We’re well into the ETF era, where Bitcoin encounters more demand and support from large institutional investors than one may have imagined this time last year, driving rivals’ prices up. If you want to keep posted with some of the biggest indicators, like the actual Ethereum price prediction, you’ll have to scrutinize only reliable news resources online. The prices are doing fine – that’s why you see more and more investors keeping tabs on the most reliable predictions and believing they may have to some of the token holdings in the future to reinvest in a poorer-performing cryptocurrency.
The swift Bitcoin investment market increase and the associated exchange-traded funds (ETF) that received the green light six months ago in the U.S. after being approved in multiple nations are suggestive of a continuously expanding industry. All of this great news for Bitcoin owners and believers occurs amid a backdrop of prices that, curiously, don’t reflect the heightened inflows in the asset in association with the grant trusts.
Big-name firms like VanEck, Invesco Galaxy, and Bitwise, among others providing ETFs, have accumulated colossal chunks of Bitcoin. However, what was renowned as one of history’s most successful ETF debuts failed to push the underlying asset up. Nevertheless, a new investor category arises, readjusting their portfolio shares by selling Bitcoin as it registers price hikes. The “HODL” phenomenon that has attracted impressive numbers of investors seeking future wealth by staying unmoved by the market’s fluctuations is slowly losing ground to the rebalance. All of this occurs while the adoption of ETFs rises.
A new investor type is solidifying its position and clenching with the diamond-handed old stagers. So, what does this propensity mean, and how should you approach it?
The preamble
Cryptocurrencies, with a focus on the leading token of bitcoin, have become expansively institutionalized as of late, with increasing numbers of investment firms, hedge funds, and banks pouring money into the asset and heightening its demand. As expected, Bitcoin’s price kept rising as its supply met demand, hence the latest ATH of over $99K registered on 22nd December and the boost in the prices of numerous other cryptocurrencies. For the sake of chronology, it’s important to note that all this hype started with the waves of institutional investors that broke into crypto in 2020, warming up to the flagship coin as an adequate store of value and hedge against inflation.
Fast forward, and a few investment firms such as Fidelity, Grayscale, Valkyrie, and Wisdom Tree, to name a few, crafted and submitted plans to release a new investment venture, namely Bitcoin exchange-traded funds. Akin to granting trusts that track Bitcoin’s price and boost its exposure, the submitters needed to adjust depending on the consecutive feedback received from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission before they launched the innovative investment products. The movement is predicted to expand as other financial entities, including brokerages, wirehouses, and advisors, begin introducing clients to the new Bitcoin-based investment fund.
When HODLers morph into sellers
The consistency of HODLers when it comes to sticking to their dear crypto holdings can be enviable. This strategy is also one of the most popular among investors. If you’ve browsed through the endless crypto threads and media posts, you’ve likely observed the propensity of the acronym. However, almost every diamond hand turns into a quitter at some point, whether the drop occurred during the 2020 Bitcoin boom, the 2024 before-halving spike, or well after Bitcoin’s predicted seventh halving in 2036.
Matthew Hougan, one of the top crypto experts worldwide and Chief Investment Officer for Bitwise Asset Management, expressed their endorsement of the buy-and-hold strategy, stating that investors should approach the asset like other ones and consider rebalancing their portfolios. Like many other experts, they suggest three lucrative ones follow a lousy year for crypto, and the trend persists.
The leading crypto booms and busts have been discussed for years. However, when the rebalancing strategy is calculated, the effect on the Sharpe Ratio and other indexes grows considerably.
Sharpe Ratio – the index to keep close
Some wonder how Bitcoin investors know when their average return on the investment is satisfying enough compared to the risk taken. Other times, people get confused as to how one can attribute a portfolio’s excess returns to risky or smart investment decisions. For all these questions, the answer is through the “Sharpe Ratio,” or the assessment technique that demonstrates a portfolio’s performance concerning the risks incipiently taken. The process isn’t that straightforward to grasp, but there are digital tools that help investors conduct the assessment accurately.
When done right, rebalanced portfolios can produce better risk-adjusted returns than HODL-based portfolios. This achievement can be attributed to the lower volatility they experience.
What is the rebalancing strategy?
Given the multiple viewpoints surrounding the rebalancing strategy, it’s hardly surprising that you feel puzzled. Let us help you demystify the concept by presenting a common situation: keeping the shares of your cryptocurrencies in your portfolio in check.
In the ever-changing landscape of crypto, keeping a balanced portfolio can constantly put you to the test. Bitcoin’s prices tend to fall and rise without giving notice, meaning you’d better have a strategic reaction in mind. This approach is known as rebalancing and has adherents sell assets to keep the initial proportions in check.
Imagine you’ve dedicated 10% to a slate of cryptos, including ETH, BNB, DOGE, and others. Simultaneously, Bitcoin enjoys 50% of your portfolio. If BNB’s price rises, it begins eating up space from its rivals. When its allocation exceeds, say, 13%, you’ll want to sell BNB and reinvest the money in one of the remaining tokens possessed.
This strategy is feasible when owning numerous cryptocurrencies, making allocations according to the correspondent fiat currency. Given cryptocurrencies’ fluctuations, rebalancing guarantees that you’ll stick to an original distribution strategy by cashing in on an asset that starts to perform well and pouring the capital into another one.
Last considerations
Rebalancing can numb Bitcoin’s well-known volatility, which keeps many investors away. However, as institutional inflows in Bitcoin rise, volatility smoothing may occur amid a backdrop of companies continuously rebalancing their portfolios.
Bitcoin’s continuously rising push from big institutional investors is yet to mirror its price, as the trend is counterbalanced by investors withdrawing money from other Bitcoin-based investment contracts. Moreover, the nature of the recent Bitcoin inflows is crucial.
The rising investor type who rebalances as people wait for the ETFs to drive up Bitcoin’s prices is increasingly heard about. Unless the market enters a downtrend, things should turn out as these investors hope.