① Bitcoin has underperformed this year, lagging far behind precious metals such as gold. ① And major US indices; ② However, investment management firm VanEck believes it has the potential to become the best asset in 2026; ③ VanEck's David Schassler points out that the main basis is the powerful combination of currency devaluation, technological change, and the rise of hard assets.
This year, Bitcoin's performance has been a major disappointment for investors, significantly underperforming precious metals like gold and the tech-heavy Nasdaq. 100 stock index.
However, some optimists still believe that Bitcoin could be the "best of the year" next year, partly because they expect it to benefit from the devaluation of fiat currencies.
David Schassler, head of multi-asset solutions at investment management firm VanEck, points out that Bitcoin, the largest crypto asset, may be preparing for a massive rally next year.
In its recently released 2026 outlook, Schassler wrote, "Bitcoin has lagged behind the Nasdaq 100 by about 50% so far this year, and this disconnect puts it on track to become the best-performing asset in 2026."
While Bitcoin's weakness this year reflects weakening risk appetite and tight liquidity, Schassler writes that the fundamental argument for Bitcoin remains valid: "Bitcoin typically rallies sharply as currency devaluation intensifies and liquidity returns." He adds, "We've been buying."
Schassler's arguments focus primarily on the powerful combination of currency devaluation, technological change, and the rise of hard assets. This asset manager believes that as governments increasingly rely on printing money to finance future debt and political ambitions, investors will turn to scarce stores of value, such as gold and Bitcoin.
He also predicts that gold prices will surge to $5,000 next year, a more than 10% increase from current levels. He stated, "Gold has been one of the strongest performing major assets this year, and we expect this momentum to continue."
Gold prices have risen more than 70% so far this year, and have now broken through $4,500 per ounce.
Meanwhile, a quiet bull market in commodities is unfolding, driven by artificial intelligence. Energy transition, robotics The infrastructure needs for technology and re-industrialization. As Schassler previously stated, these "old world assets" are preparing the new world for... It laid the foundation for the economy.
(Article source: CLS)
