Bitcoin is down nearly 27% this year, while gold is down 7%.
• Bitcoin traders are reportedly betting that its price will climb to $72,000 by the end of the month, according to a report from CoinDesk.
• Meanwhile, Bank of America reduced its 2026 average gold forecast ?by 14% to $4,360 an ounce, according to a report from Reuters earlier this month.
Among all major asset classes, Bitcoin and gold have been the worst performers so far in 2026, declining nearly 27% and more than 7%, respectively.
Charlie Bilello, Chief Market Strategist at Creative Planning, noted the decline in a post on X, saying, "This is something we haven't seen before in any calendar year."
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Bitcoin prices have declined this year amid growing macroeconomic uncertainty amid the U.S.-Iran war, as well as capital rotation into high-upside AI investments.
Meanwhile, gold prices also fell from their first-quarter highs as tensions with Iran temporarily cooled off earlier this month.
At the time of writing, Bitcoin was trading at $64,405.60, while spot gold prices were at around $4,020.19.
Despite the recent decline in Bitcoin, traders are reportedly betting that the world's largest cryptocurrency will climb to $72,000 by the end of the month.
According to a report from CoinDesk, large options positions signal that an upward trend is likely around the Federal Reserve's interest-rate decision later this month.
James Thorne, chief market strategist at Wellington-Altus Private Wealth, said in a post on X that volatility is less of a problem for the currency and that regulatory uncertainty was the bigger barrier.
"The Clarity Act changes that: by explicitly recognizing and regulating digital assets, it gives committees the legal and political scaffolding to treat Bitcoin as a legitimate portfolio building block rather than a compliance headache," he said, adding that the digital currency's fixed supply of 21 million coins could eventually support prices of around $240,000 to $250,000 per coin if it reaches Nvidia's (NVDA) current market value, or as high as $1.5 million to $1.8 million if it ultimately matches gold's market capitalization.
Meanwhile, gold prices have traded in a narrow range around $4,000 in recent weeks despite increasing geopolitical uncertainty and soaring oil prices. Usually, the yellow metal's prices rise during times of high tensions as it is seen as a safe-haven asset.