Big Banks Are Loading up on Bitcoin. Should Individual Investors Do the Same?
Key Points
Bitcoin’s price has tumbled over the past year.
Financial institutions are still holding a lot of Bitcoin.
It could stabilize and rise again as fiat currencies continue to shed value.
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Bitcoin's (CRYPTO: BTC) price has declined nearly 20% over the past 12 months. However, the world's top cryptocurrency still has significant institutional backing.
Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) reportedly held $1.6 billion in Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) at the end of 2024, while JPMorgan (NYSE: JPM) had invested about $343 million in those ETFs as of last November. Other major banks, including Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC), have also made modest investments in Bitcoin.
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Should investors follow that lead and buy more Bitcoin?
Back in 2024, Bitcoin's latest four-year halving, the approvals of its first spot price ETFs, and declining interest rates all drove its price higher. Yet as those tailwinds dissipated and Treasury yields stubbornly remained high, many bulls backed off and booked profits.
Bitcoin is still challenging to value, but it's actively mined, has a limited supply, and could become a defensive investment against the monetary expansion of fiat currencies. If that happens, its price could stabilize and rise over the next few years as it becomes "digital gold".
Bitcoin's price will likely remain volatile in this choppy market. But if you expect the U.S. dollar and other fiat currencies to lose their value over the next few decades, it might be a brilliant idea to follow the banks and buy, hold, and forget about some Bitcoin ETFs.
Should you buy stock in Bitcoin right now?
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Wells Fargo is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Bank of America is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Leo Sun has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Goldman Sachs Group, and JPMorgan Chase. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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