The leading cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, started the week, which will see the release of critical economic data, around the $80,000 mark. After falling below $80,000, BTC has recovered, but the risk of it falling below this level remains. Significant data affecting both BTC and gold has been released.
Accordingly, Bitcoin and gold stand out as the two assets that have shown the least performance among the major asset classes so far in 2026.
Bitcoin and Gold to Become the Worst Performing Assets of 2026!
Creative Planning’s Chief Market Strategist, Charlie Bilello, shared data from his X account stating that Bitcoin has lost 7.3% of its value since the beginning of the year, while gold has lost 7.5%. Bilello noted that the fact that both assets are at the bottom of the ranking in the same year is the first time this has been seen in comparative records kept since 2011. This is the first time, according to Bilello’s records since 2011, that the two assets have occupied the last two positions on the list in the same calendar year.
Bilello’s chart, covering data up to October 23, 2026, compares the performance of 21 different asset classes. During this period, the commodity basket rose 52.5%, while large-cap US stocks yielded 12.3% and short-term US Treasury bonds gained 2.9%. However, Bitcoin lost 7.3% of its value year-to-date, and gold lost 7.5%. Thus, Bitcoin and gold lagged behind a significant portion of traditional investment instruments.
Gold and Bitcoin Decline After Their Rises!
Gold had recorded its strongest annual performance in the data set in 2025, rising 63.7 percent. Spot gold, which rose above $5,400 per ounce in early 2026, closed the week of October 23 at $3,995.81, falling below $4,000 for the first time since July.
Bitcoin, after losing 6.3% of its value in 2025, continues its downward trend in 2026. BTC is still trading approximately 35% below its peak of over $126,000 reached last October.
Since gold and Bitcoin do not provide interest income, rising interest rates can increase the opportunity cost of holding these assets. The impact of rising oil prices on inflation and potential interest rate hikes by the Fed are among the key factors influencing the market outlook.
*This is not investment advice.
