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CryptoUpdated daily after close · as of 2026-08-21

Crypto Performance: Bitcoin, Ethereum & Altcoins vs the Crypto Index

Comparative performance of the major cryptocurrencies via their US-listed spot ETFs — Bitcoin (IBIT), Ethereum (ETHA), Solana (BSOL), XRP (XRPI) and Litecoin (LTCC) — each rebased to 0% at the start of the selected window, with the Bitwise 10 Crypto Index (BITW) dashed as the market benchmark.

Today's reading

As of market close on August 21, 2026, the Bitwise 10 Crypto Index is down 33% over the trailing 252-session window, with 1 of the 3 tracked coins outperforming it. Strongest: Bitcoin, +1 pts vs the index; weakest: XRP, -26 pts.

Sources, methodology & freshnessLast updated 2026-08-21 · Open ↓
Source
Daily closes for single-coin spot crypto ETFs + the Bitwise 10 Crypto Index (BITW)
Methodology
Each window rebased to cumulative % change from its first session; table returns from full per-ETF history
Updates
Daily after US market close (~1:30 PM PT)Last: 2026-08-21
Maintained & reviewed by Yuriy Matso — methodology shown on the page.
The answer · 1Y2026-08-21market close
BTCleads

IBIT returned -32.0%, +0.7 pts versus BITW.

Mixed leadership · 1/3 beat BITW
BITW benchmark
-32.6%
Positive coins
0/3
Runner-up
ETH -41.7%
Leader–laggard spread
26.2 pts
LaggardXRP -58.2%

Compares only coins trading at the 2025-08-19 window start. Close-price returns; leadership is not a forecast.

01

Comparative performance chart

Window:
BITW · index
02

Returns by horizon

CoinPrice1DYTD
ETHAETH · Ethereum$18.24+3.99%-18.68%
BSOLSOL · Solana$12.48+4.35%-23.90%
BITWINDEX · Bitwise 10 Crypto Index (benchmark)$50.12+5.85%-14.70%
IBITBTC · Bitcoin$43.68+6.02%-12.02%
XRPIXRP · XRP$7.50+11.44%-29.04%
LTCCLTC · Litecoin$12.61+8.24%-32.82%

How Crypto Performance Works

  1. 1
    Track the major coins through their spot ETFs
    Each trading day after the close we read closing prices for one clean 1x spot ETF per coin: Bitcoin (IBIT), Ethereum (ETHA), Solana (BSOL), XRP (XRPI) and Litecoin (LTCC). Using regulated US-listed spot ETFs gives a consistent, exchange-quality price for each cryptocurrency, screened to exclude leveraged (2x) and futures-based funds.
  2. 2
    Benchmark to the Bitwise 10 Crypto Index
    The Bitwise 10 Crypto Index Fund (BITW) — a market-cap-weighted basket of the ten largest cryptoassets — is the market benchmark, the crypto analogue of the S&P 500. It is drawn dashed so you can see at a glance which coins are leading or lagging the broad crypto market.
  3. 3
    Rebase every series to a common start
    For the selected window (1M, 3M, 6M, YTD, 1Y or MAX), each ETF is converted to cumulative % change from its first close in the window. Everything starts at 0%, so the lines directly answer "which coin won this window?" Coins whose ETFs listed recently (most alts in 2025) simply begin mid-window at 0%.
  4. 4
    Cross-check horizons in the returns table
    The table shows 1D through 1Y returns side by side, sortable by any column. A coin leading on 1M but lagging on 1Y is an emerging rotation; a coin leading across every horizon is in an established trend. Compare each against BITW to see whether it is beating the crypto market or just riding it.

Who Uses Crypto Performance

Crypto Allocators
See instantly whether to overweight Bitcoin or rotate into higher-beta alts: sort by 3M, compare against the index, and the leadership picture is clear in seconds.
Momentum Traders
The coins leading BITW and still climbing are the momentum trades; the ones rolling over relative to the index are where leadership is fading.
Macro / Cross-Asset
Crypto is the market's highest-beta risk gauge. A broad crypto rally (most coins beating cash, BTC dominance falling) is a risk-on tell; a flight to Bitcoin within crypto is risk-off inside the asset class.
Long-Term Holders
Use the MAX window to keep the multi-month trend in view and avoid overreacting to the daily noise that dominates crypto headlines.

Pro Tips

01
Watch alts against Bitcoin as well as against cash
In a crypto bull market, money rotates from Bitcoin into Ethereum and then into smaller alts ("alt season"). When SOL, XRP and ETH are all beating BITW while BTC lags it, capital is moving down the risk curve.
02
Mind the short histories
Spot ETFs for Solana, XRP and Litecoin only listed in 2025, so their lines start later than Bitcoin (2024) and Ethereum (mid-2024). Long windows compare different start dates — read the rebased % over the window, not absolute levels.
03
The index is the honest benchmark
A coin can be up 40% and still be lagging — if the crypto market is up 60%. Always read each coin against BITW, not against zero.
04
These are ETF prices, in dollars
The ETFs track each coin's USD price (net of a small management fee). They are the return a US investor actually earns, and they only trade during US market hours — so they miss overnight and weekend crypto moves until the next session.

Common Issues & Solutions

Why ETFs instead of the coins themselves?▾
US-listed spot ETFs give a regulated, exchange-quality closing price for each coin and are what most US investors actually hold. Their NAVs track spot crypto closely. The trade-off: they only price during US market hours (9:30–4:00 ET, weekdays), so 24/7 crypto moves show up at the next US session.
Why do some lines start partway across?▾
Spot ETFs launched on different dates — Bitcoin (Jan 2024), Ethereum (Jul 2024), then XRP (2025), Solana and Litecoin (late 2025). On long windows a coin begins at 0% from its first available session rather than distorting the earlier chart.
Why only five coins?▾
We track one clean 1x spot ETF per cryptocurrency and only include coins that have one. As more single-coin spot ETFs list (and clear a volatility screen that excludes leveraged 2x funds), we add them.
Some coins show a ⚠ as of an earlier date▾
If a coin's ETF hasn't printed the latest US session yet, we flag it rather than roll the value forward — its figures are as of its own last close.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which cryptocurrencies are tracked?▾
Five, via one clean 1x US-listed spot ETF each: Bitcoin (IBIT), Ethereum (ETHA), Solana (BSOL), XRP (XRPI) and Litecoin (LTCC). The Bitwise 10 Crypto Index Fund (BITW) is the market benchmark.
What does "rebased to 0%" mean?▾
Each line shows cumulative percent change from the first session of the selected window, so every coin starts at the same point and the chart compares total returns over exactly that window — eliminating the price-level differences that make raw ETF prices incomparable.
What is the Bitwise 10 Crypto Index?▾
BITW (the Bitwise 10 Crypto Index Fund) holds a market-cap-weighted basket of the ten largest cryptoassets, rebalanced monthly. It is the closest thing crypto has to an S&P 500, so we use it as the benchmark: a coin above BITW is beating the crypto market, below it is lagging.
Are these returns in dollars?▾
Yes. The ETFs are USD-denominated and track each coin's dollar price net of a small fee, so the lines are the return a US-based investor actually earns. Because ETFs trade only during US market hours, overnight and weekend crypto moves appear at the next US session.
Why exclude leveraged crypto ETFs?▾
Funds like 2x daily Solana or XRP ETFs amplify daily moves and decay over time, so mixing them with 1x spot funds would distort the comparison. We screen them out using realized volatility (a 2x fund shows roughly double the volatility of the spot coin) and track only clean 1x exposure.
How often does this update?▾
After every US market close, alongside the rest of the daily pipeline. Returns use trading-day lookbacks (1D/1W/1M/3M/6M/1Y) plus calendar YTD.

Explore Other Tools

Crypto Relative Strength
Each coin ÷ the Bitwise crypto index as an RS ratio — who is leading the crypto market
Sector Performance
The same rebased-returns view across the 11 US GICS sector ETFs
Country Performance
32 single-country ETFs vs ACWI, rebased
Leveraged ETF Sentiment
Bull vs bear leveraged-ETF volume as a contrarian speculation gauge
Last updated: 2026-08-21