Bitcoin Down 25% in 2026, 47% Below $126K Peak

Get the Finance newsletter
Daily finance — markets, central banks, M&A, the prints that move money. Free.
- Bitcoin is down 25% in 2026 and 47% from its October all-time high of $126,000, and the source notes Bitcoin's 58% share of total crypto market cap means its slide effectively drags down the entire sector.
- Ethereum and other major cryptocurrencies are also down at least 25% for the year, while more speculative altcoins have fallen as much as 40%, according to the source.
- Cathie Wood of ARK Invest has documented five cases of Bitcoin losing 75% or more of its value during steep drawdowns, a pattern the source cites when warning that the current ~47% drop may not be the floor.
- Bitcoin has "decoupled" from broader financial markets since the start of Middle East hostilities, a development the source frames as appealing to institutional investors seeking uncorrelated safe-haven assets.
- Bittensor (TAO), an AI-focused cryptocurrency, is up 41% in 2026, bucking the broader market decline and identified by the source as a speculative alternative for those wary of Bitcoin.
Why it matters: Bitcoin's 47% drawdown from $126,000 sits within a historical pattern where ARK Invest's Cathie Wood has documented five prior cases of Bitcoin losing 75% or more — leaving holders facing material additional downside risk. With Bitcoin commanding 58% of the crypto market, its trajectory dictates the broader sector, and the source explicitly advises against buying now.
Ask SkimNews



