Fifty days into 2026, bitcoin is off to its worst begin to a monetary yr on document, in accordance with Checkonchain information. The asset is down 23% yr up to now, having fallen 10% in January and an additional 15% in February.
Bitcoin has by no means beforehand recorded back-to-back declines in January and February, in accordance with Coinglass information. Whereas there have been double digit drops in January in years corresponding to 2015, 2016 and 2018, every of these was adopted by a optimistic February. If losses maintain, bitcoin can also be on monitor for its weakest consecutive month-to-month efficiency since 2022.
Checkonchain information reveals that in a typical down yr, the common index studying is 0.84, 50 days in, a benchmark that merchants typically use to gauge cyclical drawdowns. Whereas bitcoin is at the moment at 0.77, underscoring the size of the drawdown.
The weak spot follows a 17% decline in 2025, a publish election yr. Traditionally, publish election years have tended to outperform election years and have outperformed up years on mixture, making the current underperformance stand out additional.