As an experienced financial analyst, I believe that diversification is key in any investment strategy, especially in the volatile crypto market. Bitcoin and Ethereum are the two leading cryptocurrencies, each with unique strengths and potential uses. While Bitcoin has established itself as a store of value and digital gold, Ethereum is transforming into a platform for decentralized applications (dApps), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and smart contracts.


As a seasoned crypto investor, I’m always on the lookout for potential opportunities in the market. With news of upcoming Spot Ethereum Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) in the US, it’s natural to wonder if it would be wise to split my crypto holdings from Bitcoin to Ethereum. However, it’s essential to remember that every investment decision should be based on thorough research and consideration of individual financial circumstances.

On Twitter last Thursday, Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan presented three compelling arguments for considering this option.

Why Bitcoin Holders Should Buy Ethereum

One reason Hougan cited is the importance of having a diverse investment portfolio in the unpredictable world of cryptocurrencies. By investing in more than one leading asset, investors can reduce their risk if one asset experiences a decline, while the other may continue to thrive or even surpass the struggling asset.

As a seasoned crypto investor, I can relate to Hougan’s sentiment. I recall investors from the dot-com era who bought into AOL’s Pets.com. They had the foresight to recognize the potential of the internet, but unfortunately, they made the wrong bet with the specific investment. It’s a disappointing outcome, indeed.

At present, Bitcoin makes up approximately five out of every ten dollars in the total cryptocurrency market value, based on data from TradingView. Ethereum represents around two out of those ten dollars.

Over the past five years, Ethereum’s (ETH) value relative to Bitcoin (BTC) has remained fairly stable. However, Ethereum’s dominance in the crypto market has gradually decreased since the merge event in September 2022. Recently, Ethereum received a slight bump from investors following the approval of a U.S. spot ETF for the digital asset.

Secondly, Hougan pointed out the significantly distinct characteristics of Bitcoin and Ethereum, making it challenging to opt for one over the other. Bitcoin primarily focuses on being an improved form of currency, while Ethereum is engineered as “flexible money” that powers blockchain applications such as stablecoins and Decentralized Finance (DeFi) systems.

“Investing some Ethereum in a predominantly Bitcoin portfolio expands your reach to experience the full potential of public blockchain technology,” he explained.

BTC And ETH Perform Best Together

As a researcher, I’d like to add that according to Hougan’s findings, the historical data suggests that a balanced combination of these two assets in a portfolio yields the best results.

As an analyst, I have discovered that my conventional 60/40 investment portfolio, which included a 5% allocation to cryptocurrencies, yielded a greater cumulative return over the past four years when I adjusted the weighting between Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) to a 70/30 split. This strategy produced a return of 56.32%, compared to 54.49% if the entire 5% crypto allocation had been dedicated only to Bitcoin.

It’s worth noting that this portfolio, which included assets besides Bitcoin, experienced a smaller maximum loss during the observed period. Specifically, its peak decline amounted to 25.19%, whereas the BTC-only portfolio saw a peak drawdown of 25.35%.

Nevertheless, Hougan said there is still a chief reason investors may want to stay BTC only.

As a crypto investor, I firmly believe that Bitcoin holds the leading position in the evolving digital currency landscape. Its substantial headstart and strong community backing make it highly probable to become the preeminent new form of money in this space.

“Money is a massive market. There’s plenty of space for BTC to run if it succeeds,” he said.

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2024-06-21 03:06