Bitcoin News Today: Bitcoin's Break from Gold Shatters 'Digital Gold' Myth as ETFs Drive Institutional Adoption

Bitcoin's meteoric rise in 2025 has positioned it as the top-performing global asset, surging 62% year-to-date to outpace gold, Tesla, and major tech stocks. The cryptocurrency's gains have sparked renewed debate about its role as a macroeconomic hedge, particularly after October's near-zero correlation with gold shattered the "digital gold" narrative.

The divergence between Bitcoin and gold became stark in October, with gold rising 10% while Bitcoin slipped 6% over the same period. Analysts noted that the timing of price movements—Bitcoin hitting its lows in mid-October before gold's decline — highlighted structural differences in how the two assets respond to market forces. "Gold trades in macro time, reacting to central bank moves and liquidity pulses, while Bitcoin trades in positioning time, driven by leverage and on-chain dynamics," explained in a CryptoRank analysis. The correlation metric for the month registered a shallow 0.1, underscoring the temporal misalignment.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin's institutional adoption accelerated, as Coinotag reported, with whales shifting billions into spot ETFs like BlackRock's IBIT. Over $3 billion in Bitcoin holdings were converted to ETFs, leveraging SEC-approved in-kind redemption rules that streamline tax-efficient transfers. BlackRock's IBIT, now managing $88 billion in assets, became the fastest-growing ETF in history, signaling a shift toward regulated crypto exposure for institutional players.

Market dynamics also saw ETF outflows near -2,000 BTC in late October, a temporary cautionary trend amid profit-taking. However, historical patterns from Glassnode suggest such outflows often precede recoveries, with Bitcoin stabilizing above $110,000 despite the pullback. Retail investors, meanwhile, faced losses as altcoin bets faltered, with $800 billion wiped from speculative positions.

On the innovation front, Bitcoin's utility expanded beyond stores of value. Rumble, the video-sharing platform, partnered with Tether to launch a Bitcoin tipping feature for its 51 million users, enabling direct, instant payments to creators. The integration, part of a $775 million investment from Tether, aims to cement Bitcoin's role in decentralized finance and global content monetization.

Price predictions remain polarized. While Tom Lee and Michael Saylor envision Bitcoin reaching $1.6–$2 million by aligning with gold's market cap, skeptics argue such valuations require unprecedented global financial shifts. "Bitcoin's beta to gold is 0.15—barely related," noted analysts, emphasizing the asset's higher volatility and distinct drivers.