The rare metal rhodium has been unexpectedly surging in 2019 and has far exceeded Bitcoin’s returns in the past year.

Everyone’s always comparing Bitcoin to gold. However, other precious metals have shown significant promise due to their rarity and how costly they are to find.

Rhodium is one standout that has seen incredible price movement this past year and exceeded all expectations. It’s even left Bitcoin in the dust. The precious metal was trading at around $2,500 per oz. at the beginning of 2019 and has since surged to around $8,000. That’s a shocking gain of around 220% for just the year alone. Bitcoin, on the other hand, had more modest returns by comparison. The leading cryptocurrency rose from around $3,800 to $7,200 in 2019, a return of about 89% or so.

In the past four years, rhodium has broken all expectations. The metal has risen 12-fold in the past four years, outperforming all major commodities and currently even Bitcoin. This is due to its high demand in the automobile sector and its rarity which leads to wild volatility. Rhodium is used for electrical contacts and catalytic converters in cars. It can also be used in nuclear reactors to measure neutron flux levels.

Rhodium, however, is difficult to come by to acquire and trade. The precious metal’s demand will likely continue to grow, but supply is struggling to keep up. Global production is currently at around a 10th of platinum or palladium, according to Bloomberg. South Africa currently accounts for more than 80% of global output which has led to a massive mining boom in the country.

Still, rhodium looks to have bested Bitcoin in 2019 despite the fact that most investors have never even heard of it. It’s unclear whether the precious metal can continue this price rally, but it might be time for Bitcoin fans to start keeping an eye on this sought-after commodity. It may have more room to shine as automobiles look for more efficient exhaust emission controls.