Bitcoin
MarketsDefinition
The first and largest cryptocurrency by market cap, launched in January 2009 by pseudonymous "Satoshi Nakamoto." A peer-to-peer digital cash system secured by proof-of-work mining and a fixed supply cap of 21 million coins.
Trades 24/7/365. Halving every ~4 years cuts mining rewards in half — historically followed by parabolic rallies. Held in self-custody (private keys) or via custodians/ETFs (IBIT, FBTC). Highly volatile (3-4x stock market vol). Often labeled "digital gold" but behaves more like a long-duration tech-risk asset.
Trades 24/7/365. Halving every ~4 years cuts mining rewards in half — historically followed by parabolic rallies. Held in self-custody (private keys) or via custodians/ETFs (IBIT, FBTC). Highly volatile (3-4x stock market vol). Often labeled "digital gold" but behaves more like a long-duration tech-risk asset.
Example
Started 2024 at ~$42K, reached ~$110K by Q1 2025, pulled back to ~$80K in mid-2025. ~7.5x cumulative return since 2020 vs ~2x for S&P 500.