Bitcoin and gold are two of the most popular assets that investors consider as safe havens or hedges against inflation and economic uncertainty. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but which one is the best for investment in 2023? Here are some factors to compare:

Performance

Bitcoin has outperformed gold in terms of price appreciation in the past decade, especially in 2020 and 2021, when it reached new highs and crossed the $1 trillion market capitalization mark. Bitcoin’s $BTC price increased by over 300% in 2020 and over 100% in 2021, while gold’s price rose by about 25% in 2020 and fell by about 6% in 2021. However, past performance is not a guarantee of future results, and both assets are subject to market fluctuations and volatility.

Volatility

Bitcoin is much more volatile than gold, as it is influenced by factors such as supply and demand, innovation, regulation, hacking, and sentiment. Bitcoin’s annualized volatility was around 80% in 2020, while gold’s was around 20%. This means that Bitcoin can experience larger price swings than gold, which can be both an opportunity and a risk for investors. Gold is more stable and predictable than Bitcoin, as it is driven by more fundamental factors such as inflation, interest rates, geopolitics, and jewelry demand.

Liquidity

Both Bitcoin and gold are liquid assets, meaning that they can be easily bought and sold in the market. However, Bitcoin has some advantages over gold in terms of liquidity, such as divisibility, portability, and transparency. Bitcoin can be divided into smaller units (up to eight decimal places) and transferred across the globe in minutes via the internet, while gold is bulky and costly to transport and store. Bitcoin also has a transparent ledger that records all transactions, while gold transactions are more opaque and prone to fraud.

Scarcity

Both Bitcoin and gold are scarce assets, meaning that their supply is limited and cannot be easily increased. Bitcoin has a fixed supply of 21 million coins, of which about 18.8 million have been mined as of February 2023. The remaining coins will be issued gradually until around 2140, when the supply will be exhausted. Gold has an unknown supply, but it is estimated that about 197,000 tonnes have been mined throughout history, of which about 50% are held as jewelry, 20% as official reserves, 17% as investments, and 13% as industrial uses. The annual gold production is around 3,000 tonnes, which adds about 1.5% to the existing stock.

Adoption

Both Bitcoin and gold have seen an increase in adoption by investors, corporations, and governments in recent years. Bitcoin has gained more recognition and support from institutional investors such as Tesla , MicroStrategy , Square , and PayPal , which have invested in or integrated Bitcoin into their businesses. Some countries such as El Salvador have also adopted Bitcoin as legal tender. Gold has also attracted more demand from central banks , which have been net buyers of gold since 2010 to diversify their reserves and hedge against currency devaluation.

Conclusion

Bitcoin and gold are both valuable assets that can serve as alternative investments or hedges against inflation and economic uncertainty. However, they have different characteristics that make them suitable for different types of investors. Bitcoin is more suitable for investors who are willing to take more risk and seek higher returns, innovation, and digitalization. Gold is more suitable for investors who prefer more stability, security, and tradition. Ultimately, the best investment depends on your risk tolerance, investment goals, time horizon, and portfolio diversification.