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BNB

BNB is both the BNB Chain gas token and an exchange-tied asset — part L1 play, part discount on Binance fee flow.

Gale Finance Team
Written by Gale Finance Team
Sid Kalla
Reviewed by Sid Kalla CFA Charterholder
Quick Answer

What is BNB's risk, return, and volatility like?

BNB returned +4.8% over the 1Y window. On the 5Y lens, Sharpe ratio is 0.35, annualized volatility is 67.2%, and max drawdown is -70.8%.

Total Return
1Y +4.8%
5Y +27.9%
Sharpe Ratio
1Y 0.27
5Y 0.35
Annualized Volatility
1Y 51.7%
5Y 67.2%
Max Drawdown
1Y -55.5%
5Y -70.8%

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Price history

BNB price over the past 5Y

Track BNB's standalone price path with macro and asset-specific events enabled by default.

BNB price over the past 5Y

BNB
Latest close $634.98 Data through 2026-04-23
5Y low $197.04 Window low
5Y high $1,312 Window high

Key takeaways

  • Total Return: BNB returned +4.8% over the 1Y window and +27.9% over the 5Y window ; annualized return over 5Y was +5.1%.
  • Risk-adjusted return: Sharpe was 0.35 and Sortino was 0.50 over 5Y. Sharpe counts total volatility; Sortino focuses on downside volatility.
  • Volatility & drawdown: Annualized volatility was 51.7% over 1Y and 67.2% over 5Y ; max drawdown was -55.5% over 1Y and -70.8% over 5Y .
  • Tail risk (Expected Shortfall): Over 5Y, daily VaR (5%) was -5.5% and Expected Shortfall was -8.9%. VaR is the cutoff; Expected Shortfall is the average move inside the worst 5% of daily returns.
  • Skew & kurtosis: Over 5Y, skew was -1.03 and excess kurtosis was 14.62. Skew shows return asymmetry; excess kurtosis shows how fat the tails were versus a Normal distribution.
  • Risk ratios: Sortino Ratio: 0.49 , Calmar Ratio: 0.07 , Sterling Ratio: 0.02 , Treynor Ratio: 0.27 , Ulcer Index: 42.92% .

BNB Drawdown

BNB 1Y Max Drawdown
-55.5%
2025-10-07 to 2026-04-01
BNB 5Y Max Drawdown
-70.8%
2021-05-03 to 2022-06-18

Max drawdown shows the deepest peak-to-trough decline BNB suffered in each research window. 1Y: -55.5%; 5Y: -70.8%.

BNB is currently -51.6% below its prior peak, with the high-water mark at $1,312. 5Y low is $197.04.

BNB underwater plot (5Y). Zero means at a prior peak; dips show how far below peak the close was on each day. Deepest trough: -70.8% on Jun 18, 2022.
-70.8% 2021-04-24 2026-04-23 0% -71%

5Y drawdown episodes

#1
-70.8% May 3, 2021 to Jun 18, 2022
Recovered Jun 4, 2024 1128 total days
#2
-55.5% Oct 7, 2025 to Apr 1, 2026
Not yet recovered 198 total days
#3
-34.6% Jun 6, 2024 to Aug 5, 2024
Recovered Dec 3, 2024 180 total days

BNB Volatility

BNB 1Y Volatility
51.7%
Annualized daily closes
BNB 5Y Volatility
67.2%
Annualized daily closes

Volatility BNB's annualized volatility shows how widely daily closes moved over 1Y and 5Y. Higher values mean a noisier path, not automatically a better or worse investment. 1Y: 51.7%; 5Y: 67.2%.

Benchmark context

Where BNB fits relative to other lenses

Benchmark links are secondary on this page. Use them when you want to place the asset against a specific market, factor, or historical counterpart.

Default benchmark

Bitcoin

BTC

Cross-asset crypto benchmark

1Y return
-17.1%
BNB minus BTC
+22.5%
Correlation
0.76
1Y
BNB vs BTC average correlation
Tightly linked
0.76
SPY

S&P 500

Corr 0.34

Broad equity benchmark

1Y return +30.7%
BNB minus SPY -25.3%
ETH

Ethereum

Corr 0.80

Cross-asset crypto benchmark

1Y return +30.5%
BNB minus ETH -25.1%
QQQ

Nasdaq 100

Corr 0.37

Growth and tech benchmark

1Y return +39.9%
BNB minus QQQ -34.4%

Risk-adjusted ratios

These ratios compare return against different definitions of risk: total volatility, downside volatility, drawdowns, benchmark beta, and time spent underwater.

BNB Sharpe Ratio

BNB 1Y Sharpe ratio
0.27
Recent window
BNB 5Y Sharpe ratio
0.35
Deeper research window

BNB Sharpe Ratio (5Y)

Return per total volatility

The dot sits at (BNB's annualized volatility, its excess annualized return). The slope from the origin to the dot is the Sharpe ratio — steeper means the asset converted risk into return more efficiently.

Higher is better
Excess return Annualized volatility 0 75% vol 67.2% · excess +23.6%
excess annualized return / total volatility
Formula Sharpe=E[R]RfσR\displaystyle \mathrm{Sharpe} = \frac{\mathbb{E}[R] - R_f}{\sigma_R}

Sharpe ratio BNB's Sharpe ratio measures excess return per unit of total volatility. Higher readings mean the asset converted risk into return more efficiently over the same window. 1Y: 0.27; 5Y: 0.35.

A Sharpe above 1.0 is generally considered good, above 2.0 is excellent. Negative Sharpe means the asset underperformed the risk-free rate. Calculated on each asset's full 365-day lookback of available prices and annualized using the asset calendar (365 for crypto, 252 trading days for equities/ETFs/metals).

BNB Sortino Ratio

BNB 1Y Sortino ratio
0.38
Recent window
BNB 5Y Sortino ratio
0.50
Deeper research window

BNB Sortino Ratio (5Y)

Return per downside volatility

BNB's daily-return distribution over the long window. Days left of the target line are the only ones Sortino penalizes in the denominator — so a distribution with a fat left tail produces a smaller Sortino even at the same mean return.

Higher is better
Frequency (days) Daily return (%) target -35.8% +33.9% 648 0
excess annualized return / downside volatility
Formula Sortino=E[R]Rfσdown\displaystyle \mathrm{Sortino} = \frac{\mathbb{E}[R] - R_f}{\sigma_{\mathrm{down}}}

Sortino ratio BNB's Sortino ratio isolates downside volatility instead of all volatility. It is the cleaner lens when you care more about bad downside moves than upside noise. 1Y: 0.38; 5Y: 0.50.

A higher Sortino is better. It's useful when upside volatility is common (crypto is the obvious example). Calculated on each asset's full 365-day lookback of available prices, using the daily risk-free rate as the target return, and annualized using the asset calendar (365 for crypto, 252 trading days for equities/ETFs/metals).

BNB Calmar Ratio

BNB 1Y Calmar ratio
0.09
Recent window
BNB 5Y Calmar ratio
0.07
Deeper research window

BNB Calmar Ratio (5Y)

CAGR per worst drawdown

BNB's CAGR bar sits above zero, the max drawdown bar sits below. Calmar is the ratio of those two magnitudes — a shallow drawdown bar with a tall CAGR bar produces a strong Calmar.

Higher is better
0% BNB 5Y +5.0% -70.8%
CAGR / max drawdown
Formula Calmar=CAGRMaxDD\displaystyle \mathrm{Calmar} = \frac{\mathrm{CAGR}}{|\mathrm{MaxDD}|}

Calmar ratio BNB's Calmar ratio measures return per unit of max drawdown. It is useful when the path of losses matters as much as the final return. 1Y: 0.09; 5Y: 0.07.

Calmar is computed on each asset's full 365-day lookback and uses the max drawdown over that same window.

BNB Sterling Ratio

BNB 1Y Sterling ratio
0.02
Recent window
BNB 5Y Sterling ratio
0.02
Deeper research window

BNB Sterling Ratio (5Y)

Return per average drawdown

The underwater curve shows BNB's drawdowns over the long window. Sterling averages every event deeper than the 10% threshold instead of taking only the worst one — so an asset with many mid-size drawdowns scores worse here than on Calmar.

Higher is better
0% -19% -37% -56% -74% 10% drawdown threshold
excess CAGR / average deep drawdown
Formula Sterling=CAGRRfD>10%\displaystyle \mathrm{Sterling} = \frac{\mathrm{CAGR} - R_f}{\overline{D}_{>10\%}}

Sterling ratio BNB's Sterling ratio compares return against deep drawdown pressure. It gives a harsher read on assets that compound well but suffer ugly declines along the way. 1Y: 0.02; 5Y: 0.02.

Sterling uses average drawdown events deeper than 10% and subtracts the risk-free rate to report excess return.

BNB Ulcer Index

BNB 1Y Ulcer Index
29.73
Recent window
BNB 5Y Ulcer Index
42.92
Deeper research window

BNB Ulcer Index (5Y)

Drawdown pain

The underwater curve shows how deep and how long BNB's drawdowns were. Ulcer is the root-mean-square of that curve — both depth and persistence count, so lower is better.

Lower is better
0% -19% -37% -56% -74%
root-mean-square drawdown
Formula UI=E[Dt2]\displaystyle \mathrm{UI} = \sqrt{\mathbb{E}[D_t^2]}

Ulcer Index BNB's Ulcer Index measures both the depth and persistence of drawdowns. Lower is better because it means fewer and shallower underwater periods. 1Y: 29.73; 5Y: 42.92.

Ulcer Index is computed from each asset's drawdown series over the full lookback window.

BNB Treynor Ratio

BNB 1Y Treynor
0.15
Beta 0.91 vs BTC
BNB 5Y Treynor
0.27
Beta 0.88 vs BTC

BNB Treynor Ratio (5Y)

Excess return per beta vs BTC

The line's slope is BNB's beta to BTC — steeper means more market-sensitive. Treynor divides excess return by that slope, so an asset can look efficient with a shallow beta and a small return, or inefficient with a steep beta and a big return.

Higher is better
Asset return Market return 0 0 β 0.88
excess return / market beta
Formula Treynor=E[R]Rfβ\displaystyle \mathrm{Treynor} = \frac{\mathbb{E}[R] - R_f}{\beta}

Treynor ratio measures excess return per unit of market beta versus BTC. A high Treynor means the asset compensated its market exposure well over this window. A low or negative Treynor means the asset's market risk wasn't rewarded.

Treynor uses beta vs the S&P 500 (SPY) on shared dates and the average 3-month Treasury rate as the risk-free rate.

BNB Tail Risk

Tail-risk stats use daily return distributions rather than simple end-point returns. They show how ugly the left tail has been, how severe the worst 5% of days were, and whether returns were skewed toward outsized upside or downside shocks.

The histogram shows the shape of BNB's daily log returns over the 5Y window. Bars left of the 5% VaR marker are the worst 5% of days; the ES marker is the average loss inside that tail. Skew and excess kurtosis describe whether the distribution is symmetric around zero and whether extreme days are more common than a Normal distribution predicts.

BNB daily return distribution (5Y)

BNB daily return distribution (5Y)

Log-return histogram with Value-at-Risk and Expected Shortfall markers at the 5% left tail.

Days
BNB 5Y VaR 5% ES 5% -46.6% 0% +46.6% Daily log return
worst-5% daily return and the average loss inside it
Formula VaR5%=Q0.05(R),ES5%=E[RRVaR5%]\displaystyle \mathrm{VaR}_{5\%} = Q_{0.05}(R),\quad \mathrm{ES}_{5\%} = \mathbb{E}[R \mid R \le \mathrm{VaR}_{5\%}]
Metric 1Y5Y
VaR (5%) -4.1% Historical daily threshold -5.5% Historical daily threshold
Expected shortfall (5%) -6.5% Beyond the VaR threshold -8.9% Beyond the VaR threshold
Skew -0.25 -1.03
Excess kurtosis 4.19 14.62

Less negative daily VaR and Expected Shortfall values mean the left tail was less violent. Skew and excess kurtosis help distinguish between steady compounding and a path dominated by occasional extreme moves.

Full stats table

Every window-consistent research metric

Each column keeps the same horizon across returns, ratios, drawdowns, and tail-risk metrics.

Metric
1Y Recent window
5Y Deeper research window
Total return
+4.8%
+27.9%
Annualized return
+4.8%
+5.1%
Volatility
51.7% Annualized daily closes
67.2% Annualized daily closes
Sharpe ratio
0.27
0.35
Sortino ratio
0.38
0.50
Calmar ratio
0.09
0.07
Sterling ratio
0.02
0.02
Ulcer Index
29.73
42.92
Max drawdown
-55.5% 2025-10-07 to 2026-04-01
-70.8% 2021-05-03 to 2022-06-18
VaR (5%)
-4.1% Historical daily threshold
-5.5% Historical daily threshold
Expected shortfall (5%)
-6.5% Beyond the VaR threshold
-8.9% Beyond the VaR threshold
Skew
-0.25
-1.03
Excess kurtosis
4.19
14.62

What viewers usually ask next

What is BNB's 5Y CAGR?

BNB's 5y cagr is +5.1% on Gale using the past 5 years.

What is BNB's 1-year volatility?

Annualized volatility is 51.7% over the past year.

What is BNB's 5-year Sharpe ratio?

BNB's Sharpe ratio is 0.35 using the past 5 years.

What is BNB's 5-year Sortino ratio?

BNB's Sortino ratio is 0.50 using the past 5 years.

What is BNB's 5-year Calmar ratio?

BNB's Calmar ratio is 0.07 using the past 5 years.

What is BNB's 5-year Sterling ratio?

BNB's Sterling ratio is 0.02 using the past 5 years.

What is BNB's 5-year Ulcer Index?

BNB's Ulcer Index is 42.92 using the past 5 years. Lower is better because it means shallower and less persistent drawdowns.

What is BNB's 5-year max drawdown?

Max drawdown is -70.8% over the past 5 years from 2021-05-03 to 2022-06-18.

What is BNB's 5-year daily Value at Risk?

Using historical daily returns, Gale estimates a 5% Value at Risk of -5.51% over the past 5 years.

What is BNB's 5-year Expected Shortfall?

Expected Shortfall is -8.87% over the past 5 years, which captures the average outcome inside the worst 5% of daily returns.

Is BNB still below its all-time high?

Current drawdown is -51.6% versus the all-time high of $1,312 reached on 2025-10-07.

Which benchmark should viewers open first for BNB?

Bitcoin is the default benchmark lens on Gale because it gives the cleanest context for BNB's recent behavior.