Investment Returns in 2021: Stocks, Bonds, Gold and Bitcoin Ranked
Which investment paid the most in 2021? This page ranks the main asset classes by their return in the year, from the last close of 2020 to the latest price of 2021: US and international stocks, bonds, Treasury bills, real estate, gold and Bitcoin.
The numbers come from daily market prices. The ranking of the current year loads the latest prices each time the page opens, so it follows the market. Each name in the table opens the history of that asset.
In 2021, the best of the list was Bitcoin (+59.67%) and the worst was Gold (GLD) (-4.15%).
| # | Asset | Return in 2021 | $ 1,000 became |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bitcoin | +59.67% | $ 1,596.67 |
| 2 | Real estate (VNQ) | +40.54% | $ 1,405.37 |
| 3 | S&P 500 (SPY) | +28.73% | $ 1,287.28 |
| 4 | Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) | +27.42% | $ 1,274.19 |
| 5 | International stocks (VXUS) | +8.98% | $ 1,089.84 |
| 6 | Treasury bills (BIL) | -0.1% | $ 999.01 |
| 7 | US bonds (BND) | -1.86% | $ 981.38 |
| 8 | Gold (GLD) | -4.15% | $ 958.51 |
Prices up to 2021-12-31.
How it is calculated: the return is the change from the last price of the year before to the last price of the year, in US dollars. ETF prices include dividends (total return). Past returns do not predict future returns.