Fundamentals Over Flows: Why Crypto Winter May Be Healthy Reset

The performance of digital assets in recent months, especially bitcoin, has been testing investor conviction in both the category’s near-term growth potential as well as bitcoin’s standing as a gold-like store of value and a key character in the debasement trade story.

As of mid-February, Bitcoin is down some 22% in 2026, extending its losses to about 45% from its October 2025 highs. It’s a sharp slide that has created a lot of heartburn.

When will this so-called crypto winter be over?

This post originally appeared at ETF Trends.