Optimal Cryptocurrency and BIST 30 Portfolios with the Perspective of Markowitz Portfolio Theory

Abstract

We apply the Markowitz mean-variance framework to assess risk-return benefits of cryptocurrency-portfolios. Using daily data of the three major cryptocurrencies for the time span 1/1/2019 to 27/04/2021, we relate risk and return of different mean-variance portfolio strategies to Bitcoin, Etherium, Ripple and BIST 30 benchmark. We find that combining cryptocurrencies crowds out BIST 30 index to maximize return and Sharpe ratio while cryptocurrencies are crowded out if the optimization problem is changed to a risk minimization problem rather than a return maximization problem. Furthermore, according to rolling-window approach shift from Bitcoin to Etherium is important.