CAGR Calculator
Compounded Annual Growth Rate calculator for any Bitcoin holding period. Select start and end dates to compute exact annualized returns, total return multiplier, and maximum drawdown over the period.
What is it?
The CAGR Calculator computes Bitcoin's Compounded Annual Growth Rate for any holding period chosen by the user. The tool takes a start date and end date, calculates the corresponding CAGR, and automatically compares it to benchmarks: S&P 500, Gold, US 10-year Bonds, Real Estate (Case-Shiller), and inflation (CPI). The user can also view a CAGR heatmap for all possible start×end combinations, identifying the best and worst holding periods.
How to read
The main result is a single figure: CAGR in % per year. Below, a comparison table shows each benchmark's CAGR over the same period. The heatmap (advanced mode) displays a colour gradient: intense green for high CAGRs, red for negative. Heatmap diagonals show fixed-duration holding periods (1 year, 2 years, etc.).
Key zones
Bitcoin's CAGR over any 4+ year period has been positive in 99% of historical cases. The median 4-year CAGR is ~50%. Negative CAGR periods (red in heatmap) are concentrated on purchases at absolute cycle tops with a sale within 12-18 months. No holding period >5 years has ever produced a negative CAGR.
What to observe
The CAGR heatmap is one of the most powerful tools for understanding Bitcoin's asymmetry. Observe the '4-year' diagonal: it is almost entirely green, illustrating that hodling through a complete cycle has always been profitable. Compare diagonals of different durations to understand from what holding duration the historical loss risk became zero.
Historical context
CAGR is a standard financial metric enabling cross-asset comparison. For Bitcoin, CAGR has been in structural decline (from >200% for periods including 2010-2013, to ~30-60% for recent periods), reflecting the law of large numbers and asset maturation. This declining CAGR trend is consistent with the power-law model.
Expert notes
CAGR is a 'smoothed' measure that masks journey volatility. A 50% CAGR over 4 years can include a -80% drawdown followed by a +500% rally. The tool displays max drawdown, Sharpe ratio, and Sortino ratio alongside CAGR for a more complete risk/return profile. Benchmarks use inflation-adjusted data with reinvested dividends (total return).
Common mistakes to avoid
A historically high CAGR does NOT predict future CAGR. The structural trend is declining CAGR as Bitcoin grows. Extrapolating a 50% CAGR over 20 years produces absurd prices, confirming CAGR will continue to decline. The tool explicitly reminds of this for each projection.
Programmatic access
REST API
curl -sS \
'https://api.trinityinsights.io/api/v1/onchain/cagr-calculator/history?days=90' \
-H 'X-API-Key: $TRINITY_API_KEY'MCP server
{
"tool": "get_chart_value",
"metric_id": "cagr-calculator",
"timeframe": "1y"
}Required tier: free. See the pricing grid for the tier list and the MCP documentation for multi-client configuration.
Related metrics
Institutional disclaimer
Trinity Insights is an educational and analytical tool. The metric above does not constitute investment advice. Trinity Insights is not a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) registered under MiCA Regulation (EU) 2023/1114. See the full disclaimer.