Bitcoin vs gold vs the S&P 500
$1,000 in Bitcoin, gold or the S&P 500: a decade-long race with wild swings.
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What the data shows
- Bitcoin: $1K in Jan 2017, $79.8K in Oct 2026 (80× higher). It peaked at $117K in Jul 2025.
- S&P 500: $1K in Jan 2017, $3.3K in Oct 2026 (3.3× higher).
- Gold: $1K in Jan 2017, $3.4K in Oct 2026 (3.4× higher). It peaked at $4K in Jan 2026.
About this chart
Bitcoin's line is the most dramatic chart in finance: huge gains with drawdowns of more than 70% along the way. Gold and the S&P 500 are steadier and, over this period, ended up in a similar place to each other.
Prices are quarterly snapshots, so the very highest and lowest days don't show. This is a historical illustration, not investment advice.
The data
Source: FRED (Coinbase BTC-USD, S&P 500 price index) and World Bank / LBMA monthly gold price, $1,000 invested in 2017-01, price only. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
| Date | Bitcoin | S&P 500 | Gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-01 | $1K | $1K | $1K |
| 2017-04 | $1.4K | $1K | $1.1K |
| 2017-07 | $2.9K | $1.1K | $1K |
| 2017-10 | $6.6K | $1.1K | $1.1K |
| 2018-01 | $10.4K | $1.2K | $1.1K |
| 2018-04 | $9.5K | $1.2K | $1.1K |
| 2018-07 | $8K | $1.2K | $1K |
| 2018-10 | $6.5K | $1.2K | $1K |
| 2019-01 | $3.5K | $1.2K | $1.1K |
| 2019-04 | $5.4K | $1.3K | $1.1K |
| 2019-07 | $10.4K | $1.3K | $1.2K |
| 2019-10 | $9.4K | $1.3K | $1.3K |
| 2020-01 | $9.6K | $1.4K | $1.3K |
| 2020-04 | $8.9K | $1.3K | $1.4K |
| 2020-07 | $11.7K | $1.4K | $1.5K |
| 2020-10 | $14.2K | $1.4K | $1.6K |
| 2021-01 | $34.1K | $1.6K | $1.6K |
| 2021-04 | $59.4K | $1.8K | $1.5K |
| 2021-07 | $42.8K | $1.9K | $1.5K |
| 2021-10 | $63.2K | $2K | $1.5K |
| 2022-01 | $39.6K | $2K | $1.5K |
| 2022-04 | $38.8K | $1.8K | $1.6K |
| 2022-07 | $24K | $1.8K | $1.5K |
| 2022-10 | $21.1K | $1.7K | $1.4K |
| 2023-01 | $23.9K | $1.8K | $1.6K |
| 2023-04 | $30.2K | $1.8K | $1.7K |
| 2023-07 | $30.1K | $2K | $1.6K |
| 2023-10 | $35.7K | $1.8K | $1.6K |
| 2024-01 | $43.9K | $2.1K | $1.7K |
| 2024-04 | $62.6K | $2.2K | $2K |
| 2024-07 | $66.6K | $2.4K | $2K |
| 2024-10 | $71.6K | $2.5K | $2.3K |
| 2025-01 | $104K | $2.7K | $2.3K |
| 2025-04 | $99.5K | $2.4K | $2.7K |
| 2025-07 | $117K | $2.8K | $2.8K |
| 2025-10 | $113K | $3K | $3.4K |
| 2026-01 | $81.2K | $3K | $4K |
| 2026-04 | $78.8K | $3.2K | $4K |
| 2026-07 | $64.8K | $3.3K | $3.4K |
| 2026-10 | $79.8K | $3.3K | $3.4K |
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Frequently asked questions
Where does this data come from?
FRED (Coinbase BTC-USD, S&P 500 price index) and World Bank / LBMA monthly gold price, $1,000 invested in 2017-01, price only. Retrieved November 3, 2026. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.
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