The 2023 period was also one of reduced macroeconomic correlations across digital assets. Crypto was allowed to be crypto, and mostly decoupled from US equities and gold over the year (see rolling correlation chart above), albeit with lower levels of realized volatility than in prior years. Surprisingly, ether realized nearly the same level of volatility as bitcoin in 2023, breaking from the historical norm of generally realizing ~20% higher, with bitcoin’s volatility dropping towards levels akin to single stock volatility, and more in line with traditional asset classes.
