Yes, it's not only possible but historically probable for Bitcoin to crash, given its extreme volatility, speculative nature, and history of boom-and-bust cycles driven by hype, regulatory news, and macroeconomic factors, with past drawdowns often exceeding 70-80% before recoveries. While it has shown resilience and potential for growth, its value remains tied to market sentiment, meaning significant downturns are a fundamental risk, as seen with recent pullbacks and ongoing analyst warnings.
Industry executives and investors forecast a wide range of prices for bitcoin in 2026, dropping as low as $75,000 and rising as high as $225,000. Commentators who spoke to CNBC expect big volatility in bitcoin this year.
Bitcoin Can Go Lower, But Probably Not to Zero.
Ricardo Benjamín Salinas Pliego, a billionaire from Mexico and one of the three richest people in the country, has put 70% of his wealth in bitcoin.
He added that Bitcoin's current structure reminds him of the major unwinds seen in 2018, when the price collapsed from $10,000 to nearly $3,000. “The market could return to $10,000 if pressure continues across risk assets,” McGlone said.
On October 10, 2025, more than $19 billion of crypto leverage was liquidated in roughly a day, sending crypto prices through levels that are still considered a “tail risk” event. This crash marked the start of a broader crypto sell-off that has continued into December.
“True,” Musk wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “That is why Bitcoin is based on energy: you can issue fake fiat currency, and every government in history has done so, but it is impossible to fake energy.”
In a groundbreaking transaction on May 22, 2010, programmer Laszlo Hanyecz made history by purchasing two Papa John's pizzas for 10,000 Bitcoin, marking the first real-world commercial use of the cryptocurrency.
Taking a buy-and-hold position in Bitcoin five years ago would have delivered massive returns for investors. As of this writing, Bitcoin is up 962.3% over the period. That means that a $1,000 investment in the token made half a decade ago would now be worth more than $10,620.
Satoshi Nakamoto is the richest holder of crypto in the world, with an on-chain net worth of $98 billion dollars (at the time of writing). The entirety of this is from the Bitcoin he mined from 2009 and 2010 and is stored across 22,000 addresses.
And that's why the Oracle of Omaha doesn't own the asset. “If you told me you own all of the bitcoin in the world and you offered it to me for $25, I wouldn't take it because what would I do with it?” he asks. “I'd have to sell it back to you one way or another. It isn't going to do anything.”
Government agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), have the authority to seize these assets during their investigations. Once seized, the cryptocurrency is typically auctioned off by the U.S. Marshals Service.
Bitcoin is “probably rat poison squared.” That's how billionaire investor and “the Oracle of Omaha” Warren Buffett described digital currency during an annual shareholder meeting for his multinational holding company Berkshire Hathaway in 2018, per CNBC.
You might want to sell your crypto under some specific circumstances. If there is a lack of blockchain development progress or a string of negative news, you might want to sell your cryptocurrency. If you've reached your investing goals or want to reallocate your holding, you might want to sell your cryptocurrency.
At a current price of under $100,000, Bitcoin looks like a bargain. Things are not looking good for Bitcoin (BTC +1.00%) right now. While it's up a modest 5% in 2026, it's still more than 25% below its all-time high of $126,000 from October. And Bitcoin has yet to crack the $100,000 price level this year.
Key Takeaways. The IRS treats cryptocurrency as property, meaning that when you buy, sell or exchange it, this counts as a taxable event and typically results in either a capital gain or loss. When you earn income from cryptocurrency activities, this is taxed as ordinary income.
Many crypto enthusiasts dream of achieving consistent income through trading — and $100 a day is often seen as the first big milestone. That's around $3,000 a month, enough to supplement your income or even make it your full-time pursuit over time. But here's the truth: It's possible — but not easy.
Ten years later, the price of one BTC has hit $88,131.29 as of March 24, 2025, as per Kraken's price feeds. The same investment would be worth $3.59 million. It means that an investment of $10,000 in Bitcoin ten years ago would have offered you more than a 350 times return by today.
The first notable retail transaction involving physical goods was paid on May 22, 2010, by exchanging 10,000 mined BTC for two pizzas delivered from a Papa John's in Jacksonville, Florida.
In 2010, someone used 10,000 bitcoin to pay $41 for pizza. Today, that would be worth a little over $1 billion. Stablecoins are designed to shift this crypto-volatility paradigm, tying their value to another asset like the U.S. dollar.
Bill Gates has made it clear—he's not a fan of cryptocurrency. And he's not just skeptical; he flat-out thinks it has no value. "None," he told The New York Times in a January interview. That's a pretty bold stance coming from one of the most successful tech minds in history.
Ethereum (ETH)
Ethereum is our first Bitcoin alternative. It's a decentralized software platform that lets developers build and run smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps) without downtime, fraud, control, or third-party interference.
So, when Deep Thought was asked what the true meaning of life was, it answered as you might think a computer would: “42”. In other words, “anything you want it to be”. Elon Musk, a tech nerd himself, had the number 42 painted on the SpaceX's Starship prototype.