Us reserves status quo: gold, oil and the emerging role of bitcoin
The American government has long been based on gold and oil as reserve assets, but with the increasing institutional adoption of Bitcoin (BTC), its potential strategic reserve role has increased considerably. This possibility and the potential of the Bitcoin strategic reserve experienced a major back wind while the new administration took care of the United States in January 2025.
Although gold has historically supported monetary systems and oil remains an economic and key security asset, Bitcoin represents a new type of digital reserve that questions traditional financial paradigms.
The United States has substantial gold and oil reserves, but its Bitcoin farms are relatively small and mainly acquired by asset attacks. In the third quarter of 2024, the United States has approximately 8,133.46 metric tonnes of gold, worth around $ 789. 87 billion (March 8, 2025), making it the largest sovereign holder of gold reserves.
These reserves were historically used as a cover against economic uncertainty and to support the dollar before the abandonment of the Order stallion in 1971.
In the case of oil, the United States maintains a strategic oil reserve (SPR), which, in August 2024, contains approximately 372 million barrels. The SPR was created in the 1970s in response to the oil crisis and was estimated at around $ 28 billion at current market prices. These reserves manage the disturbances of the offer, control inflationary pressures and stabilize energy markets during geopolitical crises.
Bitcoin, unlike gold and oil, is not an official reserve asset, but the US government has a significant amount thanks to confiscations. Estimates suggest that the government controls approximately 200,000 BTC, worth around $ 15.90 billion at a Bitcoin price of $ 79,515 (March 10).
However, unlike gold and oil, these assets are not stored as strategic reserves but rather as assets awaiting auction or liquidation by the Ministry of Justice and the US Marshal Service.
Liquidity and dynamics of the gold, oil and bitcoin market
Gold, oil and bitcoin each have unique liquidity and market dynamics, gold being the most stable, driven by oil by geopolitical factors and bitcoin characterized by high volatility and 24/7 accessibility.
The liquidity depth of an asset on a market is an extremely important indicator of the health of the assets. As a rule, the higher the liquidity, the more options for prices and risk management.
Let us understand how gold, oil and bitcoin differ from each other in terms of liquidity and market dynamics:
- Gold: It remains one of the most liquid financial assets, with daily negotiation volumes exceeding $ 200 billion in the term markets, the funds negotiated on the stock market (ETF) and the over -the -counter transactions (OTC). Its deep liquidity and universal recognition make it a preferred asset for central banks, institutional investors and governments that seek to cover themselves against inflation and currency fluctuations. Although the price of Gold varies, it has historically maintained a drop in volatility than most other assets.
- Oil: It is exchanged for immense volumes on the markets of points and term contracts, with future daily volumes reaching approximately 1 million barrels in the world. Unlike gold, the liquidity of oil is largely linked to its industrial demand and its geopolitical developments. The price of oil is very sensitive to the disruption of the supply chain, the organization of decisions of oil exporting countries (OPEC) and macroeconomic policies. Given its role in the energy markets, the volatility of oil is much higher than gold, with price swings that can result from political instability, production cuts or major conflicts.
- Bitcoin: Bitcoin, although it is a relatively new asset, is very liquid, with daily negotiation volumes often exceeding $ 30 billion to $ 50 billion in world trade. Although BTC has acquired legitimacy among institutional investors, it remains much more volatile than gold and oil due to speculative demand, regulatory uncertainty and market structure. Unlike gold and oil, Bitcoin works on a 24/7 trading cycle, which makes it unique in terms of accessibility and global liquidity.
Storage and security concerns for reserve assets
Storage and safety problems are crucial for any reserve active, each active ingredient with unique challenges and costs.
- Gold: It is generally stored in very secure facilities such as Fort Knox, the New York Federal Reserve Bank and other boxes around the world. The cost of storage of gold varies, but large -scale sovereign reserves require substantial safety infrastructure, transport costs and insurance. In addition, physical gold is vulnerable to theft and requires a constant audit to ensure the authenticity and precision of the weight. In addition, childcare costs for institutions storing gold in Vault chests vary from 0.10% to 0.50% per year, according to the storage supplier.
- Oil: Unlike gold and bitcoin, oil has logistical challenges because it must be stored in underground salt caves, refineries or oil floats. The cost of maintaining the strategic oil reserve requires billions of dollars in infrastructure, maintenance and security. In addition, oil storage is subject to damping due to environmental conditions, evaporation and risk of contamination, which makes it more expensive to maintain than gold or bitcoin.
- Bitcoin: Bitcoin storage differs fundamentally, because it is a digital asset. Governments and institutions generally use cold storage portfolios and multisigry safety to protect their assets. Although Bitcoin Guard does not require physical storage facilities, the risk of cybersecurity such as hacking, poor management of private keys and regulatory monitoring present major challenges. Institutional quality childcare solutions such as Bitgo, Fireblocks and Coinbase Custody invoice 0.05% to 0.25% per year, significantly lower than gold storage costs. However, the irreversibility of Bitcoin transactions increases the risks associated with poor management or unauthorized access.
Strategic and economic role of reserve assets
Gold, oil and bitcoin play each strategic roles in global economy, with gold as a hedge, oil influencing geopolitical stability and bitcoin emerging as a decentralized asset for the protection of inflation.
All these assets have acquired strategic and macroeconomic significance over time. Their story with relevance for broader capital markets is perhaps what is necessary to arouse the interest of investors.
- Gold: Gold’s strategic role in the world economy dates back thousands of years, serving as a universal reserve of value and a means of exchange. The United States has officially linked its currency to gold in the Bretton Woods system (1944-1971), which established the dollar as the global reserve currency supported by gold. Even after the United States abandoned the OR in 1971, gold remained a key strategic active ingredient held by central banks around the world as coverage against devaluation and inflation of frames.
- Oil: It has become an essential economic and security asset, its price fluctuations with a direct impact on inflation, consumption expenditure and geopolitical stability. OPEC training in 1960 and subsequent oil crises in the 1970s demonstrated oil capacity to stimulate inflation and shape economic policy. The Petrodollar system, in which oil transactions are settled in US dollars, has further solidified the role of oil in global finance, guaranteeing a sustained demand for the dollar and influencing American foreign policy.
- Bitcoin: The potential of the BTC as a reserve rat is in its decentralized nature, its fixed supply (21 million BTC) and its resistance to monetary discharge. Unlike gold and oil, which require in -depth infrastructure, Bitcoin can be transferred worldwide in minutes and stored at a cost close to zero.
As institutional adoption increases, the strategic value of Bitcoin as coverage against inflation and government debt is increasingly recognized.
The future of the American government’s Bitcoin policy
Political movements suggest that the establishment of a Bitcoin strategic reserve could position it alongside traditional assets such as gold and oil in the future.
In January 2025, President Donald Trump signed a decree entitled “strengthening American leadership in digital financial technology”, establishing the presidential working group on digital asset markets to explore the creation of a stock of national digital assets.
Based on this initiative on March 7, President Trump signed another executive decree to create a “strategic bitcoin reserve” and “American digital storage”, aimed at positioning the United States as a leader in cryptocurrency space. These reservations will be funded exclusively through cryptocurrencies entered during the laws to apply the law, ensuring that no taxpayers’ funds is used.
However, the reserve will be financed using cryptocurrencies already held by the government, mainly obtained through asset confiscations rather than through new government purchases.
This strategy had mixed reactions. Although some consider it as a positive step towards the adoption of digital assets, others express their concern concerning the lack of new investments and the potential implications for the use of lost assets. As of March 10, 2025, the Bitcoin value decreased by more than 5% to around $ 79,515, reflecting the disappointment of the market compared to the reserve financing approach.
For the future, the Bitcoin policy of the United States government should continue to evolve. The presidential working group is expected to provide recommendations by July 2025, which could influence future regulatory executives, investment strategies and the integration of digital assets in the wider financial system.
As global interest in cryptocurrencies increases, the United States can further refine its policies to balance innovation with security and economic stability alongside traditional assets such as gold and oil, which remain integrated into the country’s financial strategy.
