When one considers investing in a given asset class and subsequently a specific asset – two primary questions should be asked:
What is the investment thesis for this asset class?
What proportion of a portfolio should be allocated to this asset class given current financial goals and constraints?
This primer will provide the answer to the second question (2). At its core, the question is optimal portfolio construction and the risk management of said portfolio for a given set of constituents. For brevity, we will assume the reader understands basic Modern Portfolio Theory but perhaps is less familiar with cryptoasset terminology and will define and expand on concepts where deemed necessary. Our report’s key argument is that adding cryptoasset exposure will lead to superior risk-adjusted investment outcomes precisely due to their unique property of having largely unrelated risk premiums compared to all other asset classes.
Coverage
Correlation of Returns Across Asset Classes
Correlation of Returns During Distressed Times
Portfolio with Different Rebalancing Frequencies
Dynamic Allocation with Blockchain Indicators
Conclusion
Disclaimer
Correlation of Returns Across Asset Classes
In Figure 1, we compare the correlation of returns for several major asset classes, represented by popular exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as well as Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH). The ETFs chosen represent a variety of asset classes and risk profiles and are as follows:
• US Equity, represented by SPY – The SPDR S&P 500 ETF
• Developed Equity, represented by EFA – The iShares MSCI EAFE ETF
• Emerging Equity, represented by EEM – The iShares MSCI Emerging MarketsETF
• US Bond, represented by AGG – The iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF
• US Long Term Treasury, represented by TLT – The iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF
Bitcoin’s correlation with major asset classes ranges from 0.00 to 0.27 (excluding Ethereum), similar to what Gold (GLD) offers, ranging from 0.06 to 0.23 from December 12, 2014 to September 30, 2023. This low level of correlation made both assets a vital diversification source for traditional portfolios, which are a mix of equities and bonds. However, there is almost no correlation (0.10) between gold and Bitcoin, making both unique diversification resources for investors’ portfolios.
Figure 1: Correlation matrix
Source: 21Shares. Data from Bloomberg and Yahoo Finance (BTC and ETH). From 31/12/2014 to 30/09/2023
Correlation of Returns During Distressed Times
March 2020 (Covid Crash)
During distressed times, asset classes tend to show an increased correlation between them. The stock market crash and liquidity crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic exemplify this pattern. Figure 2 shows that the significant and sudden global event that began in March 2020 and ended in April caused both Bitcoin and gold to undergo a sudden rise in correlation.
Figure 2: Correlation of returns during March 2020 (Covid Crash)
Source: 21Shares. Data from Bloomberg and Yahoo Finance (BTC and ETH)
March 2023 (Banking Crisis)
Bitcoin rallied 23% in March 2023 on the back of a looming banking crisis in the U.S. On March 13, the Federal Reserve had to step in to protect all depositors of Silicon Valley Bank, which experienced a bank run two days before, and of crypto-friendly Signature Bank, controversially shut down by its state chartering authority. Then, on March 19, UBS agreed to buy Credit Suisse in an emergency rescue deal brokered by Swiss authorities. Meanwhile, Figure 3 shows that BTC decoupled from risk assets like stocks and showed an increased correlation to Gold as investors turned to it as a hedge against bank risk.
At its core, Bitcoin is a non-sovereign and global asset that exhibits unique characteristics (trustless, permissionless, and censorship-resistant, among others). Indeed, one of Satoshi Nakamoto’s primary motivations for creating Bitcoin was to have an alternative payment system outside central banks’ control.
Figure 3: Correlation of returns during March 2023 (Banking Crisis)
Source: 21Shares. Data from Bloomberg and Yahoo Finance (BTC and ETH)
Portfolio with different rebalancing frequencies
We choose a traditional 60/40 portfolio (60% allocated to stocks, 40% allocated to bonds) as the hypothetical benchmark, as it has been a guidepost for the average investor since Nobel laureate Harry Markowitz developed the principles of Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) in the 1950s. For brevity, we assume the reader has a good understanding of MPT. Then, we backtest adding a 1% and 5% Bitcoin or Ether allocation to said diversified portfolio to understand the impact of a minor allocation to crypto across various performance metrics. Before diving into the results, the reader should be aware that this hypothetical portfolio was developed in hindsight, and past performance is no guarantee of future results.
5% BTC allocation to a simple growth portfolio (60% US Equity, 40% US Bond)
We tested six types of rebalancing strategies by adding 5% constant BTC allocation to a simple growth portfolio (US Equity – 60% represented by SPY, US Bond – 40% represented by AGG): daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually, and no rebalancing. These are the key takeaways:
• Improved risk-adjusted returns: The inclusion of cryptoassets in the diversified portfolio is noticeable with improved overall performance across all rebalance frequencies, improving annualized return from 6.09% to double digits range (from 10.87% to 27.64%) and enhancing Sharpe ratio from 0.45 to the 1.03 level.’
• Rebalancing is key: However, when adding Bitcoin without rebalancing, overall risk suffers with 48.31% annualized volatility, almost four times higher than the benchmark of 13.51%. The most efficient rebalancing schedule is annual. This strategy has historically proven to be maximizing cumulative returns (313%) and the Sharpe (1.03) and Sortino (1.59) ratios.
• Timing doesn’t really matter: As investors argue that timing matters in crypto investments, the research showed regardless of when to add bitcoin to their portfolio, 75% of the time, the strategy outperformed the benchmark in the next 1 year, and 100% of the time, the strategy exceeded it in the next 3 years.
Figure 4: Growth portfolio with different rebalancing frequencies (5% BTC allocation)
Source: 21Shares. Data from Yahoo Finance
5% BTC allocation to another simple growth portfolio (60% MSCI World, 40% US Bond)
We also tested six types of rebalancing strategies by adding 5% constant BTC allocation to another growth portfolio (MSCI World – 60% represented by URTH, US Bond – 40% represented by AGG): daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually, and no rebalancing. These are the key takeaways:
• Improved risk-adjusted returns: The inclusion of BTC in the diversified portfolio was noticeable with improved overall performance across all rebalance frequencies, improving annualized return from 3.52% to double digits range (13.90% with an annual rebalance) and enhancing Sharpe ratio from 0.26 to the 0.84 level.
• Rebalancing is key: However, when adding bitcoin without rebalancing, overall risk suffers with 50.48% annualized volatility, almost four times higher than the benchmark of 13.30%. The most efficient rebalancing schedule is annual. This strategy has historically proven to be maximizing cumulative returns (256.71%) and the Sharpe (0.84) and Sortino (1.25) ratios.
• Timing doesn’t really matter: As investors argue that timing matters in crypto investments, the research showed regardless of when to add bitcoin to their portfolio, 80% of the time, the strategy outperformed the benchmark in the next 1 year, and 100% of the time, the strategy exceeded it in the next 3 years.
Figure 5: Another growth portfolio with different rebalancing frequencies (5% BTC allocation)
Source: 21Shares. Data from Yahoo Finance
1% BTC allocation to a simple growth portfolio (60% US Equity, 40% US Bond)
We also tested six types of rebalancing strategies by adding just 1% constant bitcoin allocation to a simple growth portfolio (US Equity – 60%, US Bond – 40%): daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually, and no rebalancing (see next slide). These are the key takeaways:
• Improved risk-adjusted returns: The inclusion of Bitcoin in the diversified portfolio is noticeable, with improved overall performance across all rebalance frequencies, improving annualized return and enhancing the Sharpe ratio from 0.45 to 0.63.
• Rebalancing is key: Surprisingly, adding just 1% constant bitcoin allocation also reduced annualized volatility across all rebalance frequencies, except no rebalancing, in which case overall risk suffers with 25.47% annualized volatility. The reduction in annualized volatility to bitcoin’s low correlation to equities and bonds.
• Timing doesn’t really matter: As investors argue that timing matters in crypto investments, the research showed regardless of when to add bitcoin to their portfolio, 75% of the time, the strategy outperformed the benchmark in the next 1 year, and 100% of the time, the strategy exceeded it in the next 3 years.
Figure 6: Portfolio with different rebalancing frequencies (1% BTC allocation)
Source: 21Shares. Data from Yahoo Finance
1% ETH allocation to a simple growth portfolio (60% US Equity, 40% US Bond)
In addition, we tested six types of rebalancing strategies by adding 1% constant ETH allocation to a simple growth portfolio (US Equity – 60%, US Bond – 40%): daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually, and no rebalancing (see next slide). These are the key takeaways:
• Improved risk-adjusted returns: The inclusion of Ether in the diversified portfolio is noticeable with improved overall performance across all rebalance frequencies, improving annualized returns and enhancing the Sharpe ratio from 0.19 to 0.27.
• Rebalancing is key: However, when adding ETH without rebalancing, overall risk suffers with 24.16% annualized volatility, almost double the benchmark of 15.54%. The most efficient rebalancing schedule is quarterly. This strategy achieves the same volatility as the benchmark portfolio while improving the Sharpe (0.26) and Sortino (0.84) ratios.
• Timing doesn’t really matter: As investors argue that timing matters in crypto investments, the research showed regardless of when to add bitcoin to their portfolio, 70% of the time, the strategy outperformed the benchmark in the next 1 year, and 100% of the time, the strategy exceeded it in the next 3 years.
Figure 7: Portfolio with different rebalancing frequencies (1% ETH allocation)
Source: 21Shares. Data from Yahoo Finance
Dynamic Allocation with Blockchain Indicators
The Case for Market Value to Realized Value (MRVR)
Transparency of public blockchains has proven beneficial to gauging investor sentiment; though transactions are pseudonymous, timestamps and transaction values are visible and humanly readable. This certainly helps shed light on the potential psychology of BTC investors based on their cost basis. As mentioned in a book authored by Morgan Housel, The Psychology of Money, “Investing is not the study of finance. It’s the study of how people behave with money.”
The market-value-to-realized-value (MVRV) is a simple yet powerful blockchain (on-chain) multiple:
• ”Market value” refers to the current value of an asset (market cap).
• ”Realized value” refers to the aggregated cost basis of investors (realized cap). This metric was proposed by Nic Carter and Antoine Le Calvez in 2018. Using the vocabulary of the crypto industry, it is the aggregate value of all unspent transaction outputs (UTOXs) priced by their value when they last moved.
High MVRV values indicate a substantial degree of unrealized profits in the system. In contrast, values below ”1” indicate that a significant portion of BTC’s supply is near break-even or at a loss. Remember, investing is also the study of how people behave with money. Historically, high MRVR ratios have coincided with BTC market tops, while values below ”1” have preceded past cycles’ bottoms. BTC’s MVRV ratio broke above the ”1” mark in January this year. The last time this happened was in March 2020, marking the beginning of the previous cycle’s meteoric bull run.
Figure 8: Bitcoin’s Market Value to Realized Value (MVRV)
Source: Glassnode
Here’s how we constructed a dynamic rebalancing strategy based on the MVRV ratio. Our algorithm sets a logic to gradually increase the rebalancing weight towards distress times and vice versa. Here is the breakdown of the MVRV strategy:
• Monthly rebalance.
• Benchmark is a 60/40 (60% allocated to SPY and 40% to AGG) portfolio with a 5% constant BTC allocation.
• Rebalancing: MVRV driven.
• 90% of the portfolio is allocated to a 60/40 strategy.
• 10% of the portfolio is allocated to BTC and cash based on the MVRV indicator. BTC allocation is higher when MVRV is at low levels relative to its historical average and vice versa.
As shown in the chart below (Figure 8), with the above strategy, a dynamic allocation strategy driven by the MVRV ratio enhances an ongoing BTC allocation strategy on almost all performance metrics. Annualized return improved by ~8% per year with a similar level of risk; both the Sharpe and Sortino ratios improved, which showed the effectiveness of the fundamental indicator in preserving capital during market downtrends.
Figure 9: MVRV-based dynamic allocation
Source: 21Shares. Data from Yahoo Finance
Conclusion
This report has demonstrated the benefits of allocating a portion of one’s portfolio to Bitcoin and Ethereum through a thorough backtest over history. The core reason is historical evidence that cryptoassets give investors a chance to diversify their portfolios further and maximize risk-adjusted returns. The unique dynamics of the cryptoasset industry ensure that the critical value drivers for Bitcoin or Ethereum bear little relationship to the value drivers of stocks, fixed incomes, or alternative investments. What makes cryptoasset investing considerable is its potential to improve the risk profile by magnitudes. The often-volatile risk profiles of cryptoassets must be judged as just one part of an investor’s whole portfolio. Rebalancing is needed to harvest the risk premium and maintain the portfolio’s risk profile without significant downside risk exposure during distress periods.
Moreover, our study demonstrated the benefits of dynamic allocation in crypto with fundamental indicators like the MVRV ratio. However, theoretical portfolio allocation is only one aspect of the investment process one must go through before investing; this report has purposely avoided associated topics such as valuation, as these are covered in other writings.
Research Newsletter
Each week the 21Shares Research team will publish our data-driven insights into the crypto asset world through this newsletter. Please direct any comments, questions, and words of feedback to research@21shares.com
Disclaimer
The information provided does not constitute a prospectus or other offering material and does not contain or constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction. Some of the information published herein may contain forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties and that actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. The information contained herein may not be considered as economic, legal, tax or other advice and users are cautioned to base investment decisions or other decisions solely on the content hereof.
SPDR MSCI World Technology UCITSETF (SPFT ETF) med ISIN IE00BYTRRD19, strävar efter att spåra MSCI World Information Technology-index. MSCI World Information Technology-index spårar informationsteknologisektorn på de utvecklade marknaderna över hela världen (GICS-sektorklassificering).
ETFENs TER (total cost ratio) uppgår till 0,30 % p.a. SPDR MSCI World Technology UCITSETF är den billigaste ETF som följer MSCI World Information Technology index. ETF:n replikerar det underliggande indexets prestanda genom fullständig replikering (köper alla indexbeståndsdelar). Utdelningarna i ETFEn ackumuleras och återinvesteras i ETFEn.
SPDR MSCI World Technology UCITSETFär en stor ETF med tillgångar på 709 miljoner euro under förvaltning. Denna ETF lanserades den 29 april 2016 och har sin hemvist i Irland.
Fondens mål
Fondens investeringsmål är att följa resultatet för företag inom tekniksektorn, över utvecklade marknader globalt.
Indexbeskrivning
MSCI World Information Technology 35/20 Capped Index mäter utvecklingen för globala aktier som klassificeras som fallande inom tekniksektorn, enligt Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS).
Det betyder att det går att handla andelar i denna ETF genom de flesta svenska banker och Internetmäklare, till exempel DEGIRO, Nordnet, Aktieinvest och Avanza.
Dogecoin has outperformed other major cryptoassets over the past decade, while also exhibiting a low correlation to crypto and traditional assets. This creates a compelling argument for a portfolio allocation. We tested a Bitcoin-enhanced growth portfolio, which is a traditional 60/40 infused with 3% Bitcoin, and we introduced a modest 1% DOGE allocation. Since most prospective investors likely already hold Bitcoin, this offers a lens into how the two assets can complement each other.
Despite the small portfolio allocation, every approach delivered stronger returns. The benchmark returned 7.25% annually, while DOGE-enhanced portfolios reached as high as 8.95%. Sharpe ratios improved in almost all tests, indicating better risk-adjusted returns. Volatility did slightly tick up, but drawdowns remained largely contained. Even with no rebalancing, the max drawdown only deepened by a few percentage points, underscoring that even a 1% DOGE allocation adds meaningful punch without destabilizing the broader portfolio.
Rebalancing remains essential to capturing upside effectively. Without it, returns can plateau while risk quietly compounds. Monthly or weekly rebalancing offered the best balance, maximizing returns while keeping volatility and drawdowns in check, especially during periods of broader market stress, as we’ve recently seen. Given Dogecoin’s momentum-driven nature, a more strategic approach linked to broader crypto market cycles may offer even greater optimization beyond routine rebalancing.
With the right structure, a 1% allocation to Dogecoin isn’t reckless—it’s rewarding.
Bear Case
Despite strong fundamentals and a rich cultural legacy, Dogecoin’s recent rally, fueled by post-election memecoin mania, may have front-run its true cycle potential. As attention shifts to newer narratives, DOGE risks being seen as ’yesterday’s play,’ potentially underperforming even in a rising market. Still, that wouldn’t signal a flaw in its model, just a pause in a fast-rotating cycle.
Assuming a continued 10% compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) from its 2021 peak of $0.73, DOGE would be projected to land around $0.38 by 2025—still more than 2x from today’s levels but modest relative to past cycles. More notably, this would mark the first time Dogecoin fails to reach a new all-time high in a full market cycle.
Neutral Case
Dogecoin may not dominate headlines like it did at its peak, but it still holds cultural relevance and widespread recognition. In a scenario where the total crypto market cap peaks at $5 trillion this cycle and DOGE maintains a solid, albeit slightly reduced, market share of 3% instead of its previous 4%, this would result in a market capitalization of approximately $150 billion for DOGE.
At that valuation, DOGE would trade near $1 per coin, a ~5.5x gain from current levels around $0.185. This neutral case assumes Dogecoin retains its stature as the leading memecoin, despite increased competition, with stable adoption and renewed retail interest, but without the same euphoria of the last cycle.
Bull Case
If we take DOGE’s bottom price of $0.007 just before the last bull run began and fast-forward two years to the bottom of the current cycle at $0.0585, that move reflects a CAGR of 189%. If DOGE were to mirror this explosive growth, DOGE would reach approximately $1.42.
In this scenario, Dogecoin benefits from renewed memecoin mania, increasing real-world adoption, and stronger interest fueled by regulatory clarity and potential integration with major platforms like Elon Musk’s X. A full return of retail enthusiasm and broad cultural momentum could reestablish DOGE as the breakout asset of the cycle, potentially even doubling its all-time high.
Research Newsletter
Each week the 21Shares Research team will publish our data-driven insights into the crypto asset world through this newsletter. Please direct any comments, questions, and words of feedback to research@21shares.com
Disclaimer
The information provided does not constitute a prospectus or other offering material and does not contain or constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction. Some of the information published herein may contain forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties and that actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. The information contained herein may not be considered as economic, legal, tax or other advice and users are cautioned to base investment decisions or other decisions solely on the content hereof.
VanEck Bitcoin ETN (VBTC ETN) med ISIN DE000A28M8D0, spårar värdet på kryptovalutan Bitcoin. Den börshandlade produktens TER (total cost ratio) uppgår till 1,00 % p.a. Denna ETN replikerar resultatet av det underliggande indexet med en skuldförbindelse med säkerheter som backas upp av fysiska innehav av kryptovalutan.
VanEck Bitcoin ETN är en stor ETN med 568 miljoner euro tillgångar under förvaltning. Denna ETN lanserades den 19 november 2020 och har sin hemvist i Liechtenstein.
Produktbeskrivning
Kombinera spänningen med bitcoin med enkelheten och säkerheten hos traditionell finans. Bitcoin är den äldsta kryptovalutan, med det största börsvärdet. Det ses ofta som digitalt guld, ett digitalt värdelager i en tid av osäkerhet. VanEck Bitcoin ETN är en fullständigt säkerställd börshandlad sedel som investerar i bitcoin.
100 % uppbackad av bitcoin (BTC)
Förvaras hos en reglerad kryptodepå, med kryptoförsäkring (upp till ett begränsat belopp)
Kan handlas som en ETF på reglerade börser (om än inom ett annat segment)
Huvudriskfaktorer
Volatilitetsrisk: Handelspriserna för många digitala tillgångar har upplevt extrem volatilitet under de senaste perioderna och kan mycket väl fortsätta att göra det. Digitala tillgångar har bara introducerats under det senaste decenniet och klarhet i regelverket är fortfarande svårfångad i många jurisdiktioner.
Valutarisk, teknikrisk, juridiska och regulatoriska risker. Du kan förlora pengar genom att investera i fonderna. Värdet på investeringarna kan gå upp eller ner och investeraren kanske inte får tillbaka det investerade beloppet.
Underliggande index
MarketVector Bitcoin VWAP Close Index (MVBTCV Index).
Handla VBTC ETN
VanEck Bitcoin ETN (VBTC ETN) är en europeisk börshandlad kryptovaluta. Denna fond handlas på flera olika börser, till exempel Deutsche Boerse Xetra och Euronext Amsterdam.
Det betyder att det går att handla andelar i denna ETP genom de flesta svenska banker och Internetmäklare, till exempel Nordnet, SAVR, DEGIRO och Avanza.