Bitcoin Versus Gold: Should You Buy Now?
Welcome to Episode #446 of the Zacks Market Edge Podcast.
Every week, host and Zacks stock strategist, Tracey Ryniec, will be joined by guests to discuss the hottest investing topics in stocks, bonds, and ETFs and how it impacts your life.
This week, Tracey is going solo to look at two alternatives to stocks that are both hitting new all-time highs in 2025: Bitcoin and Gold.
For those who follow Tracey on X, you know that she is not a fan of Bitcoin or cryptocurrencies but even she can respect a strong bull market when she sees one. And, no, she still doesn't own Bitcoin.
Tracey has owned gold before and currently owns two gold miners in the Zacks Value Investor portfolio and in her own personal portfolio.
Should stock investors be looking at Bitcoin or gold even though they are near their highs?
Or should they stay clear of one, or both, of them?
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF IBIT
Forget about buying the actual cryptocurrency coins. Thankfully investors can now buy Bitcoin through a basic ETF: the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF.
And investors have been gobbling up shares of IBIT since its launch on Jan 5, 2024. In that short period of time, it has already brought in $70 billion through May 29, 2025. That's a tremendous launch.
As of May 29, 2025, IBIT was up 12.8% year-to-date. However, since its launch in January 2024, it's up 139%. That is easily outperforming the S&P 500, which is up 24% in that same time.
Investors will pay a sponsor fee of 0.25% to own IBIT.
Should investors look at an alternative like Bitcoin?
SPDR Gold Shares ETF GLD
SPDR Gold Shares ETF is the leading Gold ETF. Listed on Nov 18, 2004, it is the largest physically backed gold exchange in the world. You don't have to buy gold bars from Costco; you can buy the ETF.
GLD has a gross expense ratio of 0.4%, which is higher than the Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) at 0.25%.
Because investors want lower fees, SPDR Gold Shares launched the Gold MiniShares Trust (GLDM). It launched on June 25, 2018. It has a gross expense ratio of just 0.1%.
GLD leads the industry with $97 billion in assets while GLDM already has $14.8 billion in just 7 years.
GLD is up 60% over the last year, easily beating the S&P 500 which is up about 24% in the same period.
Year-to-date GLD is up 23.8%, outperforming Bitcoin. GLD hit a new all-time high earlier this year.
Should investors diversify with GLD or GLDM right now?
What Else Should You Know About Bitcoin Versus Gold?
Tune into this week's podcast to find out.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
SPDR Gold Shares (GLD): ETF Research Reports
SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust (GLDM): ETF Research Reports
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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