If You'd Invested $1,000 in Bitcoin 10 Years Ago, Here's How Much You'd Have Today
Key Points
A $1,000 Bitcoin investment made Sept. 3, 2016, would be worth roughly $126,810 today, a gain of about 12,381%.
Despite 70%-plus drawdowns, major Wall Street institutions now hold Bitcoin directly and through spot ETFs.
- 10 stocks we like better than Bitcoin ›
If you were fortunate enough to invest $1,000 in Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) a decade ago on Sept. 3, 2016, you would have roughly $126,810 today -- an incredible return that absolutely crushed the market. Take a look at that incredible growth in the chart below:
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Data by YCharts.
Note that the calculation excludes trading fees and taxes, and the exact total fluctuates daily with Bitcoin's price. Still, turning four figures into six figures in one decade is a remarkable result by any standard.
Bitcoin's 62% annualized return beat every mainstream asset since 2016
That's putting it lightly. Few things came remotely close to a 12,581% return -- a 62% annual rate -- in that time. Compare Bitcoin's annual rate of return with some other options you would have had in 2016.
| Investment | Annualized Return (Sept. 2016-Sept. 2026) |
|---|---|
| Bitcoin | ~ 62% |
| Nasdaq Composite | ~ 18% |
| S&P 500 | ~ 14% |
| Gold | ~ 13% |
Source: YCharts.
Wall Street now holds Bitcoin despite a decade of major crashes
Bitcoin suffered some brutal drawdowns along the way, and most investors jumped ship. It wasn't easy to hold on after a 70% crash while the "smart money" said to stay far away from Bitcoin.
Things have changed. Major institutions across Wall Street now hold Bitcoin. Motley Fool Research tracks major Bitcoin holdings by governments, public companies, and exchange-traded funds.
Image source: Getty Images.
Of course, the flip side of that adoption is that it's highly unlikely we'll see returns in the future that come close to what we saw in the past. Still, I think Bitcoin is a smart addition as a small portion of a well-balanced portfolio.
Should you buy stock in Bitcoin right now?
Before you buy stock in Bitcoin, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Bitcoin wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $421,997!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,413,876!*
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*Stock Advisor returns as of September 6, 2026.
Johnny Rice has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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