US Stocks Beat Gold, Bitcoin as Best Hedge in 2026 US-Iran War

US equities proved the strongest hedge during the 2026 US-Iran war, while gold, silver, and Bitcoin all lost ground, according to BeInCrypto. The conflict ran from February 28 to June 17, 2026, with a July flare-up. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq climbed to records, while precious metals collapsed. Gold entered the war near record highs of $5,281 but posted four consecutive monthly declines, falling 22% by mid-July. Silver sank 37%. Bitcoin behaved like a risk asset, climbing to an intraday high of $82,791 on May 10 but closing the war down about 2%. It traded near $62,000 by July 13 before rebounding on cooling US inflation. Oil was the clearest war trade, with Brent surging 63% to $118 by late March before round-tripping to about $70 by July 1.