BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Outpaces Vanguard S&P 500 Fund Since Launch

Since its introduction in 2024, the BlackRock iShares Bitcoin Trust exchange-traded fund has outperformed Vanguard’s widely held S&P 500 fund.

The data, highlighted by Bloomberg senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas, shows the BlackRock product’s cumulative percentage return has narrowly edged out Vanguard’s over the period.

BlackRock’s bitcoin ETF has gained 71% since its January 2024 debut, while Vanguard’s S&P 500 ETF has returned 66% on a total-return basis.

Hard to believe $IBIT is beating $VOO since inception but it's true..altho it's close. And to be fair, IBIT's path to 70% looks like the El Toro roller coaster at Great Adventure (i needed two Advil last time I rode that thing) while $VOO was a walk in the park in comparison.… pic.twitter.com/vpOgI7JZKL

— Eric Balchunas (@EricBalchunas) September 1, 2026

The iShares Bitcoin Trust — IBIT — began trading in 2024 after the Securities and Exchange Commission approved 11 spot bitcoin ETFs, ending a decade of rejections.

“IBIT’s path to 70% looks like the El Toro roller coaster at Great Adventure (I needed two Advil last time I rode that thing) while $VOO was a walk in the park in comparison,” Balchunas wrote on Tuesday.

U.S. investors now have multiple funds available for buying shares linked to bitcoin’s price, managed by firms including Fidelity, Grayscale and Morgan Stanley. BlackRock’s product leads the pack, holding $61.4 billion in assets as per its website.

In contrast, the second-largest bitcoin ETF, the Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund, holds close to $11 billion.

BlackRock, managing over $15 trillion in assets, shook the crypto sector when it filed for a spot bitcoin ETF in 2023. Its fund now provides more traditional investors with bitcoin exposure and sees higher daily trading volumes than rival ETFs.

Investors poured back into ETFs in August, supporting bitcoin’s price. Between August 17 and 27, more than $2.8 billion flowed into the vehicles — the most since October, when the cryptocurrency hit a record high.

Bitcoin peaked at $81,281 last week before retreating on Friday.

The largest cryptocurrency by market value recently traded at $77,539, down nearly 1% over a 24-hour period.

Bitcoin began a strong rally two weeks ago — its best in three years — and has risen nearly 30% over the past month.