- Gold’s market value has surged to about $34 trillion, outpacing Bitcoin’s recent gains.
- BlackRock holds nearly 800,000 bitcoin in its bitcoin ETF, worth about $70 billion.
- Rick Rieder, who has supported bitcoin, is a leading candidate for Federal Reserve chair in Donald Trump’s selection process.
- Expectations of large interest-rate cuts under a new Fed chair have supported crypto and equity markets.
- Analysts say a weakened Fed independence and a “politicized dollar” could boost demand for bitcoin and gold as hedges.
The U.S. dollar and markets entered 2026 amid a major gold price rise that pushed gold’s market capitalization to about $34 trillion, while bitcoin has failed to match gold’s gains. The situation comes as Rick Rieder, a bitcoin backer and BlackRock fixed income chief, has emerged as a top contender to succeed Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve chair under Donald Trump.
BlackRock’s bitcoin ETF has grown rapidly since its 2024 launch and now holds nearly 800,000 bitcoin, worth about $70 billion. Bitcoin fell below $100,000 in November and has struggled to recover its early-2025 momentum as some traders warn of a large market shock.
Rick Rieder has publicly supported bitcoin. He told CNBC in 2020, “I think [bitcoin] will take the place of gold to a large extent? Yeah, I do, because it’s so much more functional than passing a bar of gold around,” and added, “I think bitcoin is here to stay.” In a later remark he said bitcoin was “going to go up” and advised holding bitcoin alongside gold for portfolio ballast against currency depreciation.
Geoff Kendrick, head of digital assets research at Standard Chartered Bank, said Rieder’s chances of becoming Fed chair have risen and that “He will run the economy hot which should help crypto.” Contracts on prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket still show former Fed governor Kevin Warsh as a leading contender, after former advisor Kevin Hassett fell out of favor.
Donald Trump told CNBC in a recent interview that he is narrowing his Fed chair choices and called Rieder “very impressive.” Trump has said his preferred Fed pick must commit to significant interest-rate cuts.
Analysts link potential rate cuts and political influence over the Fed to rising demand for non-dollar hedges. Samer Hasn, senior market analyst at XS.com, said via email that “Undermining the Fed’s independence makes holding the greenback a less attractive safety play,” adding that a “politicized dollar” narrative supports long-term interest in decentralized assets like bitcoin and hard assets like gold. (Market capitalization means the total value of all outstanding units of an asset; an ETF is an exchange-traded fund, a pooled investment traded on stock exchanges.)
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