Ahead
- Ending value
- Profit / loss
- Total return
- CAGR
Gale Compare Lab
Compare two assets across a historical period
What if you had invested $1,000 in Bitcoin instead of gold? Pick two assets, an amount, and a date window to see what the same investment grew to — and how much risk it carried along the way.
Supported assets: Bitcoin, Ethereum, gold, and SPY.
Comparison inputs
Loading Compare Lab data...
Result
Ahead
- Ending value
- Profit / loss
- Total return
- CAGR
Worst drop
- Day-to-day swings annualized volatility
- Return vs worst drop Calmar ratio
Worst drop
- Day-to-day swings annualized volatility
- Return vs worst drop Calmar ratio
Methodology and limits
This historical comparison uses daily closes and, for ETFs, adjusted closes when available. It excludes fees, taxes, spreads, custody costs, execution timing, and other costs. It is educational, not financial advice.
Compare Lab FAQ
How much would $1,000 invested in Bitcoin be worth today?
Set the amount to $1,000, choose Bitcoin and a comparison asset such as gold or SPY, and pick a start date. Compare Lab shows the ending value, profit or loss, total return, and CAGR for the exact window you select — the answer depends entirely on when you would have bought.
Is Bitcoin or gold the better investment historically?
It depends on the window. Over some periods Bitcoin's return dwarfs gold's; over others Bitcoin's drawdown erased its lead. Compare Lab shows both the growth and the maximum drawdown for any window you choose, so you can judge return and risk together instead of relying on a single cherry-picked timeframe.
Which assets can I compare?
Compare Lab currently covers Bitcoin, Ethereum, gold, and SPY. The supported set expands as demand and data quality justify new assets.
Are these live quotes, forecasts, or advice?
No. Results use historical daily prices — adjusted close for ETFs, close-price indexes for crypto and spot metals — and exclude taxes, fees, spreads, custody, and execution costs. Nothing here is a forecast or investment advice, and past performance does not guarantee future results.
Why did my requested dates change?
The start date snaps forward to the first observation both assets share, and the end date snaps backward to the last. Weekends, market holidays, and asset launch dates can shift the effective window; Compare Lab always shows the dates actually used.
Does Gale save my scenario?
Calculations run in your browser and Gale does not store exact scenarios. Anonymous aggregate analytics may record the selected pair, entry surface, locale, and a coarse timeframe — never the amount, exact dates, results, or full scenario link.