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Is Bitcoin a Commodity? On price jumps, demand shocks, and certainty of supply

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  • Gronwald, Marc

Abstract

This paper discusses how similar Bitcoin is to a commodity. The application of a number of both linear and non-linear GARCH models indicates that the role of extreme price movements is particularly pronounced. GARCH models with student-t innovations as well as combined jump-GARCH models are among the models with the best fit. The role of large movements is found to be stronger in the Bitcoin market than in the markets for crude oil and gold. As Bitcoin shares with these exhaustible resource commodities characteristics such as the fixed supply, the analysis of Bitcoin prices can generally learn from the analysis of exhaustible resource commodities. However, whereas the short-run supply of gold and oil are uncertain, there are no uncertainties on the Bitcoin supply-side. Thus, the observed movements of Bitcoin prices can be interpreted as results of Bitcoin demand shocks.

Suggested Citation

  • Gronwald, Marc, 2019. "Is Bitcoin a Commodity? On price jumps, demand shocks, and certainty of supply," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 86-92.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jimfin:v:97:y:2019:i:c:p:86-92
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jimonfin.2019.06.006
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Bitcoins; GARCH; Price jumps; Bitcoin demand shocks; Security of supply;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C12 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Hypothesis Testing: General
    • C22 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Time-Series Models; Dynamic Quantile Regressions; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models; Diffusion Processes
    • C58 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Financial Econometrics
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates

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