Are cryptocurrencies a safe-haven? A quantile GARCH analysis of Bitcoin and Ethereum

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the potential safe-have properties of the two most popular cryptocurrencies, i.e., Bitcoin and Ethereum, against equites, government bonds and gold. To do so, the paper makes use of a daily dataset ranging from 2018 to 2022 acknowledging both the COVID-19 and the potential halving effect in the cryptocurrency market. To robustly assess the research question, the paper employs a quantile GARCH model with non-parametric diagnostics, dynamic Local Projections and rolling window estimations for robustness. The findings of the paper suggest that both assets act as diversifiers against equities and against each other, whereas the halving effect is statistically insignificant and the COVID-19 effect is statistically significantly positive only for the returns of Ethereum. The results imply that cryptocurrencies could contribute to portfolio diversification under stress market conditions.