Market cycles
The Bitcoin halving, how crypto cycles unfold and what Bitcoin dominance measures.
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Lessons
- 01What is the Bitcoin halving?The Bitcoin halving is the moment the new bitcoin paid to miners for each block is cut in half. It happens every 210,000 blocks, roughly every four years, and is written into Bitcoin's rules. The payment started at 50 BTC per block in 2009 and fell to 3.125 BTC after the 2024 halving.
- 02How crypto market cycles work.A crypto market cycle is a full round of rising and falling prices: a quiet base, a strong rally, a peak and then a deep fall. Between 2012 and 2024, Bitcoin's cycles each lasted about four years and lined up with its halvings. That is only three cycles, so the pattern is weak evidence and may not repeat.
- 03What is Bitcoin dominance?Bitcoin dominance is Bitcoin's market value as a share of the value of all cryptocurrencies combined. If Bitcoin is worth $1,000 billion and the whole market $2,000 billion, dominance is 50%. Traders use it to see whether money is moving toward Bitcoin or toward other coins, though stablecoins and data choices can distort it.