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Bitcoin tends to outperform gold and stocks after global shocks, Mercado Bitcoin finds
The study analyzed 60-day windows after economic or geopolitical shocks and found that Bitcoin posted stronger returns than gold and the S&P 500 in each period.
Apr 4, 2026, 6:56 p.m.
What to know:
- A study by Mercado Bitcoin found that bitcoin tends to outperform traditional safe-haven assets like gold in the 2 months following major global crises.
- The study analyzed 60-day windows after economic or geopolitical shocks and found that bitcoin posted stronger returns than gold and the S&P 500 in each period.
- Despite its volatility, bitcoin has consistently bounced back after crises and has been the best-performing asset of the past decade, according to the study’s author, Rony Szuster.
In April last year, after the Trump administration announced sweeping tariffs, the price of bitcoin jumped 24% over the following 60 days. Gold rose 8%, and the S&P 500 gained 4%, the firm found.
A similar pattern emerged at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, when BTC rose 21%, while the other assets trailed.
Szuster cautioned that judging bitcoin’s performance too soon after a crisis can be misleading.
