Bitcoin, Ethereum, stablecoins and crypto ETFs analyzed with price data, flows, taxes and risk.
Bitcoin halving cycles: prices rose 282%, 563% and 35% in the 12 months after the 2016, 2020 and 2024 halvings, with peaks 17 to 18 months out. The 2024 cycle was the weakest yet.
Bitcoin dominance sat near 60% in late August 2026, below the 65% peak of June 2025 but above 50% since 2023, so the altcoin cycle signal has not yet fired.
Bitcoin on-chain data in September 2026 showed 635,600 daily active addresses, $5.0 billion of daily transfer volume and exchange balances near multi-year lows. Here is how to read each.
Coinbase Q2 2026 results: revenue fell 18% to $1.22 billion with a $359.5 million net loss, yet market share hit a record 10.3%; COIN is down 22.5% for the year.
Crypto exchange risk in 2026 comes down to custody structure, what proof of reserves does and does not show, and insurance that covers far less than most users assume.
Crypto and interest rates in 2026: the Fed held at 3.50% to 3.75% all year, bitcoin fell 33% in the first half, then rallied 32% as Treasury expanded bond buybacks.
Stablecoin yields of roughly 3.6% to 7.5% in August 2026 come from borrowers paying interest on DeFi lending markets, not from issuers, which the GENIUS Act bars from paying yield.
Solana and the major altcoins in 2026 fell 37% to 44% in the first half and rebounded 29% to 42% by August 24, yet still trail bitcoin's 9.8% year-to-date loss.
Tokenized Treasuries reached $16.21 billion across 87 products on August 9, 2026, within a $38.17 billion tokenized real-world asset market. Here is how they work and what to watch.
Bitcoin treasury companies faced a hard 2026: Strategy holds 842,138 BTC at a $75,419 average cost, sold coins to fund dividends and lost $8.2 billion in Q2.
Spot bitcoin ETF vs holding coins directly: a 0.25% annual fee and SIPC-covered shares on one side, no ongoing fee but full custody and record-keeping duty on the other.
Stablecoins in 2026: USDT and USDC top $258 billion combined, reserves sit in Treasury bills, and the 2025 law is moving from statute to proposed rules.
How much crypto belongs in a portfolio depends on volatility math: bitcoin ran at 41.5% annualized volatility to July 2026 versus 12.8% for the S&P 500, so small weights dominate risk.
Bitcoin vs gold in 2026: gold is down 7.0% and bitcoin 27.0% through July 28, with a 0.22 correlation and bitcoin about 1.5 times as volatile as gold.
Crypto in a retirement account in 2026 usually means a spot bitcoin ETF inside an IRA or 401(k): 0.25% fees, a $7,500 IRA limit, and a Labor Department that is now neutral.
Ethereum in 2026: ether fell 47.1% in the first half to $1,570, the base staking yield compressed to about 2.78%, and staked ETH ETFs began trading.
Dollar-cost averaging into bitcoin with $100 a month since January 2022 was up 52.8% by July 11, 2026, while the same plan started in January 2025 was down 27.3%.
Spot bitcoin ETF flows in 2026 were negative in the first half, about $5.4 billion net out, yet IBIT held more bitcoin in March than in December.
How crypto is taxed in 2026: digital assets are property, gains are short or long term, and brokers now report cost basis on Form 1099-DA for 2026 purchases.
Bitcoin's first half of 2026 ended 33.1% lower at $58,559 with a 39.6% peak-to-trough drawdown and 51% volatility, while the S&P 500 gained 9.6%.