--- title: "50% of Bitcoin's past 24 months ended in gains: Economist" description: "An economist noted that 50% of the past 24 months for Bitcoin have shown gains, suggesting an 88% chance of higher prices in 10 months. Despite Bitcoin trading 25% below its January level, predictions" type: "news" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/276525642.md" published_at: "2026-02-22T03:24:40.000Z" --- # 50% of Bitcoin's past 24 months ended in gains: Economist > An economist noted that 50% of the past 24 months for Bitcoin have shown gains, suggesting an 88% chance of higher prices in 10 months. Despite Bitcoin trading 25% below its January level, predictions for December show a 17% chance of being its best month in 2026. Analysts are divided on future performance, with some expecting gains and others predicting further declines. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index indicates extreme caution among investors, while a sentiment platform suggests a return to neutral sentiment. Half of the months over the past two years have delivered positive returns for Bitcoin, which may be a strong sign that it will be higher than its current price in December, an economist said. “50% of the past 24 months have been positive. This implies a 88% chance that Bitcoin will be higher 10 months from now,” economist Timothy Peterson said in an X post on Saturday. In 2025, Bitcoin posted gains in January, April, May, June, July, and September, while the other six months ended lower, according to CoinGlass. Peterson explained that he uses the metric to count the number of positive months in any 24-month period to identify possible inflection points. Traders on crypto prediction platform Polymarket are giving December a 17% chance of being Bitcoin’s (BTC) best month of 2026, just behind November at 18%. Historically, November has been Bitcoin’s strongest-performing month on average since 2013, with an average return of 41.13%, according to CoinGlass. Peterson’s forecast comes as Bitcoin’s price trades almost 25% below its level at the beginning of this year, at $68,173 at the time of publication, according to CoinMarketCap. Analysts are divided on how the asset will perform in the near future. MN Trading Capital founder Michael van de Poppe said on Friday, “I would expect next week to be green for BTC.” “Finalizing this month with a massive candle and a streak of five red months,” he said. Meanwhile, other analysts see more downside ahead. Veteran trader Peter Brand recently told Magazine that Bitcoin’s “real bottom will not occur until October 2026.” Peterson’s forecast comes as crypto market sentiment continues to decline. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index, which measures overall crypto market sentiment, posted another “Extreme Fear” score of 8, signaling extreme caution among investors. However, crypto sentiment platform Santiment said on Friday that the “drying up” of Bitcoin price predictions on social media among crypto market participants is a healthy indicator as sentiment returns to “neutral” territory. ***Magazine:*** ***6 massive challenges Bitcoin faces on the road to quantum security*** ### Related Stocks - [BITF.US - Bitfarms Canada](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BITF.US.md) - [BITB.US - Bitwise Bitcoin ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BITB.US.md) - [BKKT.US - Bakkt](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BKKT.US.md) - [MARA.US - Mara](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MARA.US.md) - [BTBT.US - Bit Digital](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BTBT.US.md) - [COIW.US - Roundhill COIN WeeklyPay ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/COIW.US.md) - [IBIT.US - iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IBIT.US.md) - [BTCO.US - Invesco Galaxy Bitcoin ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BTCO.US.md) - [BTF.US - Valkyrie Bitcoin and Ether Strategy ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BTF.US.md) - [BTDR.US - Bitdeer Tech](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BTDR.US.md) ## Related News & Research | Title | Description | URL | |-------|-------------|-----| | Steak 'n Shake credits Bitcoin strategy as driver of sales growth | Steak 'n Shake's Bitcoin experiment has evolved into a sales driver and a balance sheet strategy. | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276114408.md) | | Bitdeer Balances Bitcoin Mining Scale With Expanding AI Infrastructure Ambitions | Bitdeer Technologies Group (NasdaqCM:BTDR) has become the largest public Bitcoin miner by self mining hash rate in 2026 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276178305.md) | | BUZZ-Bitdeer steadies after convertible, direct stock deals priced | Shares of Bitdeer Technologiesfell to $7.91 premarket after announcing a $325 million convertible bond offering and sell | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276443420.md) | | Quantum Resistant Ledger (QRL) - Official QRL Show Live - Date (18 February 2026) | The Official QRL Show, scheduled for February 18, 2026, at 16:00 UTC, will focus on post-quantum security and quantum co | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276197890.md) | | Trump-Backed American Bitcoin Secures Spot In Elite Corporate Crypto Circle | American Bitcoin Corp, backed by Eric Trump, has amassed 6,039 BTC, ranking it among the top 20 corporate Bitcoin treasu | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276360652.md) | --- > **Disclaimer**: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.