The year 2025 has not been very good to Bitcoin. Although this is the year when Bitcoin made an all-time high of $126K in October, since then it has corrected by over 30% and is currently trading at around $85k. 2025 is also a rare year in which Bitcoin has given a negative return. In this article, let’s find out if you should Buy, Sell or hold your bitcoin investments.
Bitcoin Returns (2011-25)
Here are the Bitcoin returns from 2011 to 2025. You can notice that out of 15 years, Bitcoin has given negative returns in only 4 years: 2025, 2022, 2018, and 2014.
| Year | Return |
|---|---|
| 2025 | -7.5% (*YTD) |
| 2024 | +121% |
| 2023 | +155% |
| 2022 | -64% |
| 2021 | +60% |
| 2020 | +302% |
| 2019 | +94% |
| 2018 | -73% |
| 2017 | +1,331% |
| 2016 | +125% |
| 2015 | +35% |
| 2014 | -58% |
| 2013 | +5,507% |
| 2012 | +187% |
| 2011 | +1,317% |
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What should you do?
Bitcoin is a very volatile currency. In Nov 2021, it was trading at a level of $64k and then corrected to $16k by Jan 2023. From there, it has been on a bull run and moved to $126k by October 2025. We can easily say that a 40-50% correction is not unusual for Bitcoin when it corrects.
In the long run, Bitcoin has given amazing returns, but the investor should have the guts to hold the asset through all the upward and downward movements.
Currently, the best thing an investor can do is to accumulate Bitcoin, as it always goes up in the long run. However, investing a lump-sum amount would not be a wise step. In a falling market, a Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) is the best approach. Investors would be much more confident knowing that they can buy more of the asset if it goes down, as they are not totally invested yet.
Technically, if Bitcoin breaks the $80k level, it can go back to $72k levels. Therefore, it would be advised to add more Bitcoin or to do your SIP at every 8-10% correction in Bitcoin. It doesn’t make sense to keep accumulating the coin at the same level; investors should wait for an 8-10% movement in any direction. Even if there is a reversal and Bitcoin starts going upwards, investors would not miss out on the opportunity and would keep averaging the price.
Furthermore, please note that if there is a steep crash in Bitcoin, say 15-20% or more, then investors could aggressively buy Bitcoins in a lump sum.
Conclusion
Looking at the historical Bitcoin performance, we can confidently say that this asset goes higher in the long term, and Bitcoin’s long-term Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) is on the order of ~70–80% annually over that 14-year period. Every major correction is an opportunity for investors to accumulate more Bitcoins and lower their average entry price.
