To calculate Bitcoin's percentage price change, subtract the starting price from the ending price, divide by the starting price, then multiply by 100. Use two positive prices in the same currency and explain which times they represent.
Percentage change = (ending price − starting price) ÷ starting price × 100.
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A gain and a loss from the same starting price
Imagine Bitcoin starts at $60,000. An ending price of $63,000 gives a $3,000 increase. Dividing $3,000 by $60,000 gives 0.05, or a 5% gain.
If the ending price is $57,000 instead, the change is −$3,000. The same starting denominator gives −5%. These are arithmetic examples, not historical prices.
| Start | End | Change in dollars | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $63,000 | +$3,000 | +5% |
| $60,000 | $57,000 | −$3,000 | −5% |
| $60,000 | $60,000 | $0 | 0% |
Use the Bitcoin Percentage Change Calculator to check two values. Confirm the starting input first: reversing the inputs changes the base.
Why the reverse move is not the same percentage
A fall from $60,000 to $30,000 is −50%. Returning from $30,000 to $60,000 is +100%, because the second calculation divides by $30,000.
Even a 5% fall is not cancelled by a 5% gain. Starting at $100, a 5% fall leaves $95. A 5% gain on $95 adds $4.75, leaving $99.75. The gain needed to return to $100 is $5 ÷ $95 × 100, approximately 5.263%.
For a table covering larger drawdowns, read Why a 50% Bitcoin Drop Needs a 100% Gain to Recover. This article measures the move between two prices; that guide explains recovery from a loss.
An Excel example
Put the starting price in A2 and the ending price in B2. Enter =(B2-A2)/A2 in C2 and format C2 as a percentage.
If you instead enter =(B2-A2)/A2*100, display the result as an ordinary number and label it as a percentage yourself. Do not multiply by 100 and also apply Excel's percentage format: that displays a result 100 times too large.
Select a consistent observation window
Write down the source, currency, starting timestamp, ending timestamp and time zone. A daily candle, your execution price and a current quote answer different questions. Comparing one venue's opening value with another venue's last trade can add a pricing difference to the time-window change.
For a reproducible comparison, keep the same source and price convention at both endpoints. If either value is missing, leave the calculation unavailable instead of substituting zero. A zero starting price makes this formula undefined.
Price change is not your account return
The formula measures a price move. Trading fees, different execution prices, position sizing and transfers can change a person's cash result. Leverage and derivatives add further complications. A BTC chart rising 5% does not prove every account earned 5%.
For chart interpretation, continue with price, volume and volatility. The Bitcoin Charts hub organizes the related guides.
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