Crypto assets outperform Nasdaq in August but lag behind US stocks in YTD returns

Crypto.com Research reports that SOL, ETH, and BTC rose 41.5%, 32.6%, and 25.0% respectively in August, significantly outpacing the Nasdaq's 3.9% and gold's 9.9%. Despite this strong monthly performance, year-to-date (YTD) returns for crypto assets remain negative due to first-half losses, with BTC at -10.3%, ETH at -17.0%, and SOL at -17.3%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq show positive YTD gains. Institutional inflows were supported by spot ETFs, with Bitcoin ETFs seeing $3.5 billion in net inflows and Ethereum ETFs seeing $1.8 billion. The market is now focused on the upcoming FOMC meeting, with CME data indicating an 85% probability of a 25 basis point rate hike.