Bitcoin (BTC) breached a rising help trendline towards gold (XAU), which has been intact for over 12 years, on March 14.
XAU/BTC ratio weekly efficiency chart. Supply: TradingView/NorthStar
Fashionable analyst NorthStar says this breakdown may spell the top of Bitcoin’s 12-year bull run if it stays below the gold trendline for even every week or—worse—a month.
Is Bitcoin’s bull market over? Let’s take a better take a look at BTC’s correlation with gold.
Gold hits new report excessive as Bitcoin’s uptrend cools
The BTC/XAU ratio breakdown occurred as spot gold charges hit a brand new report excessive above $3,000 per ounce on March 14, after rising by about 12.80% year-to-date.
In distinction, Bitcoin, which is usually known as “digital gold,” has dropped by 11% up to now in 2025.
BTC/USD vs. XAU/USD YTD efficiency chart. Supply: TradingView
The performances mirror the contrasting web flows into US-based spot exchange-traded funds (ETF) monitoring Bitcoin and gold.
As an illustration, as of March 14, the US-based spot gold ETFs had collectively attracted over $6.48 billion YTD, in keeping with knowledge useful resource World Gold Council. Globally, gold ETFs have seen $23.18 billion in inflows.
Gold ETFs weekly holdings by area. Supply: GoldHub.com
Alternatively, US-based spot Bitcoin ETFs noticed almost $1.46 billion in outflows YTD, in keeping with onchain knowledge platform Glassnode.
US Bitcoin ETFs year-to-date web flows. Supply: Glassnode
The driving power behind this divergence lies in rising macroeconomic uncertainty and risk-off sentiment, exacerbated by President Donald Trump’s aggressive commerce insurance policies.
Associated: Bitcoin panic promoting prices new traders $100M in 6 weeks — Analysis
New tariffs on China, Mexico, and Canada have heightened fears of a world financial slowdown, pushing traders towards conventional safe-haven belongings like gold.
In the meantime, central banks, together with these within the US, China, and the UK, have accelerated their gold purchases, additional boosting gold costs.
Nations that acquired probably the most gold up to now in 2025. Supply: GoldHub.com
In distinction, Bitcoin is mirroring the broader risk-on market. As of March 14, its 52-week correlation coefficient with the Nasdaq Composite index was 0.76.
BTC/USD vs. Nasdaq Composite 52-week correlation coefficient chart. Supply: TradingView
Has Bitcoin value topped?
The present Bitcoin-to-gold breakdown aligns with historic patterns, significantly the March 2021–March 2022 fractal, which preceded the final bear market.
At the moment, the BTC/XAU ratio exhibited a bearish divergence, characterised by rising costs juxtaposed towards a declining relative power index (RSI). This sample prompt diminishing upward momentum.
BTC/XAU ratio two-week efficiency chart. Supply: TradingView
Consequently, the ratio initially retreated towards the 50-period, two-week exponential transferring common (EMA) help degree earlier than in the end plummeting by 60%.
That BTC/XAU breakdown interval coincided with Bitcoin’s 68% correction towards the US greenback.
BTC/USD two-week efficiency chart. Supply: TradingView
BTC/XAU has as soon as once more accomplished a two-phase EMA retest, echoing the 2021–2022 fractal.
BTC/USD two-week efficiency chart (zoomed). Supply: TradingView
With the RSI exhibiting bearish divergence, momentum seems to be fading, growing the likelihood of additional declines, particularly if the ratio drops decisively beneath the 50-2W EMA help (~26 XAU).
Because of this, it may additionally point out Bitcoin’s elevated vulnerability to cost declines in greenback phrases, with the 50-2W EMA beneath $65,000 performing as the following potential draw back goal.
BTC/USD 2W value efficiency chart. Supply: TradingView
That’s down about 40% from Bitcoin’s report excessive of round $110,000 established in January.
Nonetheless, Nansen analysts think about such a decline as a “correction inside a bull market,” elevating prospects of a bullish revival if the 50-2W EMA holds as help. Nevertheless, a definitive break beneath the EMA may thrust Bitcoin into bear market territory.
That would drag Bitcoin’s 2025 draw back goal towards the 200-period two-week EMA (the blue wave) to as little as $34,850 if this Bitcoin-gold fractal repeats.
This text doesn’t comprise funding recommendation or suggestions. Each funding and buying and selling transfer entails danger, and readers ought to conduct their very own analysis when making a call.