Bitcoin is likely to outperform gold on price performance through to 2029 after gold’s strong recent rally, says macroeconomist Lyn Alden.
“If I had to bet Bitcoin versus gold over the next two to three years, I would bet Bitcoin,” Alden said on the New Era Finance podcast on Wednesday.
“Gun to my head, if I had to say which one I think outperforms, I would say Bitcoin,” she added.
“It’s usually a pendulum between the two. If gold has gone up as much as it did, the entire diminishing return story per cycle is going to be erased in the coming one, too.”
Many crypto industry executives, including Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, have predicted that Bitcoin (BTC) will reach $1 million by 2030 with clearer regulations taking shape in the US, which Armstrong called a “bellwether for the rest of the G20.”
Alden dismisses that gold is in a bubble
Bitcoin is often compared to gold as a hedge against inflation and economic uncertainty, with many investors dubbing it “digital gold.”
Alden said gold is seeing “somewhat euphoric” sentiment after it reached a new all-time high of around $5,608 in January.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a bubble, but it’s somewhat euphoric,” she said.
The JM Bullion gold Fear and Greed Index, which tracks sentiment toward gold, posted a “Greed” score of 72 out of 100 on Friday. On the same day, the Crypto Fear and Greed Index, which measures sentiment across Bitcoin and the broader crypto market, posted an “Extreme Fear” score of 18 out of 100.
Alden said that the sentiment toward Bitcoin is “somewhat unfairly negative.” Bitcoin is trading at $71,164, down 44% from its October all-time high of $126,000, according to CoinMarketCap.
Alden said she avoids relying too heavily on rigid narratives about the relationship between the two assets.
“I try to be hesitant about reading into how absolute these things are. Gold and Bitcoin can go up together, they can go down together,” she explained.
Investors debate Bitcoin’s narrative
While the two assets are often grouped together as alternatives to fiat currencies, the relationship isn’t always consistent; sometimes the prices move in tandem during periods of macro uncertainty, and other times they decouple.
Alden’s comments come shortly after billionaire investor Ray Dalio warned against Bitcoin as a long-term store of value and safe-haven asset, arguing that it lacks central bank support and has lingering concerns about its privacy limitations and quantum resistance.
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“Gold is not a precious metal that’s speculated on,” Dalio said on Tuesday, adding it is the “most established money” that is the second-largest reserve asset held by central banks.
Meanwhile, CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju said in October 2025 that Bitcoin’s correlation with gold is increasing as both assets strengthen their reputations as hedges against macroeconomic uncertainty.
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