Research

Considerations for including bitcoin in investment portfolios

Research from Fidelity Institutional Wealth Adviser evaluates bitcoin's potential benefits and risks, and provides a framework for asset allocation questions

Key Takeaways
  • Advisors and investors increasingly are evaluating bitcoin as a potential investment allocation, and one of their highest priorities is how to incorporate it into a multiasset portfolio.
  • Those with conviction about bitcoin’s potential are looking at exposure for several potential investment purposes, including return enhancement, diversification, and as an inflation hedge; however, many are unsure how to proceed given bitcoin’s limited performance history and volatility.
  • In this paper, Fidelity Institutional Wealth Adviser conducted returns, volatility, and correlation analysis of bitcoin relative to stocks, bonds, and gold to test its potential benefits within the context of a 60/40 stocks/bonds portfolio.
  • We found that bitcoin has behaved as a high-beta investment that has offered some return-enhancing properties, but small allocations could contribute exponential risk to a 60/40 portfolio.
  • Bitcoin has also offered some diversification benefits, although correlations have varied. Its correlation to changing inflation has been increasing almost to the level of equities.
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Considerations for including bitcoin in investment portfolios