Bitcoin Vs. Gold: Which Asset Could Outperform in 2026?

Cryptocurrency

Commodity

Summary:

Gold outperformed Bitcoin in 2025 and appears technically stronger into 2026, but a deeper Bitcoin correction could create higher upside potential if bullish momentum returns amid expected Fed rate cuts.

Gold and Bitcoin are very often placed side by side as potential rivals in the competition for investor capital. At the same time, it is important to underline several key differences between these asset classes, most notably volatility and the persistent perception that BTC remains a high-risk asset. Looking solely at full-year returns, the clear winner of this comparison is gold, which gained just over 65%, while Bitcoin, by contrast, is still struggling to move even modestly above its current 5% drawdown. The broad correction in BTC and the more local yet dynamic pullback in gold create interesting conditions for positioning along long-term trends at more attractive price levels. With that in mind, it is worth examining the current technical situation of both assets and their prospects for the coming year.

Bitcoin Awaiting a Breakout From Consolidation

When loosely comparing Bitcoin’s recent behavior with its historical cycles over more than a decade, many analysts point to a recurring pattern. According to this framework, the market is currently in a corrective phase that could potentially extend through most of the coming year. Such a scenario becomes more likely if Bitcoin breaks lower from its present consolidation range between $80,000 and $94,000 per coin. A downside breakout from this base could direct selling pressure toward the $74,000 area. In the shorter term, demand is clearly struggling to regain initiative, mainly due to continued outflows from ETFs, which alone saw approximately $780 million in assets under management leave the market during the holiday period.

Bitcoin Vs. Gold: Which Asset Could Outperform in 2026?_1

The base case therefore assumes a further deepening of the correction, while keeping in mind that the long-term trend remains upward and that deeper pullbacks may offer opportunities to look for long positions at more favorable prices.

Gold Pulls Back Just Before Year-End

The holiday period was marked by a dynamic continuation of the broader uptrend in Gold prices, culminating in a breakout to new highs just below the $4,600 per ounce level. These levels proved short-lived, however, as a sharp decline erased the Christmas rally in full, pushing prices back toward the $4,300 per ounce area.

The start of the new year does not materially alter the positive medium-term outlook for gold, given expectations of further interest-rate cuts and fiscal expansion in the US, alongside ongoing geopolitical tensions, particularly those related to Taiwan. Under a minimum-target scenario, and assuming pro-growth conditions persist, gold could move toward the psychologically important $5,000 per ounce level.

Bitcoin Vs. Gold: Which Asset Could Outperform in 2026?_2

When comparing gold and Bitcoin, gold currently appears more likely to maintain its upward trend. However, if the correction in BTC deepens further, its percentage upside potential becomes significantly higher, assuming a return to upward momentum. In both markets, a dovish stance from the Federal Reserve — with the market now pricing in at least 2 rate cuts over the next 12 months — should, overall, continue to favor buyers.

Source: investing

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Blue River

Forex

Technical Analysis

EUR/USD, GBP/USD And EUR/GBP Forecasts – Currencies Drift Around on New Year’s Eve_1

EUR/USD Technical Analysis

The Euro has fallen just a bit during the early hours of Wednesday, only to turn around and show signs of life again. All things being equal, this is a market that I think is still struggling with the idea of the 1.18 level being massive resistance. I think that resistance extends all the way to the 1.1850 level, and therefore, you have to recognize that it's very likely going to be a situation where we rally again, then we show hesitation.

It is New Year's Eve as I do this video, so I wouldn't look for much until next week, although obviously Friday will be open. It's still got the vibe of a more fade-the-rally type of market than anything else.

GBP/USD Technical Analysis

The British pound is also looking like it is going to continue to see the 1.35 region as its barrier. It did fall early in the session, and I think this is another situation where we rally, we show signs of exhaustion, and then we turn around and fall again. If we can break above the 1.3550 level and close above there on a daily candlestick, I think maybe then you have a shot at going to the 1.37 level.

EUR/GBP Technical Analysis

The Euro has risen quite nicely against the British pound here during the trading session on Wednesday, and at this point in time I think we've got a situation where the 50-day EMA and the 0.8750 level loom large as resistance. At the first signs of exhaustion, I'm more than willing to start selling this pair. But if we were to break above that area, then we could go looking to the 0.88 level, where I would expect even more resistance. I'm not looking for big moves; I just recognize that we have a bit of a ceiling overhead, especially when you look at longer-term charts.

Source: FX Empire

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Adam

Stocks

The S&P 500 Index is poised to end 2025 up more than 17% as the bull market continues for a third year driven by enthusiasm for artificial intelligence.

The AI trade broadened out this year, as chip stocks again led the S&P 500 but were joined by the shares of companies tied to building the data centers that will power the technology. Three of the index’s top 10 performers in 2025 were data storage companies, which are among the main beneficiaries of the hundreds of billions of dollars in pledged spending by the giant AI cloud service providers known as hyperscalers.

On the flip side, economic uncertainty from President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs weighed on the shares of consumer companies, while health-care stocks struggled with uncertainty surrounding the administration’s policies and pressure on drug prices.

Here are some of the biggest winners and losers in the US stock market this year.

Winner: New AI Leadership

Technology stocks, especially those tied to AI, again dominated the market. But leadership shifted to the shares of companies associated with data — from storage to the building, heating and cooling of data centers. Hyperscalers like Microsoft (MSFT) Corp., Amazon.com (AMZN) Inc., Alphabet (GOOG) Inc. and Meta Platforms (META) Inc. have pledged to spend more than $440 billion over the next 12 months to build out AI capabilities, benefiting firms such as Sandisk (SNDK) Corp., Western Digital (WDC) Corp. and Seagate Technology Holdings Plc (STX), which were three of the four best performing stocks in the S&P 500.

These Stocks Are the Market’s Biggest Winners and Losers in 2025_1

Winner: New S&P 500 Additions

A slew of companies were added to the S&P 500 in 2025, including Robinhood (HOOD) Markets Inc., Sandisk, AppLovin (APP) Corp. and Carvana (CVNA) Co., all of which posted triple-digit percentage gains and landed among the top 20 performers in the index.

Of course, not every stock that joined the S&P 500 got a boost. Trade Desk (TTD) Inc. shares were the worst performers in the index with a nearly 70% loss, while Block (XYZ) Inc. tumbled more than 20% and Coinbase (COIN) Global Inc. sank more than 6%.

Winner: Palantir

Palantir (PLTR) Technologies Inc. shares are set to notch a triple-digit gain for the third year in a row. The software developer got a boost from AI enthusiasm and strong buy-in from retail traders who are drawn to the company’s outspoken Chief Executive Officer Alex Karp.

But the stock is now rather pricey. With a multiple of more than 180 times forward earnings, it’s the third most expensive member of the S&P 500 behind Tesla Inc. and Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.

These Stocks Are the Market’s Biggest Winners and Losers in 2025_2

Winner: Warner Bros. Discovery

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) soared almost 175% in 2025 on the strength of takeover speculation. The company formally put itself up for sale in October, and there’s an ongoing battle between the top two bidders, Paramount Skydance (PSKY) Corp. and Netflix (NFLX) Inc., with both suitors jockeying to strengthen financial backing for their offers.

The Warner Bros. board prefers the Netflix bid and is reportedly planning to reject Paramount’s offer, but Larry Ellison, the billionaire chairman of Oracle Corp. and father of Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison, is personally guaranteeing the Paramount proposal.

These Stocks Are the Market’s Biggest Winners and Losers in 2025_3

Loser: Consumer Staples

Economic uncertainty, tariffs and concerns about the health of the US consumer as inflation creeps higher weighed on consumer stocks, especially some major staples names. Clorox (CLX) Co., frozen french fries maker Lamb Weston (LW) Holdings Inc., Campbell’s (CPB) Co. and beverage giant Constellation Brands (STZ) Inc. were among the 20 worst-performers in the S&P 500. Shares of fast-casual dining brand Chipotle (CMG) Mexican Grill Inc. sank nearly 40% after two years of double-digit gains.

Loser: Retail

The same economic uncertainty also hit shares of some retail companies. Deckers (DECK) Outdoor Corp., which owns brands such as Hoka and Ugg, was down almost 50% in 2025, snapping a nine-year streak of gains. The stock was hit hard by a few weak earnings forecasts and analyst downgrades.

These Stocks Are the Market’s Biggest Winners and Losers in 2025_4

Lululemon (LULU) Athletica Inc. shares are set to fall nearly 45% this year, their second consecutive double-digit annual decline, as the athletic apparel retailer struggles through an overhaul after a period of slow growth and the recent exit of its chief executive officer. Activist investor Elliott Investment Management has built a stake of more than $1 billion in the company.

Loser: Managed Care

Health insurance stocks underperformed in 2025 despite hopes that the group would benefit from a shift in policy by the Trump administration. Molina (MOH) Healthcare Inc. shares were down more than 40%, their second straight year of double-digit declines. UnitedHealth (UNH) Group Inc. and Centene (CNC) Corp. have both shed more than 30%, putting them among the 25 worst performers in the S&P 500.

These Stocks Are the Market’s Biggest Winners and Losers in 2025_5

Still, there are signs of hope for the group as some investors view the beaten-down valuations as attractive, making the stocks possibly due for a rebond. Money manager Michael Burry has said he’s long Molina shares and that he views the company as acquisition target in 2026 if it remains this cheap.

Source: Bloomberg

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Adam

Commodity

Oil (CL=F) headed for its steepest annual loss since the start of the pandemic in 2020, in a year that has been dominated by geopolitical risks and steadily rising supplies across the globe. A punishing surplus is expected to weigh on prices in 2026.

Brent steadied above $61 a barrel on Wednesday, with prices down 18% this year. Traders’ near-term focus is on an OPEC+ meeting at the weekend, a bearish US industry report, and President Donald Trump’s policies toward major producers Russia, Iran and Venezuela.

Global oil markets have been been oversupplied this year. Both the International Energy Agency and the US government see production exceeding consumption by just over 2 million barrels a day in 2025 and that surplus worsening in the coming year.

OPEC+ roiled markets earlier this year by reversing its longstanding policy of defending prices and raised output, seeking to reclaim market share as countries including Brazil and Guyana boosted supply and the US pumped at record levels. The producer group is expected to hold off on output hikes during talks this weekend.

Oil Heads for Deepest Annual Loss Since 2020 on Surplus Concerns_1

The drop in crude has helped to reduce inflationary pressures, helping central bankers as they seek to contain price gains. The US Federal Reserve cut rates three times in 2025, and minutes from policymakers’ last meeting showed most officials saw more reductions as appropriate. Still, it also threatens to reshape the budgets of major oil-producing nations and companies.

“The oil market is set to remain oversupplied into 2026, with strong non-OPEC production from the US, Brazil, Guyana and Argentina outpacing uneven global demand,” said Kaynat Chainwala, an analyst at Kotak Securities Ltd. Prices should stay range-bound between $50 and $70, with risks over Venezuelan or Russian supply remaining supportive, she added.

China Storage

Despite the drop this year, a clutch of factors have ensured that crude futures haven’t fallen further. Prices held within a range above $65 for much of the summer in spite of the swelling production, as much of the oversupply ended up in storage tanks in China, far away from the pricing hubs for crude futures. In contrast, western facilities remained relatively empty, with the tank farms at Cushing, Oklahoma — the pricing point for West Texas Intermediate futures — heading for its lowest annual average storage level since 2008.

Output of gassy types of oil like propane has also soared as US shale fields produce lighter types of fuel. Those volumes also have limited impacts on crude pricing.

Geopolitics will also drive the market outlook into next year. The US is driving efforts to end the war in Ukraine, an outcome that could help ease the volume of Russian oil building up at sea. The US is also seizing tankers carrying Venezuelan cargoes, and the south American nation has had to reduce output in recent days as a result.

Trump also said this week that he would strike Iran again if it rebuilds its nuclear program. Brent futures surged above $80 after he authorized attacks on Iran earlier this year but slid rapidly when it became clear the conflict was ending.

Source: Bloomberg

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Glendon

Forex

Economic

Applications for US unemployment benefits fell last week to one of the lowest levels this year, accentuating volatility in the data during the holiday season.

Initial claims decreased by 16,000 to 199,000 in the week ended Dec. 27, according to Labor Department data released Wednesday. That was lower than all estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists and one of just a handful of readings below 200,000 since early 2024.

The figures have been volatile recently, as is typical at this time of year. The latest period included Christmas, as well as the newly declared federal holidays of Dec. 24 and 26.

Applications for unemployment benefits jumped at the beginning of the month after falling to a three-year low around Thanksgiving in the week prior. The four-week moving average of initial applications, a metric that helps smooth out volatility, ticked up to 218,750.

Continuing claims, a proxy for the number of people receiving benefits, decreased to 1.87 million in the previous week. That was also one of the lowest readings in recent months.

The US has seen sluggish hiring through much of this year, which has eroded Americans' views of their employment prospects. Meantime, the unemployment rate has climbed to a four-year high, even as layoffs remain relatively limited.

A report from the Conference Board last week showed more Americans think jobs are hard to get, and the share saying jobs are plentiful is decreasing. Economists expect the unemployment rate to remain elevated throughout 2026.

Source: Bloomberg Europe

To stay updated on all economic events of today, please check out our Economic calendar

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Michelle

Forex

Economic

India is set to sustain high economic growth and authorities will take measures to shield it from potential shocks due to volatility in the global economy, the central bank said.

The economy remains "robust and resilient," supported by strong domestic demand growth, benign inflation and healthy corporate balance sheets, Reserve Bank of India Governor Sanjay Malhotra said in the central bank's bi-annual Financial Stability Report released on Wednesday.

"Nonetheless, we recognize the near-term challenges from external spillovers and continue to build strong guardrails to safeguard the economy and the financial system from potential shocks," he said

India's foreign exchange reserves, at nearly $695 billion, are the world's fourth largest and cover more than 11 months of imports. The central bank uses the reserves to smooth volatility in the exchange rate, which has intensified amid delays in a trade deal with the US, India's largest export market.

The RBI cut its policy rate to a more than three-year low earlier this month to support growth and offset the impact of punitive US tariffs on Indian shipments. It also signaled an intention to cut rates further if inflation remained soft even as it injected substantial liquidity into bond markets to ease borrowing costs.

Uncertainty over an agreement with Washington has pressured the rupee, which has tumbled nearly 5% this year. The economy grew a robust 8.2% in the July–September quarter but the outlook remains clouded by global factors.

Stress tests on Indian banks showed that asset quality may improve, as lenders have adequate capital to withstand potential stress, the report said.

Bad loans at 46 Indian banks are likely to drop to a multi decade low of 1.9% of total advances by March 2027 from 2.1% in September this year, according to the report. Even under adverse and severe stress scenarios, asset quality is expected to remain relatively healthy at 3.2% and 4.2%, respectively.

The capital adequacy ratio of banks, a key measure of financial strength, may decline to 16.8% by March 2027 from 17.1% in September 2025, the RBI said. While the ratios worsen under adverse scenarios, "none of the banks would fall short of the minimum Capital to Risk-Weighted Assets Ratio requirement of 9% even under the adverse scenarios."

Source: Bloomberg Europe

To stay updated on all economic events of today, please check out our Economic calendar

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Adam

Stocks

U.S. stock index futures moved lower on the last trading day of 2025, but were set to wrap up a roller-coaster year characterized by uncertainty over President Donald Trump's tariffs and unrivalled euphoria around AI with robust gains.

The S&P 500 and the Dow are set to close their eighth consecutive month in the green, bolstered by an insatiable appetite for AI stocks that pushed all three indexes to record highs this year.

But their yearly performances were still on track to be lower than the rally in the last two years as Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs sparked a meltdown in global markets in April, also casting a cloud over the future of monetary policy in the world's biggest economy.

Investors diversified from U.S. stocks earlier in the year, but the frenzy to capitalize on the AI euphoria helped the S&P 500 overtake the European STOXX 600 (.STOXX) for the year.

Communication services stocks (.SPLRCL) on the S&P 500 are set to outperform this year, on the back of an over 65% jump in Alphabet (GOOGL.O), which is set for its best yearly performance since 2009.

The company is close to hitting $4 trillion in market capitalization and has seen numerous catalysts this year in the form of AI deals, Berkshire Hathaway's $4.9 billion stake and an antitrust ruling win against breaking up the Google parent.

Analysts expect growth to broaden across sectors in 2026, partially attributing it to Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" passed by the U.S. government, that could accelerate corporate earnings.

At 05:31 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were down 68 points, or 0.14%, S&P 500 E-minis were down 17.25 points, or 0.25% and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were down 89.25 points, or 0.35%.

Wall Street's main indexes closed lower on Tuesday, marking their third consecutive session in the red, at a time when investors eye the "Santa Claus rally", a seasonal phenomenon where the S&P 500 typically posts gains in the last five trading days of the year and the first two in January, according to Stock Trader's Almanac.

The Federal Reserve's interest rate trajectory will set the tone for global markets heading into 2026, after mild economic data this month and expectations of a new dovish Fed chair prompted investors to price in further reductions, despite policymakers urging caution.

Among stocks, Nike (NKE.N) gained 1.9% in premarket trading after Elliott Hill bought stock for about $1 million.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals (VNDA.O) jumped 18.7% after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its drug for the prevention of motion-induced vomiting .

Trading is expected to be thin in the holiday-shortened week, as markets will be closed on Thursday.