Bitcoin Drops Below $73,000: A ‘Break From Precedent,’ Peter Schiff Warns

Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is on pace for its first back-to-back annual loss in 18 years of trading history, according to critic Peter Schiff, who on Tuesday called the pattern "a break from precedent investors ignore at their peril."

Bitcoin’s Two Straight Down Years Would Be a First

Schiff said that Bitcoin has never fallen two calendar years in a row since its creation, yet it dropped 6.34% last year and sits down 16.5% so far in 2026. 

He warned that a third straight annual decline in 2027 would extend a pattern Bitcoin has never experienced before.

A day earlier, Schiff pointed out that stocks, tech shares, precious metals miners, gold and silver all rallied, while Bitcoin fell below key support near $75,000 the same day. 

"There’s a short window before the crash," he wrote. "Make sure to sell before it closes," he added.

Why Ali Martinez Sees a Different Setup Forming

Widely-followed analyst Ali Martinez pointed to Bitcoin holding its 200-day simple moving average as a bullish signal, drawing a comparison to 2023, when Bitcoin bounced off the same indicator near $20,000 before climbing toward $30,000. 

His current chart shows Bitcoin around $75,000, testing that same moving-average line during its latest pullback. 

"Last chance to buy the Bitcoin dip?" Martinez asked. "It was the 200-day SMA. BTC held it. Now the rebound begins," he added. 

His chart offers no explicit price target, though the comparison implies he expects a similar recovery pattern to play out.

Hot CPI Data Adds to the Pressure

As Benzinga reported Tuesday, October CPI came in hotter than expected, with headline inflation rising 0.4% against a 0.3% forecast and core CPI climbing 0.3% versus the 0.2% economists expected, strengthening the case for another Fed rate hike. 

Spot Bitcoin ETFs logged $201 million in net outflows Monday, extending BlackRock’s IBIT to a seventh straight losing session, while the broader fund category has flipped negative for all of 2026 with $914 million in net outflows year to date.

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