Bitcoin 

BTC

$20,807

 is officially the best-performing asset of 2021, data now confirms.

As October delivers 15% gains in five days, BTC firmly outperforms macro assets worldwide to seal year-to-date returns of just under 50%.

Bitcoin hodlers up 49% year-to-date

Despite Bitcoin’s wild ride throughout the year, downside has failed to grip the market, with a 60% retracement from highs in May now all but cancelled out.

The largest cryptocurrency is thus at least 13% ahead of commodities for the year, figures show this week, and 17% ahead of United States micro-cap companies. 

Compared to how some other investments performed, the picture is even rosier for BTC hodlers. European stocks, for example, are up just 10.3% year-to-date this week.

“After the strong Q3 performance Bitcoin is now up +49.1% year-to-date,” the @Bitcoin Twitter account commented on the data set from investment firm NYDIG.

“The best performing asset class of 2021.”

Altcoins keep the surprises coming

As Cointelegraph reported, September has historically been a conversely unimpressive month for Bitcoin, while October sees the opposite effect.

Related: These 3 indicators flashed bullish ahead of the recent Bitcoin price pump

With stocks themselves forecast to enjoy “above average” returns this month, hopes are high for a strong finish for Q4 after September’s performance.

Beyond macro, however, there remain individual success stories that beat Bitcoin in terms of raw returns. These focus on altcoins, some of which have seen freak gains within a short period.

Solana (SOL), one of the best-known examples, began 2021 at around $1.60, subsequently hitting all-time highs of over $215.