What is iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's risk, return, and volatility like?
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF returned -9.0% over the 1Y window. On the Since inception lens, Sharpe ratio is 0.61, annualized volatility is 50.9%, and max drawdown is -49.4%.
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Price history
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF price since inception
Track iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's standalone price path with macro and asset-specific events enabled by default.
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF price since inception
Key takeaways
- Total Return: IBIT returned -9.0% over the 1Y window and +65.0% over the Since inception window ; annualized return over Since inception was +24.8%.
- Risk-adjusted return: Sharpe was 0.61 and Sortino was 0.91 over Since inception. Sharpe counts total volatility; Sortino focuses on downside volatility.
- Volatility & drawdown: Annualized volatility was 43.7% over 1Y and 50.9% over Since inception ; max drawdown was -49.4% over 1Y and -49.4% over Since inception .
- Tail risk (Expected Shortfall): Over Since inception, daily VaR (5%) was -4.6% and Expected Shortfall was -6.8%. VaR is the cutoff; Expected Shortfall is the average move inside the worst 5% of daily returns.
- Skew & kurtosis: Over Since inception, skew was -0.08 and excess kurtosis was 1.84. Skew shows return asymmetry; excess kurtosis shows how fat the tails were versus a Normal distribution.
- Risk ratios: Sortino Ratio: 0.91 , Calmar Ratio: 0.50 , Sterling Ratio: 0.77 , Treynor Ratio: 0.24 , Ulcer Index: 19.42% .
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF Drawdown
Max drawdown shows the deepest peak-to-trough decline iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF suffered in each research window. 1Y: -49.4%; Since inception: -49.4%.
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF is currently -38.4% below its prior peak, with the high-water mark at $71.29. Since inception low is $22.32.
Since inception drawdown episodes
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF Volatility
Volatility iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's annualized volatility shows how widely daily closes moved over 1Y and Since inception. Higher values mean a noisier path, not automatically a better or worse investment. 1Y: 43.7%; Since inception: 50.9%.
Benchmark context
Where IBIT fits relative to other lenses
Benchmark links are secondary on this page. Use them when you want to place the asset against a specific market, factor, or historical counterpart.
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Bitcoin
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S&P 500
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Gold
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Ethereum
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Risk-adjusted ratios
These ratios compare return against different definitions of risk: total volatility, downside volatility, drawdowns, benchmark beta, and time spent underwater.
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF Sharpe Ratio
IBIT Sharpe Ratio (Since inception)
Return per total volatilityThe dot sits at (iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's annualized volatility, its excess annualized return). The slope from the origin to the dot is the Sharpe ratio — steeper means the asset converted risk into return more efficiently.
Sharpe ratio iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's Sharpe ratio measures excess return per unit of total volatility. Higher readings mean the asset converted risk into return more efficiently over the same window. 1Y: -0.09; Since inception: 0.61.
A Sharpe above 1.0 is generally considered good, above 2.0 is excellent. Negative Sharpe means the asset underperformed the risk-free rate. Calculated on each asset's full 365-day lookback of available prices and annualized using the asset calendar (365 for crypto, 252 trading days for equities/ETFs/metals).
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF Sortino Ratio
IBIT Sortino Ratio (Since inception)
Return per downside volatilityiShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's daily-return distribution over the long window. Days left of the target line are the only ones Sortino penalizes in the denominator — so a distribution with a fat left tail produces a smaller Sortino even at the same mean return.
Sortino ratio iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's Sortino ratio isolates downside volatility instead of all volatility. It is the cleaner lens when you care more about bad downside moves than upside noise. 1Y: -0.13; Since inception: 0.91.
A higher Sortino is better. It's useful when upside volatility is common (crypto is the obvious example). Calculated on each asset's full 365-day lookback of available prices, using the daily risk-free rate as the target return, and annualized using the asset calendar (365 for crypto, 252 trading days for equities/ETFs/metals).
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF Calmar Ratio
IBIT Calmar Ratio (Since inception)
CAGR per worst drawdowniShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's CAGR bar sits above zero, the max drawdown bar sits below. Calmar is the ratio of those two magnitudes — a shallow drawdown bar with a tall CAGR bar produces a strong Calmar.
Calmar ratio iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's Calmar ratio measures return per unit of max drawdown. It is useful when the path of losses matters as much as the final return. 1Y: -0.18; Since inception: 0.50.
Calmar is computed on each asset's full 365-day lookback and uses the max drawdown over that same window.
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF Sterling Ratio
IBIT Sterling Ratio (Since inception)
Return per average drawdownThe underwater curve shows iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's drawdowns over the long window. Sterling averages every event deeper than the 10% threshold instead of taking only the worst one — so an asset with many mid-size drawdowns scores worse here than on Calmar.
Sterling ratio iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's Sterling ratio compares return against deep drawdown pressure. It gives a harsher read on assets that compound well but suffer ugly declines along the way. 1Y: -0.43; Since inception: 0.77.
Sterling uses average drawdown events deeper than 10% and subtracts the risk-free rate to report excess return.
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF Ulcer Index
IBIT Ulcer Index (Since inception)
Drawdown painThe underwater curve shows how deep and how long iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's drawdowns were. Ulcer is the root-mean-square of that curve — both depth and persistence count, so lower is better.
Ulcer Index iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's Ulcer Index measures both the depth and persistence of drawdowns. Lower is better because it means fewer and shallower underwater periods. 1Y: 24.91; Since inception: 19.42.
Ulcer Index is computed from each asset's drawdown series over the full lookback window.
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF Treynor Ratio
IBIT Treynor Ratio (Since inception)
Excess return per beta vs SPYThe line's slope is iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's beta to SPY — steeper means more market-sensitive. Treynor divides excess return by that slope, so an asset can look efficient with a shallow beta and a small return, or inefficient with a steep beta and a big return.
Treynor ratio measures excess return per unit of market beta versus SPY. A high Treynor means the asset compensated its market exposure well over this window. A low or negative Treynor means the asset's market risk wasn't rewarded.
Treynor uses beta vs the S&P 500 (SPY) on shared dates and the average 3-month Treasury rate as the risk-free rate.
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF Tail Risk
Tail-risk stats use daily return distributions rather than simple end-point returns. They show how ugly the left tail has been, how severe the worst 5% of days were, and whether returns were skewed toward outsized upside or downside shocks.
The histogram shows the shape of iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's daily log returns over the Since inception window. Bars left of the 5% VaR marker are the worst 5% of days; the ES marker is the average loss inside that tail. Skew and excess kurtosis describe whether the distribution is symmetric around zero and whether extreme days are more common than a Normal distribution predicts.
IBIT daily return distribution (Since inception)
IBIT daily return distribution (Since inception)Log-return histogram with Value-at-Risk and Expected Shortfall markers at the 5% left tail.
| Metric | 1Y | Since inception |
|---|---|---|
| VaR (5%) | -4.1% Historical daily threshold | -4.6% Historical daily threshold |
| Expected shortfall (5%) | -6.0% Beyond the VaR threshold | -6.8% Beyond the VaR threshold |
| Skew | -0.37 | -0.08 |
| Excess kurtosis | 2.40 | 1.84 |
Less negative daily VaR and Expected Shortfall values mean the left tail was less violent. Skew and excess kurtosis help distinguish between steady compounding and a path dominated by occasional extreme moves.
Full stats table
Every window-consistent research metric
Each column keeps the same horizon across returns, ratios, drawdowns, and tail-risk metrics.
| Metric | 1Y Recent window | Since inception Deeper research window |
|---|---|---|
| Total return | -9.0% | +65.0% |
| Annualized return | -9.0% | +24.8% |
| Volatility | 43.7% Annualized daily closes | 50.9% Annualized daily closes |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.09 | 0.61 |
| Sortino ratio | -0.13 | 0.91 |
| Calmar ratio | -0.18 | 0.50 |
| Sterling ratio | -0.43 | 0.77 |
| Ulcer Index | 24.91 | 19.42 |
| Max drawdown | -49.4% 2025-10-06 to 2026-02-05 | -49.4% 2025-10-06 to 2026-02-05 |
| VaR (5%) | -4.1% Historical daily threshold | -4.6% Historical daily threshold |
| Expected shortfall (5%) | -6.0% Beyond the VaR threshold | -6.8% Beyond the VaR threshold |
| Skew | -0.37 | -0.08 |
| Excess kurtosis | 2.40 | 1.84 |
What viewers usually ask next
What is iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's Since inception CAGR?
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's since inception cagr is +24.8% on Gale using the since-inception window.
What is iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's 1-year volatility?
Annualized volatility is 43.7% over the past year.
What is iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's since-inception Sharpe ratio?
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's Sharpe ratio is 0.61 using the since-inception window.
What is iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's since-inception Sortino ratio?
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's Sortino ratio is 0.91 using the since-inception window.
What is iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's since-inception Calmar ratio?
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's Calmar ratio is 0.50 using the since-inception window.
What is iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's since-inception Sterling ratio?
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's Sterling ratio is 0.77 using the since-inception window.
What is iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's since-inception Ulcer Index?
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's Ulcer Index is 19.42 using the since-inception window. Lower is better because it means shallower and less persistent drawdowns.
What is iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's since-inception max drawdown?
Max drawdown is -49.4% over the since-inception window from 2025-10-06 to 2026-02-05.
What is iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's since-inception daily Value at Risk?
Using historical daily returns, Gale estimates a 5% Value at Risk of -4.63% over the since-inception window.
What is iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's since-inception Expected Shortfall?
Expected Shortfall is -6.81% over the since-inception window, which captures the average outcome inside the worst 5% of daily returns.
Is iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF still below its all-time high?
Current drawdown is -38.4% versus the all-time high of $71.29 reached on 2025-10-06.
Which benchmark should viewers open first for iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF?
Bitcoin is the default benchmark lens on Gale because it gives the cleanest context for iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF's recent behavior.