Just went through the crypto bull run cycles over the last decade, and there's actually a pretty interesting pattern if you zoom out.

The most recent major bull run we saw was from late 2023 through March 2024, when BTC pushed up to around $73,738. Before that, the biggest one was obviously 2020-2021 when we went from the COVID crash bottom near $3,850 all the way to $69,000 by November 2021. That cycle lasted about 20 months and was absolutely wild.

But looking at the history, every major bull run has followed a similar rhythm. The 2017 run took us from around $1,000 to nearly $20,000 in about 12 months. Before that, 2015-2016 saw BTC climb from roughly $152 to $780. Each time, you get this explosive growth phase followed by a brutal bear market washout.

What's interesting is the timing. Bitcoin's halving just happened back in April 2024, and historically the real momentum kicks in 6-12 months after that event. So we're entering the window where the last bull run typically sets up. And honestly, looking at where we are now in early 2026, the market seems to be following the playbook. BTC just hit a new ATH around $126K, which suggests we're already in the next cycle.

The pattern is pretty consistent: massive bottom, then 12-20 months of parabolic growth, then everyone suffers through the bear market. If history repeats, we could see this run extend well into late 2026. The exact peaks and troughs vary slightly depending on which exchange you're tracking, but the overall narrative stays the same.