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A Turbulent Week for Investors
ETFS Multi-Asset Weekly A Turbulent Week for Investors
Highlights
- Grains continue to gain on weather disruptions in the US.
- Global equities see violent gyrations.
- Risk or inflation the driver for Japanese Yen (JPY)?
Global stocks and oil faced a particularly volatile week as investors digested weaker-than-expected data. The S&P 500 fell 3.4% in the week up to the Thursday 16th, while Brent crude oil fell 6.2% over the same time period. However, on Friday we started to see a partial recovery. The S&P 500 rose 1.2% and Brent gained 2.0% in just one day as central bank statements from James Bullard (US Federal Reserve) and Andrew Haldane (UK Bank of England) put forward the case to keep unconventional, loose monetary policy in place for longer.
Commodities
Grains continue to gain on weather disruptions in the US. Following the previous week’s rise on the back of stellar corn export numbers, rain disrupted the harvesting of grains in the US, leading to further gains. Wheat rose 4.8%, corn gained 2.2% and soybeans increased 2.6%. However, reports of improved weather are likely to cap these gains. Palladium fell 8.2%, dragged lower by the disappointing euro area industrial production and general capitulation in sentiment last week. Nickel, zinc and tin were also casualties of the same phenomenon, falling 7.3%, 5.1% and 4.7% respectively. Brent crude oil fell 6.2%, before staging a partial recovery on Friday. Gold rose 0.9%, as the metal maintained its position as the first port of call in times of turbulence. Futures market net speculative positioning in gold rose for the first time since August 2014
Equities
Global equities see violent gyrations. Developed market equities reacted excessively negatively to weaker-than-expected economic data before staging a partial recovery on Friday. The Euro STOXX® Investible Volatility Index jumped 13.9% in just one week. One catalyst to the change in sentiment on Friday was comments from James Bullard, the previously hawkish president of the St Louis Fed, pushing for a delay in ending the asset purchase programme. The FTSE MIB declined 6.7% and the DAX fell 4.7% on the disappointing industrial production data in the euro area. European bourses were weighed down by animosity between euro area members following Greece’s plans to exit its rescue programme early. Not even Chinese equities were immune from the capitulation, with China A-shares declining 1.5% on the back of weak loan growth and inflation data.
Currencies
Risk or inflation the driver for Japanese Yen (JPY)? The unwinding of global risk-on positions last week prompted a JPY rally, but we expect this will be short-lived. Positioning in JPY remains severely negative and last week’s rebound is likely to come unstuck in the near-term as investor fears fade. The minutes of the Bank of England (BoE) meeting will be the main focus for Sterling investors this week. Last month two policymakers surprised the market by voting for a rate hike (7 voted for the status quo). The market has been pushing back expectations for a rate hike from Q2 to Q3 and we expect this trend to continue. A less hawkish Board meeting will likely see the downtrend for Sterling remain in place. After last week’s oil price plunge and subsequent partial recovery, we believe that oil prices will now stabilise, removing the downward pressure on the Canadian dollar and Norwegian Krone.
Important Information
This communication has been issued and approved for the purpose of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 by ETF Securities (UK) Limited (”ETFS UK”) which is authorised and regulated by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (”FCA”).
2024 was a landmark year for bitcoin, solidifying its role as a fully institutionalised asset class.
Institutional inflows into physical bitcoin exchange-traded products (ETPs) reached nearly $35 billion globally, signalling a major shift in how traditional investors view crypto. As bitcoin continued to enhance portfolios’ risk-return profiles, more institutional investors followed suit, reshaping the financial landscape.
Looking ahead, 2025 promises to bring exciting developments across the crypto ecosystem. Here are the top five crypto trends to watch.
Fear of being left behind
The era of bitcoin as a niche investment is over. Institutional adoption is creating a ripple effect, forcing hesitant players to reconsider. Portfolios with bitcoin allocations are consistently outperforming those without, highlighting its growing importance.
Figure 1: Bitcoin in a multi-asset portfolio
| 60/40 Global Portfolio | 1% Bitcoin Portfolio | 3% Bitcoin Portfolio | 5% Bitcoin Portfolio | 10% Bitcoin Portfolio | MSCI AC World | Bloomberg Multiverse | Bitcoin | |
| Annualised Return | 5.77% | 6.46% | 7.83% | 9.20% | 12.57% | 9.07% | 0.56% | 56.24% |
| Volatility | 8.79% | 8.86% | 9.14% | 9.62% | 11.42% | 13.94% | 5.05% | 67.28% |
| Sharpe Ratio | 0.48 | 0.55 | 0.68 | 0.79 | 0.96 | 0.54 | -0.20 | 0.81 |
| Information Ratio | 1.01 | 1.01 | 1.01 | 1.00 | ||||
| Beta | 70% | 71% | 73% | 75% | 81% | 100% | 24% | 181% |
Source: Bloomberg, WisdomTree. From 31 December 2013 to 30 November 2024. In USD. Based on daily returns. The 60/40 Global Portfolio is composed of 60% MSCI All Country World and 40% Bloomberg Multiverse. You cannot invest directly in an index. Historical performance is not an indication of future performance and any investment may go down in value.
With bitcoin’s ability to noticeably improve portfolios’ risk-return profiles, asset managers face a clear choice: integrate bitcoin into multi-asset portfolios or risk falling behind in a rapidly evolving financial landscape. In 2025, expect the competition to heat up as clients demand exposure to this powerhouse cryptocurrency.
Expanding crypto investment options
In 2024, regulatory breakthroughs opened the doors for physical bitcoin and ether ETPs in key developed markets. This marked a critical step towards making cryptocurrencies mainstream, providing seamless access to institutional and retail investors alike.
Figure 2: Global physical crypto ETP assets under management (AUM) and 2024 net flows
Source: Bloomberg, WisdomTree. 02 January 2025. Historical performance is not an indication of future performance and any investment may go down in value.
In 2025, this momentum is expected to accelerate as the crypto regulatory environment becomes more friendly in the United States and as key developed markets follow Europe’s lead and approve ETPs for altcoins such as Solana and XRP. With their clear utility and growing adoption, these altcoins are strong candidates for institutional investment vehicles.
This next wave of altcoin ETPs will expand the diversity of crypto investment opportunities and further integrate cryptocurrencies into the global financial system.
The maturing of Ethereum’s layer-2 ecosystem
Ethereum’s role as the backbone of decentralised finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and Web3 is unmatched, but its scalability challenges remain a hurdle. Layer-2 solutions—technologies such as Arbitrum and Optimism—are transforming Ethereum’s scalability and usability by enabling faster, cheaper transactions.
In 2025, Ethereum’s recent upgrades, such as Proto-Danksharding (introduced in the ‘Dencun’ upgrade), will drive layer-2 adoption even further. Innovations like Visa’s layer-2 payment platform leveraging Ethereum for instant cross-border transactions will underscore the platform’s evolution.
Expect Ethereum’s layer-2 ecosystem to power real-world use cases ranging from tokenized assets to decentralised gaming, positioning it as the infrastructure of a truly scalable digital economy.
Stablecoins: bridging finance and blockchain
Stablecoins are becoming indispensable to the global financial system, offering the stability of traditional assets with the efficiency of blockchain. Platforms such as Ethereum dominate the stablecoin landscape, hosting stablecoin giants Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC), which facilitate billions in daily transactions.
Figure 3: Key stablecoin chains
Source: Artemis Terminal, WisdomTree. 05 January 2025. Historical performance is not an indication of future performance and any investment may go down in value.
As we move into 2025, stablecoins will increasingly interact with blockchain ecosystems such as Solana and XRP. Solana’s high-speed, low-cost infrastructure makes it ideal for stablecoin payments and remittances, while XRP Ledger’s focus on cross-border efficiency positions it as a leader in global settlements. With institutional adoption rising and DeFi applications booming, stablecoins will serve as the backbone of a seamless, interconnected financial ecosystem.
Tokenization: redefining ownership and revolutionising finance
Tokenization is set to redefine how we think about ownership and value. By converting tangible assets like real estate, commodities, stocks, and art into digital tokens, tokenization breaks down barriers to entry and creates unprecedented liquidity.
In 2025, tokenization will expand dramatically, empowering investors to own fractions of high-value assets. Platforms such as Paxos Gold and AspenCoin are already showcasing how tokenization can revolutionize markets for gold and luxury real estate. The integration of tokenized assets into DeFi will unlock new financial opportunities, such as using tokenized real estate as collateral for loans. As tokenization matures, it will transform industries ranging from private equity to venture capital, creating a more inclusive and efficient financial system.
For the avoidance of any doubt, tokenization complements crypto by expanding the use cases of blockchain to include real-world applications.
Looking ahead
2025 is set to be a defining year for crypto, as innovation, regulation, and adoption converge. Whether it is bitcoin cementing its position as a portfolio staple, Ethereum scaling for mainstream use, or tokenization unlocking liquidity in untapped markets, the crypto ecosystem is poised for explosive growth. For investors and institutions alike, the opportunities have never been clearer or more compelling.
This material is prepared by WisdomTree and its affiliates and is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. The opinions expressed are as of the date of production and may change as subsequent conditions vary. The information and opinions contained in this material are derived from proprietary and non-proprietary sources. As such, no warranty of accuracy or reliability is given and no responsibility arising in any other way for errors and omissions (including responsibility to any person by reason of negligence) is accepted by WisdomTree, nor any affiliate, nor any of their officers, employees or agents. Reliance upon information in this material is at the sole discretion of the reader. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.
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