CAGR for Crypto: How to Annualize Returns Correctly
Crypto CAGR turns a return over any period into one steady yearly rate. Learn the formula, why averaging yearly returns misleads, and when not to annualize.
Key takeaways
- CAGR = (ending value ÷ starting value)^(1 ÷ years) − 1. With exact dates, use 365 ÷ days as the exponent.
- Averaging yearly returns misleads: +180%, −65%, +95% and −20% average 47.5%, but the CAGR is 11.20%.
- Include fees in the starting value: in the example, fees cut CAGR from 15.65% to 14.94% over 540 days.
- Do not annualize periods under a year. A 12% gain in 30 days annualizes to 297%, which says nothing useful.
- CAGR assumes one deposit and no withdrawals. With regular buys, use a money-weighted or time-weighted return.
On this page
What is CAGR?
Compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is the constant yearly rate that would turn your starting value into your ending value over the same period. It smooths out the path, so you can compare investments held for different lengths of time.
CAGR = (ending value ÷ starting value)^(1 ÷ years) − 1
When you know the exact dates, replace 1 ÷ years with 365 ÷ days held. The starting value should be your total cost, including fees, and the ending value should be what you would actually receive after exit costs, the same inputs used in our guide to the crypto ROI formula.
Worked example: a volatile four-year path
Suppose a hypothetical $6,000 crypto holding has four very different years:
| Year | Return | Value at year end |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | +180% | $16,800.00 |
| 2 | −65% | $5,880.00 |
| 3 | +95% | $11,466.00 |
| 4 | −20% | $9,172.80 |
The arithmetic average of the four returns is (180 − 65 + 95 − 20) ÷ 4 = 47.5% a year. That sounds excellent, but $6,000 compounding at 47.5% for four years would reach about $28,400. The holding actually ended at $9,172.80.
The CAGR tells the truth: (9,172.80 ÷ 6,000)^(1 ÷ 4) − 1 = 11.20% a year. It is the only yearly rate that connects the real start with the real end.
- Actual path 9.2k
- Steady 11.20% a year 9.2k
The gap between the average and the CAGR comes from volatility. A 65% loss needs a 186% gain just to get back to even, so large swings drag compounded growth far below the simple average. Our guide to percentage gains vs losses covers that asymmetry in detail.
Example: The same logic is why returns are linked by multiplying, not adding. Four yearly returns chain together as 2.80 × 0.35 × 1.95 × 0.80 = 1.5288, a 52.88% total gain. Professional standards take this approach too: the GIPS standards require periodic and sub-period returns to be geometrically linked.
Annualizing with exact dates and fees
Real holdings rarely last a whole number of years. Suppose you buy a hypothetical coin for $2,750, pay $25 in fees, and 540 days later the position is worth $3,410 after exit costs.
- Total cost: $2,750 + $25 = $2,775.
- Growth multiple: $3,410 ÷ $2,775 = 1.2288, an ROI of 22.88%.
- Exponent: 365 ÷ 540 = 0.676.
- CAGR: 1.2288^0.676 − 1 = 14.94% a year.
Leave the $25 out and the CAGR rises to 15.65%. Fees always belong in the starting value; our guide to calculating crypto profit and loss shows where each fee goes.
What about a loss?
The formula works the same way when the result is negative. Suppose a hypothetical $5,000 holding is worth $3,200 after three years. The ROI is −36%, and the CAGR is (3,200 ÷ 5,000)^(1 ÷ 3) − 1 = −13.82% a year. A negative CAGR is the steady yearly loss that would have produced the same result.
How to calculate CAGR in a spreadsheet
You do not need special software. With the starting value in cell B1, the ending value in B2, the start date in B3 and the end date in B4, this formula returns CAGR:
=(B2/B1)^(365/(B4-B3))-1
For holdings with several deposits or withdrawals, most spreadsheet programs include an XIRR function, which takes a list of dated cash flows and returns a money-weighted annual rate. Enter money you put in as negative numbers and today’s value as a positive number on today’s date.
When not to annualize
CAGR assumes the rate you measured continued for a full year. Over short periods, that assumption produces absurd numbers:
| Actual gain | Period | “Annualized” |
|---|---|---|
| 5% | 10 days | 493% |
| 12% | 30 days | 297% |
Neither figure tells you anything about the next year. The GIPS standards published by CFA Institute are explicit on this point: returns for periods of less than one year must not be annualized. For a holding under a year old, report the actual return with its start and end dates.
When CAGR is the wrong tool
CAGR assumes one deposit at the start and no money in or out afterward. Once you add money over time, it breaks. Suppose you invest $1,000, add another $1,000 a year later, and hold $2,600 at the end of year two.
- Naive CAGR: treating all $2,000 as invested for two years gives (2,600 ÷ 2,000)^(1 ÷ 2) − 1 = 14.02%.
- Money-weighted return: the rate r that solves 1,000 × (1 + r)² + 1,000 × (1 + r) = 2,600 is 18.82%.
The naive figure understates your result because half the money was invested for only one year. Our guide to time-weighted vs money-weighted returns explains both measures, and our dollar-cost averaging guide covers regular buying plans.
CAGR vs a quoted APY
An APY on a staking or savings product is also a compounded yearly rate, so it sits on the same basis as a CAGR. That makes the comparison fair, with one catch: a staking APY is usually paid in tokens, while your CAGR is measured in dollars. A 5% token yield on a coin whose price falls can still produce a negative dollar CAGR. Our guide to APR vs APY explains how quoted rates compound.
Which return figure should you use?
| Situation | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One purchase, held at least a year | CAGR | One start value, one end value |
| Held less than a year | Actual return for the period | Annualizing assumes the pace continues |
| Regular deposits or withdrawals | Money-weighted return | Reflects when your money went in |
| Comparing strategies or managers | Time-weighted return | Removes the effect of cash-flow timing |
| Comparing with a quoted yearly yield | CAGR | Same compounding basis as an APY |
Common CAGR mistakes
- Averaging yearly returns. In the example, the average overstated the real rate by more than four times.
- Annualizing weeks or months. The result describes an imaginary year, not your investment.
- Leaving out fees. Use total cost as the starting value.
- Rounding the period. 540 days is 1.48 years. Rounding to 1.5 years in the example gives 14.73% instead of 14.94%.
- Reading CAGR as a smooth ride. An 11.20% CAGR in the example included a year in which the holding fell 65%.
To annualize your own result, enter the amount invested, fees, current value and dates into our ROI and CAGR calculator. It warns you when the period is shorter than a year.
The bottom line
CAGR is the steady yearly rate that links your real starting value to your real ending value, fees included. Use it to compare holdings over different periods of a year or more, never average yearly returns instead, and do not annualize short periods. Once money moves in and out over time, switch to a money-weighted or time-weighted return.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate CAGR for crypto?
Divide the ending value by the starting value, raise the result to the power of 1 divided by the number of years, and subtract 1. Use your total cost, including fees, as the starting value. With exact dates, use 365 divided by the number of days held as the exponent. For $6,000 growing to $9,172.80 over four years, CAGR is 1.5288^(1/4) − 1 = 11.20%.
Why is my average annual return higher than my CAGR?
An arithmetic average ignores compounding. Returns of +180%, −65%, +95% and −20% average 47.5% a year, yet $6,000 ends at $9,172.80, a CAGR of 11.20%. Big losses need bigger gains to recover, so volatile assets such as crypto show a wide gap between the two. The CAGR is the rate that actually connects your starting and ending values.
Should I annualize a crypto return from a few weeks?
No. Annualizing assumes the same pace continues all year: a 12% gain in 30 days becomes 297%, and 5% in 10 days becomes 493%. Professional performance standards reject this; the GIPS standards say returns for periods of less than one year must not be annualized. Report the actual return for the period instead, with its dates.
What is the difference between CAGR and ROI?
ROI is your total return over the whole holding period, whatever its length. CAGR converts that return into a steady yearly rate, so investments held for different periods can be compared fairly. A 22.88% ROI over 540 days, for example, works out to a CAGR of 14.94%. For periods of about a year, the two numbers are close.
Sources
- Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS) for Firms, 2020 Edition — CFA Institute
- Rates and Returns (Refresher Reading) — CFA Institute
This content is for education only and is not financial, investment, tax or legal advice. Crypto assets are volatile and you can lose money. Examples use hypothetical numbers. See our disclaimer and editorial policy.