Bitcoin's 5th Straight Losing Week: Only the 3rd Time Since 2017 — What the Last Two Did Next

Bitcoin Just Closed Its Fifth Straight Losing Week — Only the Third Time Since 2017

Bitcoin closed Sunday at $74,738, down roughly 4.5% for the week and 13.6% below where it stood five weeks ago. That makes five consecutive weekly losses — a streak that has happened only twice before since 2017. The two previous times went in opposite directions: in 2022, Bitcoin kept falling another 23.5% in the four weeks after the fifth red week; in early 2026, the fifth red week marked the turn, and Bitcoin was up 14.5% twelve weeks later. This week — with US inflation data due on Tuesday and the 200-day moving average sitting just $1,500 below the price — decides which script this streak follows.

This is not a crash. No single week has cost more than 4.5%, and the 13.6% five-week drop is far gentler than the 2022 and early-2026 streaks at the same point. It is a slow bleed driven by ETF redemptions, a hawkish turn in rate expectations, and a tech-stock sell-off. Here is the full picture: the week in numbers, what drove the slide, what the only two comparable streaks did next, and the levels that decide whether this ends as a bottom or the middle of something worse.

The Week in Numbers: A Slow Slide, Not a Panic

Measured on Coinbase weekly closes, Bitcoin has now fallen five weeks in a row. The numbers, per a CryptoTicker analysis of Coinbase data, tell the story of a market leaking rather than breaking:

• October 4 close: $86,507, up 2.4% — the last green weekly close before the slide began.
• October 11 close: $83,678, down 3.3% — the steepest single week of the streak so far.
• October 18 close: $82,007, down 2.0% — sellers kept control but momentum eased.
• October 25 close: $80,053, down 2.4% — the $80,000 level gave way.
• November 1 close: $78,231, down 2.3% — the fourth consecutive red week.
• November 8 close: $74,738, down about 4.5% — the fifth red week, and the worst of the five.

Sunday itself was brutal. Bitcoin plunged within an hour from just over $75,600 to $73,477 on Coinbase — its lowest level since August 21 — before recovering to close near $74,738. The session produced about $856 million in liquidations, mostly long positions. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index stood at 28–29, firmly in "fear" territory, and Bitcoin's dominance held near 60%, meaning altcoins offered no shelter: Ethereum fell about 5% on the week to around $2,127, Solana slipped below $90, and XRP dropped more than 3.5%.

What makes this streak unusual is its persistence, not its size. Five red weeks in a row has happened only twice since April 2017 across 498 weeks of Coinbase data. Four red weeks has happened eight times, most recently in May 2026. But five? Only 2022 and early 2026 — until now.

What Drove the Slide: Three Blows in Five Days

The week's losses did not come from a single event. They came from three separate blows landing in sequence.

The midterm rally that reversed

Bitcoin actually started the week well. After Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate in the US midterm elections on November 3, Bitcoin jumped above $80,000 and touched $81,131 on Wednesday. Then the mood flipped: with Democrats set to control Congress from January 2027, traders began pricing in a harder road for crypto-friendly legislation. The industry-backed CLARITY Act, which would set federal rules for crypto markets, had already stalled in the Senate in September, and the new Congress makes its revival far less likely. By Thursday, Bitcoin had given back the entire post-election gain.

The tech-stock sell-off

Thursday delivered the second blow. A steep sell-off in US technology and artificial intelligence stocks gave the Nasdaq its worst day in about 18 months, and crypto — which trades as a high-beta risk asset — followed it down. More than $1.25 billion in crypto positions were liquidated over 24 hours, with bets on rising prices making up nearly 89% of the total.

The jobs report and the December hike

Friday delivered the third blow. US nonfarm payrolls rose by 165,000 in October — a strong number that raised expectations the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates again in December. The Fed funds target range already stands at 3.75% to 4.00% after a 25-basis-point hike effective September 17. Higher-for-longer rates are kryptonite for Bitcoin: they raise the return on holding cash and lower the appetite for speculative assets. Bitcoin fell to its lowest since August on the news, and Ethereum dropped 8.6% in a single day to $2,223.

Behind all three blows sat a quieter force: the ETFs. US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded net outflows of about $1.28 billion for the week — the most since late June, according to Farside Investors data. BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) accounted for $1,209.5 million of that, including $403 million on Friday alone, with six straight days of redemptions. Spot Ether funds lost $365.2 million, their sixth consecutive weekly outflow. When the largest buyers of the past two years turn into the largest sellers, price has nowhere to hide.

The Only Two Comparisons That Matter: 2022 vs Early 2026

Five straight red weeks is so rare that history offers exactly two comparisons — and they point in opposite directions. The signal tells you the market is under unusual stress, but it does not tell you what happens next. Here is what the data shows.

Streak	Length	Peak to trough	4 weeks after 5th red week	12 weeks after 5th red week
2022 bear market	9 red weeks	$46,850 to $29,447 (-37.1%)	-23.5% lower	Still deep in the bear market
Early 2026 correction	6 red weeks	$93,630 to $65,769 (-29.8%)	+0.3% (flat)	+14.5% higher
October–November 2026 (now)	5 red weeks and counting	$86,507 to $73,477 (-15.1% intraday)	To be decided	To be decided

In 2022, the fifth red week arrived in the middle of a 41% slide. Bitcoin fell from $46,850 to $29,447 across nine red weeks, and four weeks after the fifth red candle it was another 23.5% lower. The streak was the middle of the bear market, not the end of it.

In early 2026, the opposite happened. Six red weeks took Bitcoin from $93,630 to $65,769 — a 29.8% drop — but the fifth red week marked the turn. Four weeks later Bitcoin was flat, up 0.3%, and twelve weeks later it was up 14.5%. The streak was the bottom.

The current streak is gentler than both. At the same point, the 2022 slide had already cost about 18% and the early-2026 slide about 28%; this one has cost about 13.6%. A slow bleed looks more like orderly de-risking than capitulation — but gentleness cuts both ways. In 2022 the slide also started slowly, and the worst weeks came after the fifth red candle. The difference between the two cases was whether the macro backdrop kept deteriorating. In 2022 it did; in early 2026 it stabilised. That is why Tuesday's inflation data matters so much.

Three Scenarios for the Week Ahead

With the weekly close confirmed, the market now faces three distinct paths, built around the levels traders are actually watching: the 200-day moving average, the August low, and the weekly open that would break the streak.

Scenario	Trigger	Price path	Probability
Bull: the turn	Cool CPI on Tuesday, ETF outflows stop, Bitcoin reclaims $78,232	Back above $78,000, then a run at $80,000–$82,000	25%
Base: the grind	CPI comes in as expected, Bitcoin holds $73,170–$73,500	Sideways between $73,500 and $78,000 for another week or two	50%
Bear: the break	Hot CPI, more ETF selling, Bitcoin loses the 200-day average	Below $73,170 opens a fast move toward $70,000 and then $68,000	25%

The base case is a grind: the market has already priced in a December hike, the ETF selling is concentrated in a single fund, and the weekly losses have been small and orderly. But the bear case is only one hot inflation print away. If Tuesday's October CPI comes in hotter than expected, the 200-day moving average at roughly $73,170 becomes the last line of defence. Losing it would put Bitcoin below every major moving average and invite the momentum selling that has been absent so far. A close back above $78,232 — the level that opened this week — would end the streak and signal that buyers are finally stepping in.

One more number frames the stakes: Bitcoin is now trading below Strategy's average cost basis of about $75,451, meaning the world's largest corporate Bitcoin holder is underwater on its stack. That has not triggered forced selling — Strategy has no margin calls on its Bitcoin — but it has become a psychological line, and its Monday filing will show whether the company bought the dip.

Ethereum's Streak Is Even Longer — and Nobody Is Talking About It

While Bitcoin's five-week streak grabs the headlines, Ethereum is quietly on a six-week losing run of its own — one week longer than Bitcoin's. Ether dropped 8.6% on Friday alone to $2,223 and was down about 5% for the week, trading near $2,127 on Monday morning. Spot Ether ETFs have now seen six consecutive weekly outflows, losing $365.2 million last week, and the ETH/BTC ratio has stabilised near 0.029 after months of bleeding.

The contrast matters. In past cycles, altcoins led the recovery after Bitcoin bottomed. This time, Ethereum is weaker for longer, Solana has lost the psychological $100 level and trades near $89, and XRP is down more than 5% over five sessions. Bitcoin dominance near 60% tells the same story: capital is not rotating into altcoins, it is leaving crypto altogether.

What Most People Get Wrong About Losing Streaks

Five red weeks feels like a bear market, but the feeling is the trap.

• Wrong: five red weeks means a bear market has started. The early-2026 streak proves otherwise — the fifth red week was the bottom, and Bitcoin was up 14.5% twelve weeks later. A streak measures persistence, not direction.
• Wrong: small weekly losses mean the selling is harmless. In 2022 the early weeks of the streak were also small. The damage came later, when the macro backdrop worsened and each week's losses compounded into a 37% drawdown.
• Wrong: the Fear & Greed Index at 28 means it is time to buy. Extreme fear can persist for weeks. The index was in fear territory through much of the 2022 slide too, and buying the first fear reading cost investors another 20% before the bottom.
• Wrong: ETF outflows mean institutions have abandoned Bitcoin. The $1.28 billion in outflows was concentrated in BlackRock's IBIT, and ETF flows have reversed sharply before — including the $74.57 million inflow day in early November that briefly broke the drought. Flows follow price as often as they lead it.

Your Checklist: What to Watch This Week

If you hold Bitcoin — or you are waiting to buy the dip — these are the five events that decide whether the streak extends to six weeks or ends here.

• Tuesday, November 10, 8:30 AM ET — US October CPI. The most important data point of the week. A cool print eases December hike fears and could trigger a relief rally; a hot print hardens them and puts the 200-day average in play.
• Monday ETF flows. Watch whether IBIT's six-day run of redemptions continues. A second week of $1 billion-plus outflows confirms institutional de-risking; a return to inflows is the first sign the selling is exhausted.
• The 200-day moving average at $73,170. Bitcoin has already tested the August low near $73,477. The 200-day average sits just below it. Holding this line keeps the correction narrative alive; losing it turns the conversation to a downtrend.
• Strategy's Monday filing. The company's update will show whether it bought Bitcoin as prices fell below its $75,451 average cost. A fresh purchase would be a strong vote of confidence; silence would speak for itself.
• Tech stocks. The Nasdaq's worst day in 18 months started this leg down. If AI and chip stocks stabilise, crypto gets room to breathe; if they roll over again, Bitcoin follows.

For anyone thinking about buying, the disciplined approach is the one that worked through every streak before this one: decide your levels in advance, size positions for the possibility that the 200-day average breaks, and remember that the investors who did best after the early-2026 streak bought after the selling stopped — not during the first red week. If you are new to Bitcoin, start with our five-step plan for investing in Bitcoin at $75,000, and make sure you know how to store Bitcoin safely before you buy a single satoshi.

Why This Streak Is Different From the Last Two

Three things separate the current slide from 2022 and early 2026. First, spot Bitcoin ETFs now hold tens of billions of dollars, and their flows — not retail panic — are driving the price; ETF flows can reverse in a single session. Second, the midterm result and the stalled CLARITY Act are a genuine headwind, but stablecoin rules are now clearer than they were in 2022. Third, Bitcoin is down 13.6% from its October high, not 30% or 40%.

None of that guarantees a bottom. The 2022 lesson is that slow slides can accelerate when the macro backdrop turns, and the December Fed decision is now the single biggest risk on the calendar. But the early-2026 lesson is equally real: five red weeks has marked a bottom as often as it has marked the middle of a bear market. For the full picture on ETF flows, read our guide to what a Bitcoin ETF is and how the $1.28 billion in outflows works, and the Fear & Greed Index at 28.

Frequently Asked Questions

How rare is a five-week losing streak for Bitcoin?

Extremely rare. Across 498 weeks of Coinbase data since April 2017, five or more consecutive weekly losses has happened only twice before: a nine-week streak in 2022 and a six-week streak in early 2026. Four-week streaks have happened eight times, most recently in May 2026.

What happened after the last two five-week losing streaks?

Opposite things. In 2022, Bitcoin was 23.5% lower four weeks after the fifth red week, on its way to a 37.1% total drawdown. In early 2026, Bitcoin was flat four weeks later and up 14.5% twelve weeks later. With only two cases, the sample is too small to forecast from — the streak alone cannot tell you whether this is a bottom or the middle of a bear market.

What is the 200-day moving average and why does $73,170 matter?

The 200-day moving average is the average of Bitcoin's closing prices over the last 200 days, and it currently sits near $73,170. It is the line that separates a correction from a downtrend: Bitcoin has traded above it for most of the year, and losing it would put the price below every major moving average at once. Bitcoin already tested the nearby August low of $73,477 on Sunday, so the 200-day average is the next test.

Why are Bitcoin ETFs seeing such large outflows?

US spot Bitcoin ETFs lost about $1.28 billion last week, the most since late June, with BlackRock's IBIT accounting for $1,209.5 million of it. The selling follows a hawkish turn in rate expectations after a strong jobs report, a tech-stock sell-off, and uncertainty over crypto legislation after the midterms. ETF flows have reversed sharply before, so one week of outflows does not mean institutions have abandoned Bitcoin — but a second week above $1 billion would confirm a deeper de-risking.

Is now a good time to buy Bitcoin?

That depends on your time horizon and risk tolerance. What the data says: five-week losing streaks have marked both bottoms and bear-market middles, the 200-day average at $73,170 is the key level to watch, and Tuesday's CPI report is the catalyst most likely to decide the next move. Many investors buy in tranches rather than all at once, so a break below $73,170 does not catch them fully invested. Our five-step Bitcoin investing plan walks through exactly how to do that.

What should I watch next after the CPI report?

After Tuesday's CPI, the next tests are the ETF flows, Strategy's filing on whether it bought the dip, and the Federal Reserve's December meeting. If CPI comes in cool and ETF outflows stop, the base case is a grind sideways between $73,500 and $78,000. If CPI runs hot and Bitcoin loses the 200-day average, the next supports are $70,000 and $68,000.

Conclusion: The Streak Ends This Week — One Way or the Other

Bitcoin's fifth straight losing week is a genuine historical event: only the third time since 2017, a slow 13.6% bleed driven by $1.28 billion in ETF outflows, a tech-stock sell-off, and a hawkish turn in rate expectations. History offers no forecast — the last two streaks went in opposite directions — but it does offer a map. The 2022 streak kept falling because the macro backdrop kept getting worse; the early-2026 streak bottomed because it stabilised. Tuesday's CPI report is the first real test of which script this one follows, and the 200-day moving average at $73,170 is the line that decides whether this stays a correction or becomes a downtrend.

For holders, the honest position is this: the selling has been orderly and the market has not panicked — but it has not bottomed either. The next five days will tell you which one it is. Watch the CPI print, watch the ETF flows, and watch $73,170. And if you are buying, buy in tranches, store your coins properly, and never invest money you cannot afford to watch fall another 10% before it rises. Five red weeks is rare. What comes next starts on Tuesday.

Sources: CryptoTicker analysis of Coinbase weekly closes via TTN Finance; Farside Investors ETF flow data; CoinGecko market data; US Bureau of Labor Statistics October jobs report. This article is for informational purposes only and is not investment advice. Prices and levels change; check current market data before making any decision.