Prominent analyst Darkfost shares that Bitcoin remains a long time away from establishing a new all-time high (ATH), despite an ongoing market correction that has lasted over five months. The market expert also discusses the role of halving events following a major cyclical change.
On October 6, 2025, Bitcoin notably recorded its present ATH of $126,100. Since then, the leading cryptocurrency has experienced multiple significant price pullbacks, forming a bear market. According to Darkfost in an X post on March 14, this corrective phase has only lasted 159 days, which may appear longer to investors, especially considering the price swings recorded in this period.
However, historical data suggests the current downturn may still be relatively early when compared to previous market cycles. Looking at the time intervals between earlier ATHs and the next cycle peaks indicates that Bitcoin typically takes several years to establish a new record high.
The cycle top for Bitcoin was marked on October 6 at around $126,230.
Some investors may feel like BTC has been correcting forever, but in reality it has only been correcting for 159 days since that cycle top.
When we compare this with previous corrections or bear markets… pic.twitter.com/BBsIfizCFf
— Darkfost (@Darkfost_Coc) March 14, 2026
For instance, during the 2017 market cycle, it took 1,180 days for Bitcoin to reach a new ATH after the prior peak. In leading to the 2021 cycle all-time high, the market required 1,093 days before another record high was recorded. In comparison, the most recent cycle in 2025 saw a shorter interval of 849 days before Bitcoin climbed to its latest peak.
Despite these long recovery periods, one notable positive trend is that the time between new all-time highs appears to be gradually decreasing, suggesting Bitcoin is developing into a mature asset.
Historically, the halving event has always been a forerunner to a new all-time high (ATH). However, the launch of the Bitcoin spot ETFs altered this arrangement during the 2025 cycle when Bitcoin rose above the 2021 ATH of $69,000 in March 2024, prior to the halving event in April 2024. Notably, Darkfost opines that the establishment of a new ATH has never depended on the Bitcoin halving, as he believes this event always occurred when the bear market had ended.
Nevertheless, the halving event remains important to the Bitcoin market and ecosystem because it reduces mining rewards every four years. This is a key component of the Bitcoin system that allows the asset to continue to serve as a hedge against inflation, particularly against the consistent redistribution of profits by miners. At press time, Bitcoin trades at $71,429, reflecting a 6.91% gain in the past week.
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