In the past 24 hours, Bitcoin has slightly decreased by 0.11% to 116,700 USD, but it has still increased by 25% year-to-date, only trailing behind 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% increase since the beginning of the year is only behind gold (+29.3%). Other major asset classes recorded more modest increases: emerging market stocks (VWO) rose 15.6%, Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) rose 12.7%, large-cap US stocks (SPY) rose 9.4%, while mid-cap (MDY) and small-cap (IWM) only nudged up by 0.8% and 0.2%, respectively. This is the first time since statistics began that gold and Bitcoin have held the top two positions in Bilello's annual rankings.

Cumulative Performance 2011–2025

In the long run, Bitcoin has provided extraordinary cumulative returns — 38,897,420% since 2011, outperforming all other asset classes. Gold, with a cumulative return of 126% during the same period, ranks in the middle, trailing behind stock indices such as Nasdaq 100 (+1,101%), large-cap US stocks (+559%), mid-cap (+316%), small-cap (+244%), and emerging market stocks (+57%). In relative terms, Bitcoin's returns are more than 308,000 times higher than gold over the past 14 years.

Average Annual Return 2011–2025

When considering the average annual return, Bitcoin's superior position becomes even more evident. This cryptocurrency has achieved an average increase of 141.7% per year since 2011, compared to 5.7% for gold, 18.6% for Nasdaq 100, 13.8% for large-cap US stocks, and 4.4%–16.4% in other stock and real estate index groups. Gold maintains its role as an important hedging asset in some market cycles, but its price increase is much slower compared to Bitcoin's breakout.

Peter Brandt's Perspective

Veteran trader Peter Brandt on August 8 compared gold's role as a store of value with Bitcoin's superior potential. "Many people believe gold is a great store of value — and they are right. But the ultimate store of value will be Bitcoin," he wrote on X, accompanied by a long-term chart of the purchasing power of the USD. This viewpoint reinforces the argument that scarcity and decentralization enable Bitcoin to surpass traditional hedging channels over time.