ETFdb Logo
ETFdb Logo
  • ETF Database
  • Channels
    • Active ETF
    • Alternatives
    • Beyond Basic Beta
    • China Insights
    • Climate Insights
    • Commodities
    • Core Strategies
    • Crypto
    • Disruptive Technology
    • Dividend
    • Dual Impact
    • Emerging Markets
    • Energy Infrastructure
    • ESG
    • ETF Building Blocks
    • ETF Education
    • ETF Strategist
    • Fixed Income
    • Free Cash Flow
    • Future ETFs
    • Global Diversification
    • Gold & Silver Investing
    • Innovative ETFs
    • Institutional Income Strategies
    • Leveraged & Inverse
    • Managed Futures
    • Market Insights
    • Megatrends
    • Modern Alpha
    • Multi-Asset
    • Night Effect
    • Portfolio Strategies
    • Retirement Income
    • Richard Bernstein Advisors
    • Tax Efficient Income
    • Thematic Investing
    • Volatility Resource
  • Tools
    • ETF Screener
    • ETF Country Exposure Tool
    • ETF Sector Tracker Tool
    • ETF Database Categories
    • Head-To-Head ETF Comparison Tool
    • ETF Stock Exposure Tool
    • ETF Issuer Fund Flows
    • Indexes
    • Mutual Fund To ETF Converter
    • ETF Data for Journalists
    • ETF Nerds
  • Research
    • First Bitcoin ETF
    • ETF Education
    • Equity Investing
    • Dividend ETFs
    • Leveraged ETFs
    • Inverse ETFs
    • Index Education
    • Index Insights
    • Top ETF Sectors
    • Top ETF Issuers
    • Top ETF Industries
  • Webcasts
  • Themes
    • AI ETFs
    • Blockchain ETFs
    • See all Thematic Investing ETF themes
    • ESG Investing
    • Marijuana ETFs
  • Multimedia
    • ETF 360 Video Series
    • ETF Trends on Videos
    • ETF Trends on Podcasts
    • ETF Prime Podcast
  • Company
    • About Us
    • Swag Store
  • PRO
    • Pro Content
    • Pro Tools
    • Advanced
    • FAQ
    • Pricing
    • Free Sign Up
    • Login
  1. Crypto Channel
  2. Exploring Bitcoin/Equity Correlations
Crypto Channel
Share

Exploring Bitcoin/Equity Correlations

Tom LydonAug 31, 2022
2022-08-31

In financial market terms, bitcoin isn’t an old asset, but its history is still widely studied. One of the primary observations regarding the largest digital currency is that in its early years, it wasn’t intimately correlated to equities.

There were even periods when bitcoin was negatively correlated to stocks. However, that scenario changed in recent years, leaving bitcoin branded as a risk asset in the process. As a result, it’s not surprising that in a time when stocks are struggling, as is the case in 2022, the same is true of bitcoin.

“First and most obvious, asset classes show increased correlation during times of market volatility and uncertainty. Even the bond market, which usually exhibits a negative correlation with equities, has been showing an increasing positive correlation throughout 2022. On the other hand, some of the correlation could be attributed to cryptocurrency market maturity,” noted Alerian analyst Roxanna Islam.

Indeed, bitcoin’s rising correlations to stocks are leaving some investors disappointed, particularly in this high inflation environment. Previously, some experts believed that bitcoin would be an ideal inflation-fighting tool. However, it’s possible that the digital asset’s correlations will decouple going forward.

“With limited data and no set precedent, it is difficult to tell how Bitcoin correlations will look like in the future. It is likely that correlations could decouple slightly as markets normalize, but correlations may still remain high given market maturity,” added Islam. “But higher correlation with equities isn’t necessarily bad, especially since many investors have started to use Bitcoin and Bitcoin-related equities as a return enhancer or as a portion of a larger tech allocation at levels around 1-5% of their total portfolio.”

Speaking of correlations, investors can find equities — so-called crypto-correlated stocks — that are highly sensitive to bitcoin’s price movements. Those include bitcoin miners, firms that are larger holders of bitcoin and other fintech names with crypto inroads.

“Crypto miners also share high correlations with Bitcoin as they derive most of their profits based on the price of Bitcoin mined but can vary based on how well they manage electricity costs and overhead expenses. Correlations for exchanges and banks are still relatively high but lower than other parts of the crypto ecosystem as their profits are also derived from volumes, fees, and commissions,” concluded Islam.

Investors looking to access broad baskets of crypto-correlated stocks can turn to exchange traded funds such as the Invesco Alerian Galaxy Crypto Economy ETF (SATO ) and the Invesco Alerian Galaxy Blockchain Users and Decentralized Commerce ETF (BLKC ).

For more news, information, and strategy, visit the Crypto Channel.

vettafi.com is owned by VettaFi, which also owns the index provider for SATO & BLKC. VettaFi is not the sponsor of SATO & BLKC, but VettaFi’s affiliate receives an index licensing fee from the ETF sponsor.

Loading Articles...
Help & Info
  • Contact Us
Tools
  • ETF Screener
  • ETF Analyzer
  • Mutual Fund to ETF Converter
  • Head-To-Head ETF Comparison
  • ETF Country Exposure Tool
  • ETF Stock Exposure Tool
  • ETF Performance Visualizer
  • ETF Database Model Portfolios
  • ETF Database Realtime Ratings
  • ETF Database Pro
More Tools
  • ETF Launch Center
  • Financial Advisor & RIA Center
  • ETF Database RSS Feed
Explore ETFs
  • ETF News
  • ETF Picks of the Month
  • ETF Category Reports
  • Premium Articles
  • Alphabetical Listing of ETFs
  • Best ETFs
  • Browse ETFs by ETF Database Category
  • Browse ETFs by Index
  • Browse ETFs by Issuer
  • Compare ETFs
Legal
  • Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
  • © 2023 VettaFi LLC. All rights reserved.
Follow ETF Database
Follow ETF Database

Advertisement

Is Your Portfolio Positioned With Enough Global Exposure?

ETF Education Channel

How to Allocate Commodities in Portfolios

Tom LydonApr 26, 2022
2022-04-26

A long-running debate in asset allocation circles is how much of a portfolio an investor should...

Core Strategies Channel

Why ETFs Experience Limit Up/Down Protections

Karrie GordonMay 13, 2022
2022-05-13

In a digital age where information moves in milliseconds and millions of participants can transact...

}
X