Crypto Cobra News: Gold Outshines Bitcoin Amid Economic Uncertainty

Economic turbulence driven by trade policy shifts and inflationary pressures has pushed investors toward traditional safe havens like gold, overshadowing bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. As market dynamics shift, institutional players are favoring the precious metal, while crypto faces headwinds from risk-averse sentiment.

Tariffs and Fed Warnings Rattle Markets

President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” announcement earlier this month sent the economic trade policy uncertainty index to an all-time high, prompting a retreat from risk assets, including bitcoin (BTC) and cryptocurrencies.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell amplified concerns on Wednesday, warning that tariffs could lead to higher unemployment, slower economic growth, and rising inflation, as costs are passed to consumers. His remarks pressured risk assets, with the Nasdaq dropping 1.17% and the S&P 500 falling 2.24% by the closing bell.

Despite the broader market slump, bitcoin edged up 1% in the last 24 hours, and the CoinDesk 20 (CD20) index, tracking the broader crypto market, gained 1.8%. However, cryptocurrencies remain a barometer of risk rather than a safe haven, according to analysts.

Gold Surges as Investors Seek Stability

While bitcoin has outperformed equities—gaining 1% in the past month compared to the Nasdaq’s 8% decline—institutional investors are flocking to gold. The precious metal has surged 11% this month and 27% in 2025, reaching $3,340 per troy ounce. Bank of America’s Global Fund Manager Survey revealed that 49% of fund managers view “long gold” as Wall Street’s most crowded trade, with 42% predicting it as the top-performing asset of the year.

UBS analysts, quoted by Investopedia, noted that gold’s appeal is stronger than ever amid escalating tariff uncertainty, weaker growth, higher inflation, geopolitical risks, and diversification from U.S. assets and the dollar. Gold fund flows have hit $80 billion this year, dwarfing crypto inflows.

Bitcoin ETFs Face Outflows

Spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) saw $5.25 billion in net inflows in January, but outflows have dominated since the uncertainty began. Month-to-date, $900 million has exited these funds, following $3.56 billion and $767 million in net outflows in February and March, respectively, per SoSoValue data. In contrast, gold’s robust inflows highlight its status as the preferred hedge in turbulent times.

---

Crypto Market Outlook

Michael Brown, an analyst at Pepperstone, told The Telegraph that demand for assets offering shelter from trade and political uncertainty will likely grow. Bitcoin’s resilience—holding steady at $84,312 (+0.4% in 24 hours)—suggests some investor confidence, but its role as a risk asset limits its safe-haven appeal. Ethereum (ETH) rose 1.26% to $1,593.44, and the CoinDesk 20 index climbed 1.36% to 2,459.45.

Key Crypto Events to Watch

• April 17: EigenLayer (EIGEN) activates slashing on Ethereum mainnet, penalizing operator misconduct.
• April 18: Pepecoin (PEP) undergoes its second halving, cutting block rewards to 15,625 PEP.
• April 20, 11 p.m.: BNB Chain (BNB) opBNB mainnet hardfork.
• April 21: Coinbase Derivatives to list XRP futures, pending CFTC approval.
• April 25, 1:00 p.m.: SEC Crypto Task Force Roundtable on crypto custody.

Token Unlocks and Launches

Significant token unlocks are scheduled for April 18-22, including Official Trump (TRUMP) releasing 20.25% of its supply ($314.23M) and Metars Genesis (MRS) unlocking 11.87% ($126.7M). On April 17, VeThor (VTHO) lists on Bybit, while Babylon (BABY), AI Rig Complex (ARC), and Alchemist AI (ALCHI) debut on Kraken. Hyperlane will airdrop HYPER tokens on April 22.

Macroeconomic Indicators

Upcoming Data Releases

• April 17, 8:30 a.m.: U.S. March housing starts (Est. 1.42M vs. 1.501M prior).
• April 17, 8:30 a.m.: U.S. jobless claims for April 12 (Est. 225K vs. 223K prior).
• April 17, 7:30 p.m.: Japan’s March CPI (Core Inflation Est. 3.2% vs. 3% prior).

Earnings Calendar

• April 22: Tesla (TSLA), post-market.
• April 30: Robinhood Markets (HOOD), post-market.

Technical Analysis: Bitcoin’s Next Move

Bitcoin rebounded from the Fibonacci support zone ($74,995-$73,213), breaking a daily downtrend in place since February. It’s now testing the 50 and 200 exponential moving averages (EMAs), with the weekly 50 EMA at $78,071 providing support. A break above the EMAs could signal bullish momentum, while a rejection may push prices back toward the support zone. Short-term momentum remains constructive as long as key levels hold.

Derivatives and Market Metrics

CME bitcoin futures open interest reached 138,235 BTC, with an 8% annualized basis. Deribit’s $100,000 strike holds $315 million in notional open interest for the April expiry. Bitcoin’s funding rate turned negative during Powell’s speech, reflecting short-term uncertainty, with rates oscillating between positive and negative this week.

Market Snapshot

• BTC: $84,312 (+0.4%, 24hrs).
• ETH: $1,593.44 (+0.91%).
• CoinDesk 20: 2,459.45 (+1.36%).
• Gold: $3,338.30 (+0.35%).
• S&P 500: 5,275.70 (-2.24%).
• Nasdaq: 16,307.16 (-3.07%).
• U.S. 10-year Treasury: 4.31% (+3 bps).

Bitcoin Stats

• Dominance: 63.89% (-0.07%).
• ETH/BTC ratio: 0.01889 (+0.64%).
• Hashrate: 905 EH/s.
• Hashprice: $43.9.
• BTC priced in gold: 25.4 oz.
• BTC vs. gold market cap: 7.15%.

Crypto Equities and ETF Flows

Equities (Wednesday Close)

• MicroStrategy (MSTR): $311.66 (+0.3%).
• Coinbase (COIN): $172.21 (-1.91%).
• MARA Holdings (MARA): $12.32 (-2.07%).
• Riot Platforms (RIOT): $6.36 (-2.9%).
• Core Scientific (CORZ): $6.59 (-3.8%).

ETF Flows

• Spot BTC ETFs: Daily net outflow: -$171.1M; Cumulative: $35.36B; Holdings: ~1.10M BTC.
• Spot ETH ETFs: Daily net outflow: -$12.1M; Cumulative: $2.26B; Holdings: ~3.30M ETH.

Chart of the Day

The SOL/ETH ratio hit a record 0.0833, underscoring Solana’s strength relative to Ethereum. Meanwhile, the ETH/BTC ratio dropped to 0.0187, its lowest since January 2020, highlighting Ethereum’s underperformance.

Overnight Developments

• CoinDesk: Bitcoin likely to trade between $80K-$90K as tariff talks and delayed Fed rate cuts cloud the outlook.
• WSJ: Italy’s PM to pitch EU’s “zero-for-zero” tariff plan to Trump.
• FT: Nvidia’s CEO visits Beijing amid U.S. chip export restrictions.
• Bloomberg: U.S.-China financial decoupling could trigger $800B in Chinese stock outflows.
• CoinDesk: Bitcoin tracks risk sentiment, not digital gold.
• CoinDesk: Quantum computing group offers 1 BTC to break elliptic curve cryptography.

As economic uncertainty persists, gold’s dominance as a safe haven is clear, while bitcoin navigates choppy waters as a risk asset. Investors should stay vigilant for key crypto and macro developments in the days ahead.