Gold adds $1.3 trillion as Bitcoin stalls near $64K

Gold climbed 4.4 percent to $4,256.85 per ounce on Aug. 5, adding roughly $1.3 trillion in estimated market value, while Bitcoin held near $64,000.

The World Gold Council estimates 219,891 tonnes of gold existed above ground at the end of 2025, worth approximately $30 trillion at the latest spot price. Applying the 4.4 percent daily gain to that stock produces the roughly $1.27 trillion increase.

US gold futures rose about 4 percent to more than $4,317, while silver gained almost 5 percent. The rally followed falling Treasury yields — the US 10-year declined toward 4.60 percent — and a softer dollar, as optimism over US-Iran-Oman negotiations on reopening the Strait of Hormuz pushed oil prices lower and reduced inflation expectations.

Bitcoin, by contrast, traded near $64,600, up about 1 percent over 24 hours, with total crypto market capitalization at $2.19 trillion and BTC dominance at 58.8 percent. The divergence raises the question of whether gold has displaced crypto as the preferred safe haven, or whether Bitcoin simply lacks the demand drivers needed to respond to improving macro conditions.

Bitcoin remains roughly 49 percent below its October 2025 record of $126,000, even as equities trade near record levels and bond yields fall. The conditions that typically support risk assets are improving, yet buyers have not returned.

Spot Bitcoin ETF flows recently turned negative, and open interest on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange reportedly returned to levels last seen in 2023. Institutional participation has weakened significantly.

Corporate demand has also become less reliable. Strategy sold 1,638 BTC for approximately $104.7 million between July 27 and Aug. 2, using proceeds to fund preferred-stock dividends and repurchase STRC shares, per its SEC filing. The sale was small relative to Strategy's remaining 842,138 BTC holdings, but it marks a psychological shift: one of Bitcoin's most aggressive corporate buyers became a seller while the market struggled to attract new capital.

Regulatory uncertainty adds another obstacle. The CLARITY Act remains stalled in the US Senate, reducing expectations that market-structure legislation will provide an institutional boost.

The $30 trillion safe-haven gap

Gold benefits from an established institutional market, central-bank ownership and centuries of acceptance as a defensive asset. Bitcoin offers scarcity and independence from traditional financial systems, but it continues to trade like a high-risk liquidity asset during periods of market uncertainty.

This does not mean Bitcoin's safe-haven argument has permanently failed. It shows that investors are currently treating gold and Bitcoin differently. Gold responds directly to falling yields and a weaker dollar. Bitcoin requires those conditions plus renewed crypto-specific demand — ETF inflows, corporate accumulation or regulatory progress.

BTC faces $65K-$67K resistance, $63K support

Bitcoin's immediate challenge is converting stabilization above $64,000 into a decisive breakout. A sustained move above the $65,000-$67,000 resistance area could indicate buyers are finally responding to improving macro conditions. Failure to hold the $63,000-$64,000 region keeps the risk of another decline toward $60,000 alive.

Traders should monitor ETF flows, developments around the CLARITY Act and any further Bitcoin sales by major corporate holders. These crypto-specific factors may matter more than movements in gold or equities over the coming weeks.

The divergence does not necessarily signal the end of Bitcoin's recovery potential. It does show that improving macroeconomic conditions alone are no longer sufficient. Until crypto attracts its own powerful trigger, gold may continue winning the battle for global safe-haven demand.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.