At the end of the year, stocks have delivered an 87.11% total return, leading major asset classes. Precious metals have outperformed with a record commodity performance, while bonds and cryptocurrency have been negative. Looking back over 5 years, stocks, represented by Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI), have a total return of 87.11%. Bonds, represented by Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND), have experienced a 1.57% loss. Real estate, represented by Vanguard Real Estate ETF (VNQ), has a total return of 27.70%. Precious metals, represented by Physical Precious Metals Basket Shares ETF (GLTR), have an impressive total return of 115.29%. Cryptocurrency, represented by Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF (BTC), has a 6.90% loss over the last year. The author emphasizes the importance of diversification and wishes readers health, wealth, and happiness in the new year.

Read more at Barchart: How the 5 Major Asset Classes Stack Up on the Charts: A Year in Review