Bitcoin price slump versus gold’s gains highlights evolving crypto market

Investors’ risk appetite for Bitcoin and crypto fragmented as AI, tech stocks and gold took center stage. Will increasing global money supply put wind in BTC’s sails?

Bitcoin (BTC) and gold are showing very different profiles in 2026. Gold has climbed 153% since the start of 2024, while Bitcoin is down roughly 30% over the same stretch. 

One analyst said that the gap lines up with steady growth in global money supply, cooling appetite for risky tech stocks, and falling crypto exchange balances. Together, these changes are shaping how both assets are trading in the market. 

In an X post, Fidelity director of global macro, Jurrien Timmer said that gold has behaved as expected in a bull market, with sharp pullbacks attracting short-term buyers. Timmer described gold as a pure “hard money” asset that has tracked global money supply growth closely.

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