Safe Haven Assets Shifting? Bitcoin ETF Saw $2 Billion in Inflows Last Week as Gold Faced Massive Selloff

Gate News: Recently, amid geopolitical tensions, investors have been selling off gold, but Bitcoin prices remain stable, demonstrating its emerging role as a safe-haven asset globally. Data shows that last week, approximately $3.8 billion flowed out of major gold ETFs (GLD and IAU), while Bitcoin ETFs absorbed about $2 billion. Bitcoin is currently priced around $70,400, and gold at approximately $4,500.

Bloomberg Senior ETF Analyst Eric Balchunas noted that since the Iran airstrike incident, Bitcoin has unexpectedly shown strong safe-haven qualities, while gold has performed relatively weakly. He stated that Bitcoin and gold are more like zero-correlation assets rather than complete opposites. Both are stores of value, just with different historical and market maturity.

Balchunas emphasized that recent capital flows do not indicate a complete reversal in their relationship. Investors should view the long-term trend: Bitcoin and gold will perform differently under various market conditions, sometimes rising together, sometimes diverging, but both can serve as stores of value. Short-term fluctuations should not be overinterpreted.

On the macro market front, the S&P 500 index fell about 2.5% last week, and oil prices dropped roughly 8%. Market sentiment was influenced by positive talks between U.S. President Trump and Iranian leaders regarding the Strait of Hormuz trade route. This route carries about 20% of global oil demand and has significant implications for energy markets and inflation expectations.

Overall, Bitcoin’s role as a safe-haven asset is gradually becoming evident, but its relationship with gold still requires long-term observation. Investors should focus on the independent performance of cryptocurrencies and precious metals when allocating assets, and develop strategies considering macroeconomic and geopolitical factors.