Bitcoin Outperforming Gold and U.S. Stock Market in 2023

The year 2023 has seen Bitcoin soar to impressive heights, achieving a gain of 110 percent since January 1st. This performance starkly outshines the S&P 500’s increase of just under 14 percent and gold’s rise of 8.80 percent, with the flagship cryptocurrency eclipsing both traditional assets.

While the gains in both gold and the S&P 500 are indeed noteworthy, they simply cannot match the rapid ascent of Bitcoin, often hailed as the digital counterpart to gold. And the year has not even come to an end yet!

U.S. Stock Market’s Comeback Trail

The U.S. stock market has been making modest strides in catching up with Bitcoin. In the past week alone, it registered a notable surge of over 6 percent in just four days.

As Bitcoin and Ethereum begin to stabilize after their recent meteoric upticks, the stock market appears to be embarking on a rally of its own. This surge in the S&P 500, a primary barometer for U.S. equities, may be attributed to the outcomes of the recent Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, also known as the interest rate meeting of the Federal Reserve. Last Wednesday, the Federal Reserve opted to halt interest rate hikes, setting the market abuzz with speculation that the series of rate increases might be coming to an end.

Return of Market Optimism

Currently, optimism is slowly seeping back into the market. This sentiment has been somewhat present for Bitcoin (and to a lesser extent, the broader crypto market) due to speculation around the anticipated arrival of the Spot Bitcoin ETF in the United States. This coveted investment product seems to be ever-closer to reality in the U.S. The macroeconomic landscape is also beginning to show signs of positivity, particularly with the potential cessation of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes.

The critical question that remains is whether the U.S. economy is robust enough to stave off a recession. A downturn could potentially disrupt the current market recovery. A recession typically triggers a spike in unemployment, leading people to sell off riskier assets and seek safer financial harbors. Hence, the trajectory of the U.S. economy could be a defining factor for the future performance of risk assets like Bitcoin.