Bitcoin Will Have a Bullish Year (According to ‘January Barometer’)

January closed for the stock market on Friday with a massive selloff, erasing the gains for the month. Conversely, Bitcoin’s price has held stable after substantial gains in the final week of the month.

Back to the Future

Stock market predictors have long known that January is a great indicator of annual changes. Starting from 1950, when the S&P500 was positive in January, 86% of the time, the year was also positive. This is called the ‘January barometer.’ What’s more, election years have an even higher correlation. When January has been positive during an election year, 100% of the years have been positive as well. Returns during those years averaged 16.6%. However, the converse is also true — negative Januarys often spell stock market disaster. With January closing negatively for stocks, many investors are expecting a bearish 2020.

Bitcoin Bulls Gearing Up

Bitcoin, however, closed the month of January with strong gains. The month started with the coin hovering around $7,150 and ended with Bitcoin showing support above $9,250, a gain of more than 29%. This positive growth cycle would seem to indicate that Bitcoin’s 2020 will be bullish, based on stock analyses. As investors have surveyed global news, many have already begun pulling back from equity positions. The Coronavirus, geopolitical tensions, and Brexit have all played a massive role in shaking up the stock market stability. As investors move out of stocks, they seek safe-haven assets, and Bitcoin has begun to show such qualities. Along with gold and other precious metals, Bitcoin offers investors a hedge against global meltdown. With the stock market showing signs of weakness for the year, its no surprise that Bitcoin is showing strength. If the indicator proves true, the Bitcoin bulls may well be running for the remainder of the year.