to that of a unit of measure of wealth, like weight or length. That meant that gold was needed as a medium of exchange as well as a store of wealth.

The fact that gold could function as both a medium of exchange and a store of wealth, or that gold could provide a safe haven from inflationary or monetary policies, caused people to consider it a highly stable currency.

With the creation of the dollar and its floating value, gold fell out of favor as a currency, but people still consider the metal an asset that has both asset-like and currency-like qualities, similar to the way we view gold as both an asset and a currency.

“We need to be careful about saying gold is an asset,” said Duncan Green, the head of research at Eclectica Asset Management, in an interview with Business Insider. “But a good way to think about it is it’s a good insurance policy.”