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Brief History of Bitcoin Bull & Bear Markets (2008–2024)

An analysis of the Bitcoin Bull and bear markets over the last 15 years and a fascinating conclusion regarding future price movements and prediction.

History of Bitcoin Bull and Bear Markets (2008-2024) | Altcoin Investor

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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Future Price Predictions

As we analyze these price movements, some interesting observations and takeaways can be inferred to help with the future Bitcoin price prediction and price movement of the cryptocurrency market at large.

Bitcoin (BTC) Price Prediction 2024, 2025, 2026, 2030
Bitcoin Price Prediction for 2024-2030.
Bitcoin Origin | Altcoin Investor

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. Also 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. Mt. Gox was first launched in 2010.

Between 2010 and 2013, Bitcoin went from having near zero market value to almost $150 per Bitcoin. It was in May of 2010 when two pizzas were infamously purchased for 10,000 Bitcoins (valued at around $41 at the time).


2013 - The First Bitcoin Bull Market

Bitcoin increases from $145 to $1,200 (May-Dec) +700%

Bitcoin Price 2013 | Altcoin Investor
In the 2013 Bull Run - Bitcoin's Price Peaked in November

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.

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Please Note: The peak of this bull run occurred right at the end of the year, on December 3rd, 2013 at a price of $1,200. This end-of-year all-time high price movement is a unique characteristic of the Bitcoin price action, repeated almost yearly (the reverse is true if its a bear market).

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%

2014 Bitcoin Bear Market | Altcoin Investor
In the 2014 Bear Market - The Lowest Price was in December

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.

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Please Note: The low of this bear bull run occurred right at the end of the year, slipping into the next year with a low of $178 on January 13th, 2015. This end-of-year all-time high/low price movement depending on whether it's a bull/bear market is a unique characteristic of the Bitcoin price action, repeated almost yearly.

2015 Second Bull Market

Bitcoin increased from $178 to $463 (Jan-Dec) +160%

2015 Second Bitcoin Bull Market | Altcoin Investor
In the 2015 Bull Run - The price peaked in November

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.

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Please Note: Yet again we see a similar price action taking place at the end of the year. The peak of this bull run occurred right at the end of the year, on December 12th, 2015 at a price of $462. This end-of-year all-time high price movement is a trend we will continue to see in years when Bitcoin is in a bull market.

2016 Continuation of the Bitcoin Bull Run

Bitcoin increased from $433 to $1,150 (Jan-Dec) +165

2016 Bitcoin Bull Run | Altcoin Investor
In the 2016 Bull Run - The price peaked in December

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.

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Please Note: The peak of this bull run was just after the end of the year, on January 3rd, 2017 for $1,150. This end-of-year all-time high price movement is a consistent trend, repeated almost yearly (depending on if it is a bull/bear market trend).

2017 - Continuation of the Bitcoin Bull Run

Bitcoin increases from $1,100 to $19,500 (Jan-Dec) + 1,600%

2017 Bitcoin Bull Run | Altcoin Investor
In the 2017 Bull Run - The price peaked in December

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.

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Please Note: The peak of this bull run was right at year-end, on December 15th, 2017 at an all-time high of almost $20,000. This end-of-year all-time high price movement is the same price action we have seen in prior years (when Bitcoin was in a bull market).

2018 - Bitcoin Bear Market

Bitcoin decreases from $19,500 to $3,600

2018 Bitcoin Bear Market | Altcoin Investor
In the 2018 Bear Market - The lowest price was in December

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.

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Please Note: The low of this bear run occurred right at year-end, on December 15th, 2018 at an all-time yearly low of almost $3,200. This end-of-year all-time high/low price movement is consistent with prior years, depending on whether it is a bear or bull market.

2019 - Runup to the Bull Run of 2020

Bitcoin increased moderately in value

2019 - Runup to the Bull Run of 2020 | Altcoin Investor

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)

Bitcoin Price - 2020 Bitcoin Bull Market | Altcoin Investor
In the 2020 Bull Run - Bitcoin's Price Peaked in December

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.

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Please Note: Yet again, in this bull market, we see the peak of this bull run occurring just after year-end, on January 7th, 2021. This end-of-year all-time high price movement is the same price action we have seen in every bull market (except 2019).

2021 - Continuation of Bitcoin Bull Run

Bitcoin increased from $23,100 to an all-time high of $68,700

Bitcoin Price - 2021 - Bitcoin Bull Run | Altcoin Investor

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

2022 - Bitcoin Bear Market | Altcoin Investor
Bitcoin Price 2022

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.

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See the Pattern? Yet again we see in a bear market the price of Bitcoin reached it's lowest price near the end of the year (in December). In the following year (2023), we will see the reverse effect - Where the lowest price of Bitcoin will be at the beginning of the year and the price of Bitcoin will continually increase until the end of the year.

2023 - Bitcoin Rallies - Price Increases 130%

Bitcoin increases from $16,800 to +$42,200.

Bitcoin Price 2023 | Altcoin Investor
Bitcoin Price - January-December 2023

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.


Bitcoin Price October 2023-January 2024 | Altcoin Investor
Bitcoin Price: October 2023- January 2024

2024 & Future Predictions:

We are expecting to see new all-time highs in the price of Bitcoin for 2024 as well as the cryptocurrency market in general. The market anticipation and final approval of the Bitcoin Spot ETFs went a long way in pushing the price of Bitcoin higher and with the expected Bitcoin Halving taking place around the middle of April 2024, thereby reducing the supply of new Bitcoins to the market, we expect to see new all-time highs for both Bitcoin as well as many other cryptocurrencies near the end of the year (in keeping with past trends).

Check out our 2024 Predictions:

Crypto Predictions for 2024 - Altcoin Investor
We explore the major trends, diving deep into specific cryptocurrencies, blockchain advancements, and institutional involvement that will influence the crypto market in 2024.

Key Takeaways & Analysis of Bitcoin Price

Since the creation of Bitcoin, there has been a very consistent trend in both bull and bear markets for the price of Bitcoin to reach its highest (or lowest) price at the end of the year, depending on whether it's a bear or bull market.

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).


When is the Next Bull Run?

According to expert insights from CoinPediathe 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:

Bitcoin Halving Cycle - Making Crypto Millionaires
The 4-Year method for making crypto millionaires by using the Bitcoin Halving Cycle and leveraging it as part of your investment strategy profitably.

When is a Good time to Buy & Sell Bitcoin?

The price of Bitcoin is highly volatile and an excellent indicator that has proved to be very reliable (historically) in determining the best buy and sell prices is the 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.

For more details about this chart and how it functions, read this article:

Bitcoin Rainbow Chart
Live Bitcoin Rainbow Chart is based on a logarithmic regression curve and a colorful way to determine the buy-in and sell price for Bitcoin.

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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