Bitcoin and Gold Rally on US Debt Fears
Bitcoin (BTC)
Editor:
Eugene Serbin
Cryptobriefing.com reports that investors are increasingly viewing Bitcoin and gold as hedges against fiscal anxiety as US debt balloons. The US national debt crossed $40 trillion in August 2026, with annual interest payments approaching $1 trillion. This fiscal pressure has triggered a rally in the 'debasement trade,' pushing gold above $4,700 per ounce and Bitcoin above $77,000.
Ray Dalio of Bridgewater Associates recommends allocating 10-15% of portfolios to gold, with a modest Bitcoin holding to improve risk-adjusted returns. Research from Bitwise and JPMorgan indicates that a 15% combined allocation to these assets produced a Sharpe ratio nearly three times higher than a standard 60/40 portfolio from 2018 to 2025. This outperformance was particularly strong during market corrections.
Bitcoin’s supply is capped at 21 million coins, halving approximately every four years, while gold supply grows by 1-2% annually through mining. Historically low correlation between the two assets usually reduces volatility, but both tend to rise together during genuine fiscal stress. Dalio frames this shift as a regime change in how investors should perceive risk rather than a simple trade.
How the market reacted
Whalio's own Binance spot order flow for BTC, measured when this story was written up on 26 August 2026. Not the outlet's figures.
Bitcoin is currently trading at $79,023.75, with a 24-hour buy ratio of 49.9% indicating near-even distribution between buyers and sellers. Short-term pressure shows a decline, as the 1-hour buy ratio sits at 44.7% and the 4-hour ratio at 43.0%, both below the daily average. This suggests that buying pressure is fading in the immediate term. Volume Delta reflects this sentiment, showing net selling of -$9,605,302 over the last hour and -$13,495,762 over four hours. The Cumulative Volume Delta for the day closed at -$64,526,673, confirming that sellers have dominated the flow. Despite this, spot volume remains robust at $1,148,236,056 across over 4 million trades.
The latest daily buy ratio of 46.7% sits at the 18th percentile of the last 322 days, against a median of 49.2% - weaker buying than most days.
Twenty-four hours later
What BTC did over the 24 hours after the story broke. The market moves for its own reasons; this is what happened, not what the story caused.
Was that an ordinary day?
The same Binance spot measurements for BTC, averaged over the days leading up to the story.
Over the preceding week, the average buy ratio was 51.6%, meaning today’s 24-hour ratio of 49.9% represents a slight cooling of buying interest. Trading volume has also contracted significantly, sitting at just 0.54 times the weekly average. While the coin has gained 14.0% over eight days, the current day sees volume Delta at -$903,088, contrasting sharply with the week’s total net buying of +$445,688,281. This indicates that the recent momentum is pausing after a strong weekly run. The market is currently experiencing a day of net selling amidst an otherwise bullish weekly trend.