A new report from Charles Schwab suggests bitcoin is shedding one of its defining traits: extreme volatility. That might be good or bad news.
According to the firm’s analysis, bitcoin’s price swings have declined sharply in recent years, with the asset now exhibiting less volatility than some of the largest U.S. technology stocks. The report found BTC’s historical volatility (HV) dropped to 42% in 2025 — roughly half of what it recorded in 2021 — marking a significant shift as the cryptocurrency matures into a widely traded financial asset.
Schwab’s data shows bTC now behaves similarly to major equities, and in some cases appears more stable. Shares of Tesla posted a 63% HV reading in 2025, while Nvidia registered 50%, both exceeding BTC’s 42%. Measures of daily price movement, such as average true range as a percentage of price, also show a comparable trend.
Despite the decline in volatility, bitcoin remains prone to sharp drawdowns. The report notes bitcoin fell as much as 32% in 2025, with losses extending into early 2026. Over a longer three-year window, BTC recorded a peak-to-trough decline of 50%, underscoring that large swings—while less frequent—have not disappeared.
Still, those losses were not unique. Tesla experienced a deeper drawdown of 54% over the same period, while Nvidia declined 37% at its worst point. The data highlights a broader trend: high-growth technology stocks can exhibit volatility levels on par with, or exceeding, bitcoin.
Bitcoin’s long-term volatility is still high
Zooming out further, bitcoin’s long-term volatility profile remains elevated relative to traditional assets. During the 2022 market downturn, the cryptocurrency fell 77% from its peak, compared to declines of 74% for Tesla and 66% for Nvidia.
However, Schwab noted that Tesla’s overall volatility metrics across the five-year period still outpaced BTC.
The report also compares BTC to commodities, showing that silver futures often exhibited more erratic day-to-day price movements despite smaller overall drawdowns. Gold, by contrast, maintained relatively steady gains with lower volatility.
Within crypto markets, bitcoin’s relative stability has become more pronounced. Ethereum continues to trade with higher volatility and deeper drawdowns, with the gap between the two assets widening since 2021.
Schwab concluded that BTC’s evolution reflects its growing integration into mainstream finance.
A clear example of Wall Street’s deepening embrace of bitcoin is Morgan Stanley’s spot Bitcoin ETF, MSBT, moving closer to launch after receiving an official NYSE listing notice, a step analysts say often signals an imminent debut.
If approved, the fund would become the first spot BTC ETF issued by a major U.S. bank, distinguishing it from existing products offered by asset managers like BlackRock and Fidelity.
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