Spot Gold Surge Fuels Bitcoin Derision, as Skeptics Reassert Claims

Spot gold prices have surged to record highs, prompting renewed mockery of Bitcoin from gold investors. Despite Bitcoin's "digital gold" moniker, gold enthusiasts highlight Bitcoin's recent underperformance and energy-intensive mining process compared to gold's lack of electricity consumption. The resurgence of gold has also led to declines in gold-tracking ETFs, while spot Bitcoin funds have seen significant inflows.

Spot Gold Prices Surge, Reigniting Bitcoin Derision

Amidst the unprecedented spike in spot gold prices, investors in the precious metal have reignited their disparagement towards Bitcoin (BTC). Gold ascended to an all-time high of $2,304 per ounce on April 3, registering an impressive 11.5% year-to-date gain.

This upward momentum commenced in mid-February, with gold rising from approximately $2,000 per ounce to surpass $2,200 in late March. Nanette Abuhoff Jacobson, investment strategist at Hartford Funds, attributed this surge to escalating global tensions, uncertainty surrounding potential interest rate cuts, and de-dollarization concerns.

Gold's historic price peak has ignited renewed mockery from gold proponents and Bitcoin skeptics. Peter Schiff, a staunch advocate of gold and Bitcoin detractor, stated in an April 3 post that Bitcoin has experienced a 7% decline in the second quarter of 2024, while silver and gold have gained 8.7% and 3.4%, respectively. He asserted, "The results speak for themselves."

However, it is important to note that the second quarter began three days prior to Schiff's post, and BTC has subsequently gained 55% this year, surpassing gold's gains over the same period by a factor of five. In a subsequent post, Schiff claimed that this might be "the last chance to sell your Bitcoin and buy some gold and silver at favorable prices. If you fail to act, have fun staying poor."

Some commentators have highlighted the irony of Schiff's remarks. Crypto trader "Quasar" stated, "I don't have another 60 years to wait for gold to go up another $1,500."

Charlie Morris, an analyst and researcher at Bytetree, also took aim at Bitcoin in an April 3 post, commenting that gold has reached its all-time high "without electricity consumption," referring to Bitcoin's energy-intensive mining process.

However, Daniel Batten, an environmentalist and Bitcoin ESG researcher, promptly pointed out that the energy required for gold extraction primarily comes from fossil fuels. He added, "[Gold] has a much higher environmental impact and emission intensity than Bitcoin mining, which is fully electrified, and does not leave mercury or arsenic in the local land and water supply."

Brady Swenson, co-founder of Swan, expressed his befuddlement at how gold proponents could remain oblivious to the gold mining process. He said, "How can you be a gold bug and not understand the gold mining process[?] I visited a gold mine once, it was apocalyptic."

In contrast to the outflows experienced by gold-tracking exchange-traded funds (ETFs), spot Bitcoin funds have witnessed significant inflows. The 14 leading gold ETFs have lost $2.4 billion since the start of the year to mid-February, while spot Bitcoin funds have seen an influx of $3.89 billion over the same period.