Bitcoin logs worst first 50-day start to a year on record

Markets Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Bitcoin logs worst first 50-day start to a year on record Bitcoin is on course for its first ever back to back declines in January and February. By James Van Straten | Edited by Sam Reynolds Feb 20, 2026, 5:47 a.m. Make us preferred on Google Bitcoin Performance by Year (CheckonChain) What to know : Bitcoin is down 23% through the first 50 days of 2026, marking its weakest start to a financial year on record. The asset has never previously posted consecutive declines in January and February, with February currently on track to extend January’s losses. Fifty days into 2026, bitcoin is off to its worst start to a financial year on record, according to Checkonchain data . The asset is down 23% year to date, having fallen 10% in January and a further 15% in February. Bitcoin has never previously recorded back-to-back declines in January and February, according to Coinglass data. While there have been double digit drops in January in years such as 2015, 2016 and 2018, each of those was followed by a positive February. If losses hold, bitcoin is also on track for its weakest consecutive monthly performance since 2022 . STORY CONTINUES BELOW Don't miss another story. Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today . See all newsletters Sign me up By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms & conditions and privacy policy . Checkonchain data shows that in a typical down year, the average index reading is 0.84, 50 days in, a benchmark that traders often use to gauge cyclical drawdowns. While bitcoin is currently at 0.77, underscoring the scale of the drawdown. The weakness follows a 17% decline in 2025, a post election year. Historically, post election years have tended to outperform election years and have outperformed up years on aggregate, making the recent underperformance stand out further. Bitcoin News price drop More For You Zoomex: Precise Systems of Fairness and Transparency by Design By CoinDesk Jan 31, 2026 Commissioned by Zoomex Read full story More For You Metaplanet CEO rebuts critics over bitcoin strategy and transparency By James Van Straten | Edited by Sam Reynolds 20 minutes ago Simon Gerovich defends disclosure standards, options trading model, and hotel operations. What to know : Simon Gerovich defended Metaplanet’s transparency, options based Bitcoin strategy, and accounting approach. Gerovich said all Bitcoin purchases were disclosed in a timely manner, and maintained that criticism based on unrealized losses or market timing reflects a misreading of the company’s long term strategy. Read full story Latest Crypto News Metaplanet CEO rebuts critics over bitcoin strategy and transparency 20 minutes ago Inside the meeting: White House favors some stablecoin rewards, tells banks it's time to move 7 hours ago Bitcoin steadies near $67,000 as traders pay for crash protection 8 hours ago Latest White House talks on stablecoin yield make 'progress' with banks, no deal yet 10 hours ago Eric Trump reitrates claim bitcoin is just getting started on its road to $1 million 11 hours ago Susquehanna-backed Blockfills up for sale after $75 million lending loss 12 hours ago Top Stories Fed's Neel Kashkari calls crypto 'utterly useless,' dismisses stablecoins as 'buzzword salad' 13 hours ago Robinhood vs. Vitalik: Why the trading app is building it own L2 while Ethereum founder cools on them 13 hours ago U.S. Federal Reserve researchers sing praises of prediction markets 12 hours ago Trump-linked World Liberty taps BlackRock-backed Securitize for hotel tokenization 13 hours ago Bitcoin is about to log its longest losing streak since 2022 as geopolitical nerves hit risk trades Feb 19, 2026 Anchorage Digital offers non-U.S. banks a stablecoin stand-in for correspondent banking 13 hours ago