Is Cryptocurrency Really a Volatile Outlier in Trading?
- Landon
- Apr 24
- 3 min read
Updated: May 2
Intro
For years, investors and media critiqued cryptocurrency as an outlier, due to some of the volatility surrounding the market. You cannot claim it as an outlier now due to the economic state of the country, so the real question is are the traditional routes of trading becoming more risky? As we moved through 2025 and now flowing through the first half of 2026, we have noticed lots of events that have shifted titans in the market like the energy and tech sector. These inflated price jumps are due to tariffs strategies from President Donald Trump, as well as conflict within the Middle East. This article seeks to compare these industries to crypto and provide a reliable reference for readers to make informed decisions on related matters.
Gold
Gold has been extremely volatile in the past six months, swinging from 4,100 dollars all the way to 5,400 dollars at one point in January. Although it has swung back down and is trying to grasp onto a stable trend, it is weird to see gold be so volatile. Gold is considered a “doomsday asset”, because it will always hold value, even if everything goes downhill quickly. This would give the audience a hint for the future stability of the market because if gold prices shoot up all of a sudden you would think that something is about to go badly. Comparing gold to bitcoin, gold has been a stronger short term investment. If we look at Binance, they calculate that Bitcoin wipes gold out of the water in the next 10-12 years with a 65x return compared to gold. Click here for more information.
Tech
The technology sector has been a rollercoaster, with Donald Trump's tariffs creating a blockade for major computer parts. With the fast advancement of Artificial Intelligence, there has been major shortages in key computer parts like RAM, driving prices through the roof. Tech and Bitcoin have been playing hand and hand over the past couple of months. There is a mirror effect on these industries because cryptocurrency assets run off the same components as those that are out of stock right now.
Oil
Oil is a more recent market that runs our country, but recently has been struggling to stay stable due to the war in Iran. Because of the involvement in the middle east, the Strait of Hormuz has been shut down, making oil less obtainable. Because of this, huge companies like EXXON have shot up 57 percent. Although this is a war and will not last indefinitely, it is still important to see how prices fluctuate in times of disagreement between countries.
Data Charts & Analysis
For each of these sectors, I compiled pricing data starting from December 31st, 2024. There is almost an inverse effect on both of the markets, especially between the cryptocurrencies and the NASDAQ 100. The tech fund I chose is extremely high right now due to Artificial Intelligence and the components that make computers run. In order for cryptocurrency to operate, it needs to play hand in hand with tech, so with prices being so high one can assume why the crypto assets are on a downside right now. Gold is also the best conductor for computers, because of its high electrical conductivity. With gold being at an all time high, it is going to make tech stock rise as well due to the use of gold in computers. On the other hand, oil barrels are on a steady rise and have the ability to reach prices like we saw during the Russia-Ukraine war. It is important to keep an eye on current political news when following oil due to the high volume of it in the Middle East.
April 24, 2026
https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/XOM/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29 vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHBIXtADKVLOj0yta3d8hO504i6DIfiazNdOaVZ-mLjbn2FGj-FDJ6N4K2hLecIb0hk4XZ3l03xu_uQ2-sQfVq-YpQZY9di430sNZCz3qVx8WJml A4zD4BklLZxMZW8PMRVgo7arzw7mhGpgOHdcL-B4DAIpHEpti1MxHmKgKKTO
