Buy Both AI Stocks and Bitcoin, Says Bitwise CIO Amid $40 Trillion Debt Crisis

The U.S. government's debt has surpassed $40 trillion, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is looking for ways to address this burden. Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan believes that investors should consider buying both AI stocks and Bitcoin as a way to hedge against two possible scenarios: one where the economy grows through productivity driven by AI adoption, and another where GDP growth fails and inflation is used to devalue debt.

Hougan notes that if Bessent's plan to grow the economy through AI adoption succeeds, companies like Micron Technology (MU) and AMD could see significant gains. In fact, since the start of the year, these stocks have already surged +224.97% and +108.80%, respectively.

However, if GDP growth fails, Hougan sees Bitcoin as a crisis hedge that successfully passed a stress test in 2026. The cryptocurrency fell by 33% year-to-date but rebounded strongly in August, reducing its losses to 10.91%.