Vivek Ramaswamy points to Bitcoin as a hedge to present economic turmoil

The American businessman turned politician believes Bitcoin is a hedge against the current economic downturn, which has seen the benchmark index for stocks, the S&P 500, drop by over 13% since the year started. Ramaswamy gave his sentiments on the crypto in a reply to a late Friday X post by Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino.

“This is becoming increasingly clear,” wrote the Ohio Gubernatorial seat aspirant. 

Although an investor could argue that Gold currently has better returns, as the crypto market is also in a bloodbath, BTC holds more value in a long-term comparison. 

If an investor had allocated $1,000 equally into Bitcoin, gold, and the S&P 500 five years ago, the latter would have doubled the initial investment to approximately $2,040. Gold could have yielded a slightly below 90% return, but Bitcoin has gone up 11 times in value since, bringing the same $1,000 investment to $12,210.

Stock market plunges down, crypto investments go up

A two-day post-Liberation Day market rout erased $6.6 trillion in shareholder value from the US stock market, according to Dow Jones data. Thursday and Friday marked the worst two-day loss in US equity market history, with $3.25 trillion of that value vanishing on Friday alone. At the same time, as reported by multiple sources, the crypto market absorbed $5.4 billion in new capital.

The selloff came as a result of new tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump, which rattled investors and raised fears of economic isolation. The S&P 500 fell by nearly 6% over the two-day stretch, surpassing early-term losses seen under former President George W. Bush, whose first office days had a low-point market performance.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 11.9% since Inauguration Day, while the S&P 500 has declined 15.4% in the same period, according to data through Friday’s close. The Russell 2000 index, focused on small-cap stocks, experienced its most turbulent start to a new administration on record, falling more than 25% from its November high and entering bear market territory. 

The Nasdaq Composite, which closed at an all-time high of 20,056.25 in February, has since plunged more than 22%.

On the flip side, the BTC/SPX ratio, an indicator comparing Bitcoin’s performance to the S&P 500, recently completed an inverse head-and-shoulders pattern, typically a bullish signal in asset comparison charts.

The pattern, seen in the chart above, has broken above a neckline at the 15 mark. After a standard pullback to retest the breakout point, the ratio rebounded and could lead to a renewed upward momentum for Bitcoin. It also corresponds with Bitcoin’s 2021 peak relative to the S&P 500, a zone that traders now view as the crypto’s support level.

Adding to the bullish signal, the monthly chart displayed a green candle following the rebound, an indication that Bitcoin bulls have successfully defended this critical zone. Analysts noted that the demand range between 13 and 15 on the BTC/SPX ratio, marked by multiple support lines, has become a battleground now tilting in Bitcoin’s favor.

“It seems like it has found a support/range, now that it has somewhat serious hodlers backing and interest like the Institutions and U.S govt SBR,” One market analyst on X commented. They backed the claim for two more reasons: Bitcoin faces no earnings compression and cannot be targeted by international tariffs.

According to market data trackers, Bitcoin is consolidating well above $80,000, as tech stocks like Apple and Meta both shed over 2% of their valuations on Friday’s market close. Overall, BTC had the least negative price movement compared to all the Magnificent 7 tech stocks, closely followed by Microsoft.

At the time of this publication, it was trading around $83,000, seeking a route past $85,000 that, if breached, could push the coin towards its 30-day high of values above $90,000. 

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