According to the Bitcoin Magazine price chart, Bitcoin dipped slightly by 0.11% in the past 24 hours to $116,700, but is still up 25% year-to-date, only trailing gold's 29.3% increase among major asset classes, according to statistics from financial strategist Charlie Bilello posted on X.
As of August 8, Bitcoin's 25% year-to-date increase is only behind gold (+29.3%). Other major asset classes recorded more modest gains: emerging market stocks (VWO) increased by 15.6%, Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) increased by 12.7%, large-cap U.S. stocks (SPY) increased by 9.4%, while mid-cap (MDY) and small-cap (IWM) only edged up by 0.8% and 0.2%, respectively. This is the first time since tracking began that gold and Bitcoin have held the top two positions in Bilello's annual rankings.
Cumulative performance 2011–2025
In the long term, Bitcoin has delivered an extraordinary cumulative return of 38,897,420% since 2011, outperforming all other asset classes. Gold, with a cumulative return of 126% over the same period, ranks in the middle, trailing behind equity indices such as the Nasdaq 100 (+1,101%), large-cap U.S. stocks (+559%), mid-cap (+316%), small-cap (+244%), and emerging market stocks (+57%). In relative terms, Bitcoin's returns have been over 308,000 times higher than gold in the past 14 years.
Average annual return 2011–2025
When considering the average annual returns, Bitcoin's superior position becomes even more pronounced. This cryptocurrency has achieved an average annual increase of 141.7% since 2011, compared to 5.7% for gold, 18.6% for Nasdaq 100, 13.8% for large-cap U.S. stocks, and 4.4%–16.4% across other stock indices and real estate groups. Gold continues to play a crucial role as a hedge asset in certain market cycles, but its rate of appreciation is much slower compared to Bitcoin's breakout.
Peter Brandt's perspective
Veteran trader Peter Brandt on August 8 compared the value retention role of gold with Bitcoin's superior potential. "Many believe gold is a great store of value — and rightly so. But the ultimate store of value asset will be Bitcoin," he wrote on X, accompanied by a long-term chart of the U.S. dollar's purchasing power. This perspective reinforces the argument that scarcity and decentralization enable Bitcoin to surpass traditional hedging channels over time.
