January 1, 2016, marked the beginning of bitcoin’s sustained price rise. It started the year at US$433 and ended it at US$959 — a 121 percent value increase in 12 months.The next year brought the mainstream adoption of bitcoin. Between January and December 2017, additional attention, the introduction of new cryptocurrencies and coverage from mainstream financial media added 1,729 percent to the crypto-coin’s value — it rose from US$1,035.24 in January to US$18,940.57 in December.This record-setting threshold was ultimately unsustainable, and bitcoin fell victim to its own routine volatility, which steadily eroded its previous gains. Despite that decrease in value, the virtual currency still held above US$3,190, a low it has not hit again since that time. Since launching in 2008, opponents of bitcoin have used the digital currency’s short history to defend their reluctance to support the new asset. Questions have arisen around how bitcoin would perform during a financial crisis or recession, as the coin is extremely susceptible to uncertainty.2020 proved a testing ground for the digital coin’s ability to weather financial upheaval. Starting the year at US$6,950.56, a widespread selloff in March brought its value to US$4,841.67 — a 30 percent decline.The low created a buying opportunity that helped bitcoin gain back its losses by May. Like safe-haven metal gold, bitcoin began to emerge as a protective asset for the Millennial and Generation Z crowd.The rally continued throughout 2020, and the digital asset ended the year at US$29,402.64, a 323 percent year-over-year increase and a 507 percent rise from its March drop.By comparison, gold, one of the best-performing commodities of 2020, added 38 percent to its value from the low in March through December, setting an all-time high of US$2,060 per ounce in August.