BTC vs SOL: Performance Comparison

Last updated: December 29, 2025

Gale Research Team
Written by Gale Research Team Financial Data Analysis
Sid Kalla
Reviewed by Sid Kalla CFA Charterholder

Analysis period: 2024-12-29 to 2025-12-27

BTC Total Return
-8.0%
SOL Total Return
-36.9%

Relative Performance (Normalized to 100)

BTC SOL

Normalized to 100 at start date for comparison

Key Takeaways

  • Raw returns: BTC outperformed with -8% total return vs -36.9% for SOL.
  • Risk-adjusted (Sharpe): BTC had better risk-adjusted returns with a Sharpe ratio of -0.09 vs -0.16 for SOL.
  • Volatility: BTC was less volatile at 42% annualized vs 86.2% for SOL.
  • Max drawdown: BTC had a shallower max drawdown of -32.1% vs -59.8% for SOL.

Correlation Analysis

0.79 Average Correlation

BTC and SOL are strongly correlated over the past 6 months. With a correlation of 0.79, these assets tend to move together, limiting diversification benefits.

Metric Metric Value
Current (30-day) 0.93
Average (full period) 0.79
Minimum 0.49
Maximum 0.93

Correlation measures how closely two assets move together. Values near +1 indicate strong co-movement, near 0 indicates independence, and negative values indicate inverse movement.

Investment Comparison

If you invested $10,000 in each asset on December 29, 2024:

BTC $9,198.4 -8%
SOL $6,311.56 -36.9%

Difference: $2,886.84 (BTC ahead)

Risk Analysis

BTC experienced its maximum drawdown of -32.1% from 2025-10-07 to 2025-11-23. It has not yet recovered to its previous peak.

SOL experienced its maximum drawdown of -59.8% from 2025-01-19 to 2025-04-09. It has not yet recovered to its previous peak.

Smaller drawdowns and faster recoveries indicate lower downside risk and greater resilience during market stress.

Sharpe Ratio

BTC Sharpe Ratio
-0.09
SOL Sharpe Ratio
-0.16

The Sharpe ratio measures return per unit of risk (volatility). A higher Sharpe indicates better risk-adjusted performance. BTC delivered 0.6x more return per unit of risk than SOL.

A Sharpe above 1.0 is generally considered good, above 2.0 is excellent. Negative Sharpe means the asset underperformed the risk-free rate.

Sortino Ratio

BTC Sortino Ratio
-0.13
SOL Sortino Ratio
-0.25

The Sortino ratio measures return per unit of downside risk. Unlike Sharpe, it only penalizes negative volatility. BTC had better downside-adjusted returns.

A higher Sortino is better. It's particularly useful for assets with asymmetric volatility (big gains, smaller losses). Downside volatility: BTC 28.9% vs SOL 54.2%.

Understanding Volatility

BTC's annualized volatility of 42% means it typically moves ±2.2% on any given day.

SOL's annualized volatility of 86.2% means it typically moves ±4.51% on any given day.

For comparison, the S&P 500 typically has 15-18% annualized volatility, translating to roughly ±1% daily moves. Higher volatility means larger potential gains but also larger potential losses.

Performance Over Time

Metric BTC SOL
30 Days -3.2% -14%
90 Days -20.2% -39.6%
180 Days -19.2% -19.8%
1 Year N/A N/A

Shorter time frames can show different leaders as market conditions change. Consider your investment horizon when comparing performance.

Full Comparison

Metric BTC SOL
Total Return -8.0% -36.9%
Annualized Volatility 42.0% 86.2%
Sharpe Ratio -0.09 -0.16
Sortino Ratio -0.13 -0.25
Max Drawdown -32.1% -59.8%
Avg Correlation to S&P 500 0.03 0.03