Crypto and stocks are often lumped together as "the markets," and Market Capitalize tracks both for exactly that reason — many investors now hold a mix. But the two are fundamentally different instruments. Understanding where they diverge helps you read each one on its own terms rather than applying the wrong mental model.
What you actually own
A share of stock is a claim on a real business. When you buy one, you own a tiny slice of a company's assets and future profits, and in most cases a vote in its affairs. Its value is ultimately tethered — however loosely on any given day — to that company's earnings.
A cryptocurrency is not a claim on a company. Most coins are units of a decentralised network or protocol; their value comes from what that network does, how its supply is designed, and what people will pay for it. There is usually no earnings statement underneath. That makes market cap and supply mechanics especially important in crypto, and tools like the Ratio cours/bénéfice (PER) simply inapplicable.
When they trade
US stock exchanges keep office hours: roughly 9:30am to 4:00pm Eastern on weekdays, with limited pre- and post-market sessions, and they close on holidays. Crypto never closes. It trades 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across exchanges worldwide. That means a crypto position can move sharply overnight or over a weekend when no stock market is open — a difference that matters for anyone watching both.
Custody and settlement
Stocks are held for you by regulated brokers and central depositories. If you forget your password, you reset it; the asset is recorded in your name. Crypto can be held the same way through an exchange, but it can also be held directly in a self-custody wallet, where you alone control the private keys. Self-custody removes the middleman but transfers all responsibility to you — lose the keys and the funds are typically gone for good.
Volatility and regulation
Both can lose value, but they tend to do so at different speeds. Broad stock indices have a long history and, while individual shares can collapse, diversified equity moves of more than a few percent in a day are notable. Double-digit daily moves are routine in crypto. Regulation differs too: US-listed equities sit within a mature disclosure and investor-protection framework, while crypto regulation is still evolving and varies widely by jurisdiction and by token.
| Actions américaines | Crypto | |
|---|---|---|
| Underlying | A share of a company | A unit of a network/protocol |
| Heures de négociation | Weekday sessions | 24/7 |
| Revenu | Dividends (sometimes) | Staking rewards (sometimes) |
| Typical volatility | Lower | Higher |
| Conservation | Broker / depository | Exchange or self-custody |
Dividends versus staking
Some stocks pay dividends — a share of profits returned to holders. Some cryptocurrencies offer staking rewards for helping secure a proof-of-stake network. They can look similar on the surface, but a dividend comes from business profit, while a staking reward comes from new issuance and network fees. Neither is guaranteed, and a high advertised yield is not free money — it always carries risk.
Holding both
None of this makes one asset class "better." They serve different roles and carry different risks, and many people hold a blend. What matters is reading each correctly: judge a stock partly on the business behind it, judge a coin on its network and supply, and size every position according to how much you can afford to lose — the subject of our guide on position sizing and risk. You can watch both side by side on our markets page.
This guide is general education, not investment advice, and nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell any asset. Both stocks and crypto can lose value. Please read our disclaimer.