Is January a good month for crypto?

Across the 8 years in our data, the typical (median) coin among the largest returned +11% in January in the average year, and the market closed higher in 4 of them. That makes January the 1st strongest of the 12 months. With only 8 years of data behind it, treat it as a record of what happened, not a forecast.

Is January a good month for Bitcoin?

Bitcoin closed January higher in 5 of 8 years in our data, with an average return of +7.2% and a median of +5.1%. Its best January was 2023 (+40%) and its worst 2022 (−17%).

What was the best January for crypto?

January 2021, when the median coin returned +84% (16 of 16 coins up). The worst was January 2022, when the median coin returned −25%.

Which crypto does best in January?

Of the 18 coins with enough Januarys in our data, Chainlink has the highest median January (+25%) and Zcash the lowest (−21%). A coin's record in one month is a handful of observations, so a ranking this short can reorder in a single year.

Does the January nickname hold up in the data?

January is known as the January effect: a strong start to the year. In our data the typical coin was up in 4 of 8 years, so the nickname has not held up.

Can I time my purchases by the month?

Not reliably. Each calendar month has at most 8 years of data behind it, from a few market cycles, and a pattern that held in those years has often vanished in the next. Prices to October 6, 2026. If you buy on a schedule instead, the DCA calculator shows what that would have returned.

Crypto in January: average return and history by year

January has been a positive month for crypto on average: across the 18 largest coins, the typical coin in the average January since 2019 returned +11%, and the market closed January higher in 4 of 8 years. Pick the coins you care about to see the year-by-year record, or hover any bar and cell for the detail.

What stands out

January ranks 1st of the 12 months by average return (+11%). That puts it among the strongest months in the data.
One year carries a lot of this: take out January 2021 and the average falls from +11% to +0.9%.
Bitcoin alone closed January higher in 5 of 8 years, averaging +7.2%; its best was 2023 (+40%) and its worst 2022 (−17%).
The spread between years is wide: January 2021 was the best year (the median coin returned +84%) and January 2022 the worst (−25%).
Chainlink has done best in January (median +25%, up in 5 of 7 years) and Zcash worst (median −21%, up in 2 of 6).
January is known as the January effect: a strong start to the year. In our data the typical coin was up in 4 of 8 years, so the nickname has not held up.

Counted from 8 years of daily closes (120 coin-months). The coins move together, so each year is one observation, not one per coin: too few to call a pattern.

January year by year

Each bar is one year: the median coin among those chosen below, so one runaway coin cannot set the figure. Change the coins and everything on this page recalculates.

Typical January: +11%
Years up: 4 of 8
Best year: +84%
Worst year: −25%

January, year by year (median of 18 coins)

Each bar is the median coin that year; the dashed line averages the years. Hover or tap a bar for every coin behind it.


BTC	−9.6	+30	+14	−17	+40	+0.7	+9.5	−10	+7.2%	5/8
ETH	−23	+39	+78	−27	+33	+0.1	−1.1	−17	+10%	4/8
BNB	+3.8	+33	+19	−27	+27	−3.6	−3.5	−9.6	+4.8%	4/8
XRP	−14	+24	+125	−26	+20	−18	+46	−11	+18%	4/8
SOL	–	–	+182	−41	+140	−4.7	+22	−15	+47%	3/6
TRX	–	–	+17	−22	+14	+4.3	−0.4	+0.7	+2.4%	4/6
ZEC	–	–	+51	−35	+21	−19	−23	−41	−7.7%	2/6
DOGE	–	+18	+692	−17	+37	−12	+4.1	−11	+102%	4/7
LINK	–	+60	+101	−12	+25	+3.3	+26	−18	+26%	5/7
ADA	−8.9	+64	+90	−20	+59	−16	+12	−12	+21%	4/8
XLM	−29	+35	+141	−25	+28	−15	+24	−10.0	+19%	4/8
NEAR	–	–	+58	−24	+85	−23	−6.0	−20	+12%	2/6
BCH	–	–	+17	−34	+37	−9.8	−2.4	−15	−1.2%	2/6
LTC	–	–	+2.5	−25	+34	−8.3	+24	−23	+0.8%	3/6
UNI	–	–	–	–	+25	−17	−11	−30	−8.2%	1/4
AVAX	–	–	+323	−36	+82	−14	−3.6	−18	+55%	2/6
HBAR	–	+28	+159	−24	+77	−19	+14	−13	+32%	4/7
SHIB	–	–	–	−36	+46	−14	−11	−1.4	−3.1%	1/5

Median coin	−12	+33	+84	−25	+35	−13	+1.8	−14	+11%	4/8
Coins up	1/6	9/9	16/16	0/17	18/18	4/18	9/18	1/18	48%	–

Percent. In order of market cap; select a column heading to sort by it.

History, not a forecast. January has 8 years of data behind it, from a few big bull and bear runs. Coins move together, so a year is one observation however many coins you select.

How January compares with the other months

All coins, the same method for every month. Select a month for its own page.


January	+11%	4/8	+7.2%	1
February	+4.1%	4/8	+7.7%	6
March	+5.3%	5/8	+7.2%	5
April	+3.3%	5/8	+7.3%	7
May	+0.8%	4/8	+3.9%	8
June	−12%	0/8	−4.1%	12
July	+9.7%	6/8	+8.3%	2
August	−0.4%	4/8	−0.5%	10
September	+0.4%	4/8	−1.0%	9
October	+6.2%	5/7	+17%	4
November	+7.0%	3/7	+4.4%	3
December	−9.3%	1/7	+3.7%	11

In calendar order. Select a column heading to sort by it.

Questions

Is January a good month for crypto?: Across the 8 years in our data, the typical (median) coin among the largest returned +11% in January in the average year, and the market closed higher in 4 of them. That makes January the 1st strongest of the 12 months. With only 8 years of data behind it, treat it as a record of what happened, not a forecast.
Is January a good month for Bitcoin?: Bitcoin closed January higher in 5 of 8 years in our data, with an average return of +7.2% and a median of +5.1%. Its best January was 2023 (+40%) and its worst 2022 (−17%).
What was the best January for crypto?: January 2021, when the median coin returned +84% (16 of 16 coins up). The worst was January 2022, when the median coin returned −25%.
Which crypto does best in January?: Of the 18 coins with enough Januarys in our data, Chainlink has the highest median January (+25%) and Zcash the lowest (−21%). A coin's record in one month is a handful of observations, so a ranking this short can reorder in a single year.
Does the January nickname hold up in the data?: January is known as the January effect: a strong start to the year. In our data the typical coin was up in 4 of 8 years, so the nickname has not held up.
Can I time my purchases by the month?: Not reliably. Each calendar month has at most 8 years of data behind it, from a few market cycles, and a pattern that held in those years has often vanished in the next. Prices to October 6, 2026. If you buy on a schedule instead, the DCA calculator shows what that would have returned.

December February

Disclaimer: This page is educational and does not constitute financial advice. It describes past price moves from daily closes on Binance and leaves out fees, taxes and staking rewards. Past performance does not predict future results. Cryptocurrency prices are volatile; never invest more than you can afford to lose.