Bitcoin monthly return at -2.5%, well below October average; YTD falls 6.5%

Bitcoin has extended its weekly decline, while its monthly and quarterly returns remain below historical averages and its year-to-date performance is negative.

Bitcoin entered week 42 of 2026 with a weekly return of -0.73% as of October 20.

The cryptocurrency gained 4.04% in week 38 and 2.43% in week 39. It then fell 3.13% in week 40, 1.93% in week 41 and 0.73% in week 42, marking three consecutive weekly declines.

Bitcoin was down 0.6% on October 20. Its recent daily returns were -0.74% on October 16, -0.14% on October 17, +0.8% on October 18 and -0.22% on October 19, keeping daily moves within 1% over the five-day period.

Bitcoin's October return stood at -2.51%, far below the historical October average of +18.32% and median of +12.73%. October ended higher in 10 of the 13 years tracked and lower in three.

Bitcoin rose 7.36% in July, 24.95% in August and 6.33% in September before turning negative in October.

The Q4 return stood at -2.51%, compared with a historical fourth-quarter average of +71.39% and median of +26.59%. Of the 13 fourth quarters tracked, eight ended higher and five ended lower.

Bitcoin's annual returns were -64.27% in 2022, +155.41% in 2023, +120.98% in 2024 and -6.33% in 2025. Its year-to-date return for 2026 stood at -6.46%.

Bitcoin traded at $81,653.38 as of October 20, down 1.08% over 24 hours.

Editor's note This column reviews Bitcoin's weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual returns, using measures including gain and loss frequency, average returns and medians to place current performance in historical context.

This article is based on market data and does not constitute investment advice.