Correlation and Impact of Bitcoin with Other Cryptocurrency Portfolios

Abstract

Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer form of digital currency proposed in 2008. Unlike other currencies, Bitcoin does not rely on a specific institution to issue it, it is based on a specific algorithm that generates it through a large number of calculations. In some countries, government agencies, central banks and academia regard Bitcoin is a virtual currency rather than a currency. This is because of Bitcoins high volatility, which does not have the two basic functions of the unit of account and the store of value that are unique to the currency. In recent years, Bitcoin has seen increasing media coverage and other cryptocurrency portfolios, as well as the significant capital gains have been seen in the high volatility environment. In this paper, we shed light on the low correlation of Bitcoin with traditional investment assets, making Bitcoin a potentially high-quality source of portfolio diversification. The results of the finding suggest that Bitcoin investments offer significant diversification benefits and should be included in optimal portfolios. In addition to this, we find that hedging strategies involving gold, oil, stocks and Bitcoin significantly reduce portfolio risk.