Wall Street Brings the Bitcoin-Versus-Gold Clash to ETF Masses

The culture clash between Bitcoin enthusiasts and gold bugs is about to be played out in the world of exchange-traded funds.

Tidal Financial Group this week filed to launch a pair of long-short trades — pitting the world’s biggest cryptocurrency against the shiny metal, and vice versa — offering investors a high-conviction bet on the best alternative hedge, in one fell swoop.

Packaged under the Battleshares brand, the novel exchange-traded funds would monetize the long-running debate about the ultimate store of value for those fearing everything from trade wars and geopolitical stresses to fiscal and monetary largesse. The ideological divide ...