I just noticed something strange in the monthly performance data for cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin in February 2026 posted a negative return of -14.94%, which means it was one of the worst February months in over a decade. The third-lowest performance in the historical record since 2013. The difference is really shocking when compared to the historical average February return of 11.11%.

Ethereum fared even worse. The same month recorded a negative return of -19.81%, also the third-lowest performance since 2017. The historical average February return for Ethereum is around 8.53%, so the gap is very large.

When you look at bitcoin price in February 2026 compared to previous years, you realize that this month was exceptional in terms of weakness. Data from Coinglass confirms that February 2026 was not only bad, but one of the worst periods in the record. This indicates that market dynamics were completely different from the usual historical patterns.