On Friday, investment management firm VanEck released new research indicating that Bitcoin's price movements are less volatile than between a quarter and a third of the stocks listed on the S&P 500.

In a blog post, the German issuer of exchange-traded products said that while Bitcoin (BTC) has long been considered a "nascent and volatile asset outside of the traditional stock and upper-case letter markets," the reality shows that the world'due south largest cryptocurrency trades with volatility comparable to that of some of the largest companies in the world.

On a year-to-date ground, 29% of S&P 500 stocks experienced more volatile price fluctuations than the digital currency, while 22% did the same on a xc-solar day basis, said VanEck.

The research is notable, given that VanEck'due south flagship offerings are largely couched in an asset grade long considered to be a competitor to Bitcoin — gold.

Of VanEck'due south virtually $50 billion in assets under management, the majority are related to gold funds. The company founded both the first gold stock fund in 1968 (INIVX) and the commencement — now wildly pop — gold miners' exchange-traded fund in 2006 (GDX).

Despite their accent on bullion, VanEck has never been shy near exploring Bitcoin, however. The company currently offers a Bitcoin exchange-traded production to institutional investors, and has previously sent applications to the SEC to offer a Bitcoin ETF.

The company too recently issued a report arguing that institutional investors should consider having Bitcoin on their books.

Perhaps, given the regulatory hurdles VanEck encountered during their terminal Bitcoin ETF venture, this latest research might be aimed more at assuaging SEC fears than those of investors, who to date accept demonstrated a remarkable appetite for BTC-backed securities.