What Will Shine Brightest in 2026: Gold, Bitcoin, or the S&P 500?

In a world full of investment choices, people are betting on which asset will shine the brightest by 2026. Polymarket, a platform for predicting market trends, has some interesting insights. According to their traders, gold has a 47% chance of being the top performer, while Bitcoin trails slightly at 39%, and the S&P 500 lags behind at 14%. Gold has been on a roll this year, climbing 12. 6% since January. It started the year at $4, 321 per ounce and recently hit a high of $4, 887. This surge is partly due to global tensions and trade worries, which have made the dollar weaker and pushed investors towards safer bets like gold. Meanwhile, Bitcoin has only seen a tiny gain of 0. 3% over the same period.Bitcoin's performance has been a bit of a rollercoaster. It took a hit after a speech by President Trump, dropping 3% and over 10% in the past week. Unlike gold, Bitcoin seems to be moving with riskier tech stocks, not as a safe haven. This makes its future a bit uncertain. Looking at the technical side, Bitcoin is stuck between key levels. It's down about 6% this week, failing to reclaim the $97, 121 mark. The 20-day and 50-day averages are at $96, 957 and $97, 121, respectively, with support at $86, 222 and $68, 219. The SAR indicator shows a bullish structure, but momentum has stalled. To shift sentiment, Bitcoin needs to reclaim $97, 000. If it doesn't, support levels at $86, 000-$80, 000 come into play. A breakdown below $80, 000 could see it drop to $75, 000, where traders see worst-case support. Resistance remains strong at the $97, 000-$100, 000 zone.