CAN THE MAJOR CRYPTOCURRENCIES BE USED AS A PORTFOLIO DIVERSIFIER?: 5 od 6 ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BITCOIN, ETHEREUM, AND GLOBAL FINANCIAL ASSET CLASSES

Purpose: It can be stated that in today's competitive conditions, where portfolio management is very important, it has become necessary to examine the relationship between global financial assets and major cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. This paper aims to investigate the cointegration and causality relationships between Bitcoin, Ethereum, and global financial assets such as gold, oil, the S&P Global 100, the Dow Jones Commodity, and the US Dollar Indices, and to determine the diversification role of Bitcoin and Ethereum comparatively for the period between April 2016 and January 2024. Methodology: The ADF Unit Root, Johansen Cointegration, Granger Causality, Rolling Window Causality tests, and Variance Decomposition Analysis methods were used in the analysis process. Results: Based on the findings obtained from the paper, it was determined that Bitcoin and Ethereum have no cointegration with selected financial asset classes. Granger causality analysis results indicated that there were unidirectional causalities from Bitcoin and Ethereum prices to Dow Jones Commodity Index prices. In addition to the results of the Rolling Window causality tests, it was also determined that there are some causalities between Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other variables, especially after the 2021-2022 period. Conclusion: It can be concluded that Bitcoin and Ethereum are effective portfolio diversifiers throughout the entire period; however, the diversification effects of Bitcoin and Ethereum weakened towards the end of the review period. Therefore, it can be said that Bitcoin and Ethereum act similarly in the global investment portfolio.