On January 29, 2026, economist Peter Schiff said Bitcoin is now worth about 15.5 ounces of gold, 57% below its 2021 high and only roughly 10% above its 2017 peak in gold terms. As Bitcoin trades below $89,000 amid geopolitical tension and a cautious Federal Reserve, analysts highlight renewed demand for gold and silver as investors seek perceived safer assets outside government control.

On Thursday, crypto analyst Benjamin Cowen said Bitcoin is likely to keep losing ground versus the stock market, warning that hopes for a rotation from gold and silver into crypto may be misplaced. Gold and silver hit all-time highs of $5,608.33 and $121.64, and Citi on Tuesday forecast silver could reach $150 within three months. Bitcoin traded at $82,859, down 7.78% over seven days, according to CoinMarketCap.

Donald Trump said he will name his choice for the next Federal Reserve chair, and several outlets reported Kevin Warsh is expected to be the nominee. Prediction markets reflected the shift, with Polymarket moving from 30% to 95% odds for Warsh and Kalshi at 93%, while Rick Rieder fell to 3.4%. Warsh has voiced a more favorable view of Bitcoin, calling it potential market discipline.

Bitcoin dropped to $81,058 on Coinbase in early Friday trading, marking a nine‑month low. CoinGlass reported $1.68 billion in liquidations over 24 hours, with 93% affecting levered longs in BTC and ETH. The selloff aligned with Middle East tensions, Trump’s tariff order, and weak tech earnings.

On Wednesday, CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju reiterated the view that Bitcoin functions as a form of "energy money," arguing that proof-of-work is evolving into a settlement layer for an AI-centric economy constrained by power rather than narratives. He aligned his comments with Hashed CEO Simon Kim's thesis that Bitcoin mining infrastructure and curtailed renewable energy can be monetized as AI demand for high-density, flexible power grows, citing large sovereign wealth allocations and flare-gas projects. Kim further claimed that over half of Bitcoin mining now relies on sustainable energy, that methane-based flare-gas mining materially cuts CO2-equivalent emissions, and that miners in regions like Texas act as controllable loads that support grid stability.

Bitcoin fell nearly 10% after losing the $86,500 area and is nearing the $80,000 support. According to an hourly BTC/USD analysis (data feed from Kraken), resistance sits at $82,000–$83,200, while supports align at $81,000, $80,500, and $80,000. A move above $83,200 could open $85,000–$85,700; failure risks $77,000 and $75,000.

On 30 January 2026, Bitcoin traded around $84,500 during a sharp market pullback, while the total crypto market cap dropped to about $2.87 trillion, nearly 5% lower. Bitcoin now sits roughly 83% above its prior cycle high and has rebounded around 730% from its bear-market low, compared with only about 6% above the previous peak and a roughly 300% recovery for the altcoin-focused TOTAL3 index. This widening performance gap has raised concerns that institutional flows and market structure may be increasingly favoring Bitcoin over the broader altcoin sector.

Michael Saylor, Strategy's founder and chairman, rejected claims the firm buys "paper BTC," asserting it acquires real Bitcoin and audits custodians. The company holds 712K BTC, with more than 110K said to be untraceable across custodians, and invested about $20B in 2024, $23B in 2025, and close to $4B in 2026. MSTR slipped about 2% to $157.45.