Bitcoin Posts 633.2% Real Return, Outpacing Gold and Stocks

Bitcoin (BTC) delivered a 633.2% cumulative inflation-adjusted return in a multi-year comparison of 10 assets, exceeding silver, the S&P 500 and gold after an adjustment for roughly 25% cumulative U.S. inflation.

The comparison ranked assets by gains in purchasing power rather than by their most recent annual performance. Bitcoin recorded a 49% real compound annual growth rate, while the same analysis listed a 25% decline over the preceding year.

Silver ranked second with a 60.7% cumulative real return. The S&P 500 delivered a 57.3% real total return, including dividends, and gold gained 55.5% after inflation.

U.S. house prices returned 18.6% after inflation, while farmland gained 10.4%. Real estate investment trusts produced a 1.6% real return.

Cash held in U.S. savings accounts lost 18.2% in real terms. Aggregate bonds fell 22.2%, while palladium ranked last with a negative 62.7% cumulative real return.

The comparison included Bitcoin as its only cryptocurrency. The other assets were silver, gold, the S&P 500, U.S. housing, farmland, real estate investment trusts, savings-account cash, aggregate bonds and palladium.

Dividends and interest were included where applicable. The results cover a stated multi-year period and describe historical performance rather than a forecast of how the assets will perform in the future.