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Crypto seen lagging traditional assets ahead of possible 2026 rebound

Written by Liezl GambePublished dez. 31 2025Last Updated dez. 31 2025

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The crypto market has underperformed major traditional assets heading into the end of 2025.

Market intelligence firm Santiment said crypto could have room to catch up in 2026.

Analysts noted that recent market performance has favoured gold and equities.

Since early November, gold has risen about nine percent.

Over the same period, the S&P 500 has gained roughly one percent.

Bitcoin has declined around twenty percent since November.

BTC was trading near the $88,000 level at the time of reporting.

Santiment said crypto remains out of sync with other major asset classes.

Analysts described the correlation gap as a potential opportunity.

Heading to 2026, there will remain an opportunity for crypto to play catch-up.

Santiment said.

The firm said the second half of 2025 showed unusual wallet behaviour.

Smaller retail wallets increased accumulation during that period.

Large holders and whales largely paused buying activity.

Santiment said whales sold into strength near October’s all-time highs.

Historically, whale accumulation has preceded bullish reversals.

The best recipe for a bear pattern to flip bullish is large wallet accumulation.

Santiment said.

Long-term Bitcoin holders have also reduced selling pressure.

Data shows long-term holders stopped trimming positions in December.

Holdings fell earlier from 14.8 million coins in July to 14.3 million.

The slowdown in selling may indicate growing market confidence.

Some analysts believe a rotation back into crypto has begun.

Garrett Jin said capital may already be shifting away from metals.

Capital is beginning to flow into crypto.

Garrett Jin said.

He added that traders typically rotate between asset classes.

Jin said capital follows a simple buy-low sell-high cycle.

On-chain data supports signs of renewed interest.

Active Bitcoin addresses rose more than five percent in one day.

Transaction volumes, however, declined sharply over the same period.

Analysts said this could reflect accumulation rather than speculation.

Market commentator CyrilXBT described current conditions as late-cycle positioning.

He said markets often move before narratives shift.

This phase is designed to test conviction.

CyrilXBT said.

Analysts expect liquidity conditions to be a key driver in 2026.

A shift in liquidity could see Bitcoin lead a broader recovery.

Ethereum and alternative assets may follow if momentum builds.

Santiment said patience may be required as conditions evolve.

The firm said crypto’s underperformance does not eliminate upside potential.

Analysts continue to monitor whale behaviour for confirmation signals.

Many expect 2026 to clarify whether crypto can reclaim lost ground.

At the time of reporting, Bitcoin price was $88,325.94.