A succession of price crashes in recent weeks means bitcoin has once again passed through a market pattern known as a “death cross”. This ominous-sounding term refers to when the cryptocurrency’s 50-day moving average crosses its 200-day moving average and is used by some analysts as a sign that a long-term bull market is finally over. Notable death cross events in other markets include the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the 2008 Financial Crisis. Bitcoin’s price – at the end of June – was trading at around half its all-time high of $64,000, which it hit in April this year. Despite the staggering losses, crypto analysts have been divided over whether this fall is part of a long-term downwards trend, or merely a blip on the way to new record highs. The latest crash has seen bitcoin lose more than 20% of its value with further losses taking it past the dreaded death cross mark. It has inevitably had knock-on effects for the rest of the cryptocurrency market, with Ethereum (ether), Cardano (ada) and dogecoin all tending to mirror bitcoin’s price movements. Some even fear that the broader market could enter a “crypto winter” phase, similar to the one seen following the 2017/18 bull run. But it may not be as straight-forward as simply declaring a bear market is now underway, especially with an asset as temperamental and volatile as bitcoin. It is the first death cross of 2021; however history suggests that a continued market downturn is far from inevitable. Previous death crosses in 2019 and 2020 both resulted in considerable price gains over the coming months, with the one in March last year coming right before a market rally that saw bitcoin shoot up from below $5,00 by more than 1,000% over the next year. Such rebounds would suggest that the death cross is a lagging indicator prone to acting as a bearish marker, when in fact the pattern could just as equally signal that most of the damage is already done. Ironically, then, death crosses are often a sign that the worst is already behind us. The number of factors impacting bitcoin’s price – including regulatory, institutional or sovereign endorsements, and general sentiment – means that any price model is prone to being derailed. It is therefore wildly difficult to predict which way bitcoin will go from here, and previous occurrences hint that there is a 50-50 chance it could go either way.

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