Bitcoin may remain largely flat in the first quarter of 2026 despite historical trends suggesting stronger gains, CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju said Wednesday.
“Capital inflows into Bitcoin have dried up,” Ju explained, noting that investors are returning to “stocks and shiny rocks” as gold and silver prices soar.
Ju added that Bitcoin is unlikely to crash from its current peak and expects “just boring sideways for the next few months.”
At the time of publication, Bitcoin was trading around $90,890, down over 2% in the past 24 hours and off a high of $94,400 earlier this week.
First Quarter Trends
A sideways start would break with historical performance, as January has averaged 3.81% gains since 2013, with February and March showing stronger historic growth of 13.12% and 12.21%, according to CoinGlass.
Ju’s remarks follow warnings from veteran trader Peter Brandt and Fidelity’s Jurrien Timmer that Bitcoin could fall to $65,000 or even $60,000 this year.
Market sentiment remains muted, with the crypto Fear & Greed Index hovering between “fear” and “extreme fear” since early November.
On Thursday, the index posted a “fear” score of 28, reflecting cautious investor behavior.
Spot Bitcoin ETFs Show Early Momentum
Spot Bitcoin ETFs have seen net inflows of $925.3 million in the first three trading days of 2026, according to Farside Investors data.
While Ju maintains a conservative outlook, other participants are bullish.
Venture capitalist Tim Draper predicted “2026 will be big,” noting that Bitcoin is going mainstream and referencing his $250,000 prediction from 2018.
Bitwise head of research Ryan Rasmussen expects Bitcoin to break the traditional four-year cycle and reach new all-time highs in 2026, contrary to historical patterns of three up years followed by a down year.
