Gold just beat everything but this hedge fund manager is calling it a trap for Indian investors
He warns that the triggers that drove gold’s price—global mistrust in the dollar, the Swift system ban on Russia, and trade war fears—may not repeat. “Unless there’s an AI crash or a new global trigger, gold’s upside is limited.”
- Sep 24, 2025,
- Updated Sep 24, 2025 7:28 AM IST
Gold may have outshined stocks and crypto in the past year—but it’s not the future, says Akshat Shrivastava. The Wisdom Hatch founder and finfluencer says central bank demand drove gold’s recent rally, but warns retail investors not to get carried away: “Don’t get excited by gold. Use it as a hedge. That’s it.”
In a deep-dive video analysis, Akshat Shrivastava compares gold’s performance against major asset classes like Nifty50, S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Bitcoin. On a one-year basis, gold outperformed them all. “It has beaten Nifty50. It has beaten S&P 500. It has beaten Nasdaq Composite. It has beaten Bitcoin,” Shrivastava said.
But stretch the timeline to three years or more, and the picture flips. Gold lags behind U.S. equities and crypto. “Over longer periods, gold hasn’t beaten the S&P 500, Nasdaq, or Bitcoin. The last year was an anomaly,” he explains.
What caused the spike? Shrivastava credits aggressive gold buying by central banks, especially China and Russia, following geopolitical tensions like the Russia-Ukraine war and U.S. sanctions. “This isn’t household demand. It’s governments hoarding gold as a hedge against the U.S. dollar.”
He warns that the triggers that drove gold’s price—global mistrust in the dollar, the Swift system ban on Russia, and trade war fears—may not repeat. “Unless there’s an AI crash or a new global trigger, gold’s upside is limited.”
Forecasts show modest 5–12% gains for gold over the next year. Longer-term estimates are even lower, with projections around 6–8% annually.
Shrivastava classifies investors into three types: gold-only investors (whom he urges to diversify), those holding other fixed-supply assets like real estate and Bitcoin, and pure stock investors who might use gold as a portfolio hedge.
“I’m a tech investor,” he says. “Tech stocks have outperformed gold on 1, 3, 5, and 10-year timelines. I’ll hold gold only as a small hedge—5 to 10%.”
Gold may have outshined stocks and crypto in the past year—but it’s not the future, says Akshat Shrivastava. The Wisdom Hatch founder and finfluencer says central bank demand drove gold’s recent rally, but warns retail investors not to get carried away: “Don’t get excited by gold. Use it as a hedge. That’s it.”
In a deep-dive video analysis, Akshat Shrivastava compares gold’s performance against major asset classes like Nifty50, S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Bitcoin. On a one-year basis, gold outperformed them all. “It has beaten Nifty50. It has beaten S&P 500. It has beaten Nasdaq Composite. It has beaten Bitcoin,” Shrivastava said.
But stretch the timeline to three years or more, and the picture flips. Gold lags behind U.S. equities and crypto. “Over longer periods, gold hasn’t beaten the S&P 500, Nasdaq, or Bitcoin. The last year was an anomaly,” he explains.
What caused the spike? Shrivastava credits aggressive gold buying by central banks, especially China and Russia, following geopolitical tensions like the Russia-Ukraine war and U.S. sanctions. “This isn’t household demand. It’s governments hoarding gold as a hedge against the U.S. dollar.”
He warns that the triggers that drove gold’s price—global mistrust in the dollar, the Swift system ban on Russia, and trade war fears—may not repeat. “Unless there’s an AI crash or a new global trigger, gold’s upside is limited.”
Forecasts show modest 5–12% gains for gold over the next year. Longer-term estimates are even lower, with projections around 6–8% annually.
Shrivastava classifies investors into three types: gold-only investors (whom he urges to diversify), those holding other fixed-supply assets like real estate and Bitcoin, and pure stock investors who might use gold as a portfolio hedge.
“I’m a tech investor,” he says. “Tech stocks have outperformed gold on 1, 3, 5, and 10-year timelines. I’ll hold gold only as a small hedge—5 to 10%.”