Bitcoin (BTC) is on pace for its worst fourth-quarter performance in seven years.
Since mid-October, the price of Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, has declined more than 30%, its worst drop since the crypto winter of 2018.
Bitcoin and other major digital tokens such as Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), and Cardano (ADA) largely remain rangebound with investor sentiment in the doldrums, say analysts.
A growing number of Wall Street brokerages now say that we’ve entered a new cryptocurrency winter, with signs the market for digital assets is exhausted.
Bitcoin is currently trading near $87,750 U.S. after its latest attempt to rise above $90,000 U.S. failed. BTC is down 6% on the year and trading below the level it was at to start 2025.
For the entire fourth quarter, which began on Oct. 1, Bitcoin is down 22%, marking one of the weakest year-end periods ever for the cryptocurrency.
The current weakness is surprising as the fourth quarter has historically been the strongest period of the year for cryptocurrencies, producing gains of nearly 10%.
Many analysts expect crypto weakness to persist in the first half of 2026 with no near-term catalysts on the horizon.
