Bitcoin’s rebound has a stronger technical foundation than gold’s recent advance and could have considerably more room to run, according to Fairlead Strategies founder Katie Stockton.
Stockton told CNBC that Bitcoin has completed a longer bottoming process and recently cleared a major technical hurdle: its 200-day moving average. BTC reached roughly $81,000 this week before trading near $78,400 at the time of her comments, while gold was around $4,636 an ounce.
The assessment comes as Bitcoin tests the upper end of a broader trading range. A fresh Coinpaper price outlook identified $80,500–$83,000 as the next major resistance zone, with a decisive move through that area potentially confirming another leg higher.
Bitcoin’s Base Gives the Rally More Support
Stockton’s bullish relative view rests largely on how Bitcoin formed its recent low.
BTC began establishing a base in June before retesting the area in July. The subsequent recovery pushed the cryptocurrency above its 200-day moving average, which had acted as a nearly exact resistance level in May. Immediate follow-through strengthened the breakout signal, Stockton said.
She also pointed to strong short-term momentum and improving intermediate-term indicators. Bitcoin is no longer oversold, but it has not yet reached overbought territory, suggesting the rally may still have capacity before momentum becomes stretched.
That view is supported by improving institutional demand. US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded about $338 million of net inflows on Aug. 24, with BlackRock’s IBIT accounting for $209 million, or 62% of the total. The latest ETF flows followed several other strong sessions as BTC recovered toward $80,000.
Gold Rally May Reach Resistance Earlier
Gold has also recovered strongly, but Stockton views the move differently. Its intermediate-term downtrend began later than Bitcoin’s, giving the metal less time to build a comparable base.
She characterized gold’s advance as a countertrend rally rather than a confirmed trend reversal. Intermediate-term momentum remains positive, so additional gains are possible, but resistance could arrive sooner than it does for BTC.
The comparison is especially relevant because both assets are frequently treated as scarcity trades. Bitcoin’s fixed 21 million-coin supply is central to its “digital gold” investment case, although its volatility remains substantially higher. Coinpaper’s evergreen Bitcoin guide explains how that limited supply is built into the network.
Stockton’s current call is ultimately about market structure rather than the long-term merits of either asset. Her research at Fairlead Strategies uses momentum, trend and support-resistance signals across different time horizons.
For traders, the immediate test is now whether Bitcoin can convert its technical breakout into sustained gains above the $80,500–$83,000 resistance area. Gold may continue climbing as well, but Stockton’s analysis suggests Bitcoin has more space before technical conditions become restrictive.
