Introduction

This project compares Bitcoin and gold as safe haven assets over a 10-year period (May 2015 to May 2025). I analyze their cumulative returns, volatility, and performance during market downturns to determine which asset is a better safe haven.

Data Sources

*Bitcoin Prices: Sourced from Blockchain.com API (historical market price data).

*Gold Prices: Sourced from Alpha Vantage API using the GLD ETF (SPDR Gold Shares) as a proxy for gold prices.

*Data was cleaned in Google Sheets and processed in BigQuery to calculate weekly returns.

Analysis

Cumulative Returns

The plot below shows the cumulative returns of Bitcoin and gold over the 10-year period.

You can also explore an interactive version of this analysis in the Tableau Dashboard.

Key Metrics

## **Annualized Volatility**
## - Bitcoin: 0.73 %
## - Gold: 0.14 %
## **Average Return During Bitcoin Downturns (>10% Drop)**
## - Bitcoin: -16.61 %
## - Gold: -0.29 %

Conclusion

*Cumulative Returns: Bitcoin likely outperformed gold significantly, but with higher volatility.

*Volatility: Gold exhibits lower volatility, making it a more stable asset.

*Safe Haven Performance: During Bitcoin downturns, gold typically performs better (e.g., positive or less negative returns), supporting its role as a safe haven.

*Recommendation: Gold appears to be the better safe haven due to its stability and performance during market stress, though Bitcoin may appeal to risk-tolerant investors seeking higher returns.