Bitcoin is the leading and dominant force (+45% market dominance) within the cryptocurrency market and to a large extent determines the price action for the rest of the cryptocurrency market.
When the price of Bitcoin increases, so does the rest of the market. When the price of Bitcoin falls, so too does the rest of the cryptocurrency market. Where Bitcoin goes, the rest of the market tends to follow.
As long as Bitcoin continues to hold the dominant market capitalization within the cryptocurrency space, the movements of Bitcoin will be to a large extent reflected by the rest of the market.
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2008 - Bitcoin was Born
On 3 January 2009, the Bitcoin network was officially created when Satoshi Nakamoto mined the first block, also known as the genesis block. At this time Bitcoin was the first and only cryptocurrency in existence (it is also necessary to point out that at this time there wasn't any method to establish a 'market' price for this cryptocurrency).
Over the next few years, Bitcoin didn't have any exchangeable value until the first Bitcoin exchange was created, which was Mt. Gox, launched in 2010.
Between 2010 and 2013, Bitcoin went from having near zero market value to almost $150 per Bitcoin.
The first public exchange of value for Bitcoin happened on May 22, 2010 and would go down in history, and still celebrated every May 22nd..
Laszlo infamously bought two pizzas from Papa John's for 10,000 Bitcoin, making this the first recorded transaction of Bitcoin for a tangible product. If you want to see the current price of those two Pizza's in today's value, see the article below.
Paul Andrews
2013 - The First Bitcoin Bull Market
⬆Bitcoin: $145 to $1,200 (May-Dec) +700%
The year 2013 marked the first official bull run for Bitcoin. The price of Bitcoin hovered around $145 for the majority of the year until October when within two months reached its first all-time high of over $1,200.
Soon after, the price of Bitcoin dropped again which was largely blamed on the Mt. Gox hack, and for the next two years, the price of Bitcoin continued to decrease in price until bottoming out at around $230 in September of 2015.
2014 Bitcoin Bear Market
Bitcoin decreased from $800 to $178 (Jan-Dec) - 77%
Following the all-time highs in the Bitcoin Price of over $1,200 in 2013, 2014 would be seen as a bear market for Bitcoin with a continued decline in price, hitting a low of $178 on January 13th, 2015.
2015 Second Bull Market
⬆Bitcoin increased from $178 to $463 (Jan-Dec) +160%
In 2015, the market changed with Bitcoin at the beginning of the year trading at around $200 market and near the end of the year, from September onward realized its all-time high for the year of almost $500.
2016 Continuation of the Bitcoin Bull Run
⬆Bitcoin increased from $433 to $1,150 (Jan-Dec) +165
In 2016, we see a continuation of the bull run from 2015 with a consistent price increase from $433 at the beginning of the year to an all-time yearly high of $1,150 at the end of the year. Yet again, we see a similar trend in the Bitcoin price hitting its all-time high at the end of the year.
2017 - Continuation of the Bitcoin Bull Run
⬆Bitcoin increases from $1,100 to $19,500 (Jan-Dec) + 1,600%
For the last two years, the price of Bitcoin increased with the cumulation of an all-time high of almost $20,000 at year-end.
In January of 2017, Bitcoin was trading at around $1,000, moderately increasing each and every month, until September when Bitcoin was priced at around $4,000, and over the next few months, until December when Bitcoin hit the historic all-time high of almost $20,000.
From January to December of 2017, Bitcoin saw an increase of almost 20x.
2018 - Bitcoin Bear Market
Bitcoin decreases from $19,500 to $3,600
After reaching all-time highs of almost $20,000 in 2017, 2018 was deemed to be a bear market for Bitcoin as the price continued to plummet throughout the year ending the year at an all-time low of around $3,600 in December.
2019 - Runup to the Bull Run of 2020
⬆Bitcoin increased moderately in value
2019 was the first time in 6 years that the high/low price for Bitcoin was not determined at the end of the year. Interestingly, the high for the year occurred (right in the middle of the year) on June 24th, at a price of $13,100.
At the beginning of the year, the price of Bitcoin was around $3,600, and by year-end, the price of Bitcoin was around $7,000.
This is the first time in 6 years that the all-time high/low price for Bitcoin did not occur at the end of the year.
2020 - Bitcoin Bull Market
⬆Bitcoin increases from $8,000 to $39,300 (Jan-Dec)
In January 2020, Bitcoin was trading at around $8,000. The price dropped to a low of $5,550 in March and for the remainder of the year, the price continued to increase moderately. It wasn't until October that we saw a breakout with the price hitting an all-time high on January 8th, 2021 of $39,300 ( a few days later dropping down to $33,900).
From the beginning of the year to the end of the year, Bitcoin increased by almost 400%. Of interest, is the peak price of Bitcoin occurred around December-January, which is an increasingly common theme in Bitcoin price action.
2021 - Continuation of Bitcoin Bull Run
⬆Bitcoin increased from $23,100 to an all-time high of $68,700
In January of 2021, Bitcoin was trading at just over $23,000 and within three months increased to a new all-time high of $63,300 in mid-April. Following this new all-time high, the price decreased to a low of $29,800 in mid-July and subsequently reached a new all-time high of $68,700 in mid-November and then fell to $35,500 by the end of the year.
2021 was a unique year in that there were two all-time highs reached during the year, with Bitcoin reaching an all-time high of just under $70,000.
During this year we also didn't see the all-time high/low take place at the end of the year.
2022 - Bitcoin Bear Market:
Bitcoin plummets from $47,300 to below $20,000
In January of 2022, Bitcoin was trading at around $47,300 dropping to a low of $35,200 and then increasing again to almost the same high (from January) at the end of March.
From March onward, the price of Bitcoin continued to decline, hovering around the $20,000 mark and hitting lows just under $20,000.
2023 - Bitcoin Rallies - Price Increases 130%
Bitcoin increases from $16,800 to +$42,200.
In 2023, we saw slow and accumulated price appreciation throughout the years.
Early in the year, Bitcoin's price showed recovery signs from the previous year's lows, driven by investor optimism and institutional interest. However, the market remained sensitive to macroeconomic factors such as interest rate changes by central banks, inflation data, and global economic uncertainties, which sometimes led to price corrections.
Regulatory news also played a critical role, with positive developments like the approval of certain Bitcoin ETFs or favorable regulatory guidance in some countries helping to boost investor confidence. Conversely, regulatory crackdowns or negative comments from influential figures or governments led to price drops.
Innovation within the Bitcoin ecosystem, such as improvements in scaling solutions and increased utility, contributed positively to market sentiment. The growing adoption of Bitcoin by companies and countries (e.g., legal tender status or acceptance for payments) also provided bullish signals.
The price peaked above $43,200 at the end of the year on rumors of the approval by the SEC of a spot Bitcoin ETF taking place early in 2024. In addition to the institutional interest in Bitcoin and the upcoming Bitcoin Halving taking place around April 2024, the 2023 year ended with some of the highest prices in Bitcoin we have seen in a few years.
Future Bitcoin Predictions:
We are expecting to see new all-time highs in the price of Bitcoin for 2024, both in the early part of the year and nearer to the end of the year (which is a consistent trend) with the summer months either moving sideways or downward.
The market anticipation and final approval of the Bitcoin Spot ETFs went a long way in pushing the price of Bitcoin higher and with Bitcoin Halving already completed, we are expecting to see a significant increase in the price of Bitcoin 3-5 months after the halving event (September 2024).
Bitcoin Price Prediction: 2024-2030
Anna Petrov
Key Takeaways & Analysis of Bitcoin Price
Since the creation of Bitcoin, there has been a consistent trend in the price action of Bitcoin within Bull and Bear markets, especially during the end of the year.
After analyzing the price of Bitcoin over the last 15 years, it can be said with a high degree of probability the price will either drop to its lowest or highest point at the end of the year depending if it's in a bear or bull market, based on its historical price action (there have only been two years where this didn't hold).
Given the above, we are expecting to see new all-time highs (likely exceeding $100,000) before the end of the year 2025.
When is the Next Bull Run?
According to expert insights from CoinPedia, the timing of the next crypto bull run is closely associated with what has been known as the Bitcoin Halving Cycle which is where the amount of Bitcoins created is reduced by 50%. This is a programmatically set event to take place once every four years and coincides nicely with the bull and bear markets experienced by Bitcoin as detailed above.
To learn more about the Bitcoin Halving event and its effect on the price of Bitcoin and the next Bitcoin bull run, read this article:
Richard Knight
When is a Good time to Buy & Sell Bitcoin?
The price of Bitcoin is highly volatile so knowing when to buy or sell may be difficult for some investors. While there isn't any fool-proof method to determine the best time to buy or sell, there are some tools that in combination with fundamental and technical analysis can help to decide the best time to buy.
Crypto Fear & Greed Index
The Crypto Fear and Greed Index is a tool designed to gauge the overall sentiment of the cryptocurrency market, offering insight into a good time to buy (when the market is fearful) or when to sell (when the market is greedy).
Richard Knight
Bitcoin Rainbow Chart:
The Bitcoin Rainbow Chart is a logarithmic regression curve, colored in a rainbow of colors to help investors determine the best buy and sell prices for Bitcoin.
Richard Knight
Conclusion:
Looking back on the price movements of Bitcoin (and as a consequence, the market as a whole) there is a strong trend for the price during bull markets to reach its peak at the end of the calendar year. If in a bear market, the trend is for the price to reach its low at the end of the year.
While history doesn't always repeat, it does rhyme and alongside the historical price movements if we incorporate other factors such as the Bitcoin Halving event and even the Bitcoin rainbow chart (a logarithmic regression curve) the use of these additional indicators can help in determining the macro price movements of Bitcoin and the market at large.
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Anna Petrov
Anna Petrov