As 2025 draws to a close, the least we can say is that cryptocurrencies have not really performed as expected. Let’s take a look back at this difficult year.
Cryptocurrencies are set to end a difficult year
In a post on X on Tuesday, analyst Nicolas Chéron identified cryptocurrencies as the worst asset class of 2025.
And with good reason: while precious metals are on the rise, with silver up 127.4% and gold up 63.2%, BTC and ETH have fallen 9.09% and 13.62% respectively. Other altcoins fell 44.5%, while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 gained 20.8% and 16.4% respectively:
In concrete terms, we still have to wait a few days for the monthly close to confirm these results. Nevertheless, it is clear that the mood remains gloomy on the crypto market.
According to data from Coinglass, BTC is currently ending its worst December since 2022, with a decline of 3.56%. What’s more, this is currently the worst fourth quarter since 2018, which also applies to ETH with respective declines of 23.54% and 29.01%:
Regardless of how cryptocurrencies perform over the next few days, it is important not to fall into the usual trap of thinking that an asset that has outperformed or underperformed the market in one year will necessarily repeat the same pattern the following year.
For example, in 2024, BTC rose 121.47%, while gold rose 27.07%. Every year is different, and it is important to look at long-term performance.
In the case of BTC, let’s remember that it rose 26,866% in 10 years, despite significant correction phases. Moreover, if we do indeed enter a bear market, 2026 could also be marked by declines, before prices soar to new highs in the years to come.
In the face of such uncertainty, diversification and dollar cost averaging (DCA) appear to be useful tools.
Meanwhile, the price of BTC is $87,140 at the time of writing, down 0.44% over the last 24 hours.
