What Was Happening in 2017
January 2017. Bitcoin was $970. It had been quietly climbing for a year, and the ICO boom was about to launch cryptocurrency into mainstream consciousness. By December, Bitcoin hit $14,156 (the monthly close; the intraday peak was nearly $20,000). An 1,360% gain in a single year.
Starting a DCA in January 2017 meant riding the most dramatic price appreciation most investors will ever see. Your first purchase at $970 turned into $14,156 by year end. But the real test came next: Bitcoin crashed 74% over the following year, and your DCA kept running, buying at $10,198, then $6,927, then $3,709.
This is the year that turned "Bitcoin" into a household word. It was exciting, terrifying, and ultimately rewarding for anyone who kept buying through the crash that followed.
The Crashes You Survived
Starting in 2017, you rode the bubble to $14,156 and then watched it pop. Bitcoin fell 74% to $3,709 by December 2018. You survived the COVID crash in March 2020, the mid-2021 correction, the full 2022 bear market (down 71%), and the current correction. Four major drawdowns in nine years. Each one was painful. Each one was also a buying opportunity your DCA captured automatically.
- 2017 Bubble Pop: -74% ($14,156 to $3,709)
- COVID Crash: -27% ($8,780 to $6,430)
- Mid-2021 Correction: -39% ($57,878 to $35,040)
- 2022 Bear Market: -71% ($56,994 to $16,547)
- 2025-2026 Correction: -41% ($115,758 to $68,000)
Run your own scenario
Try different amounts, frequencies, and start dates with real historical data.
Open DCA Calculator →Ready to start your own plan? Read our Bitcoin savings plan guide. Wondering if you should invest all at once instead? See our DCA vs lump sum analysis. Not sure how much to allocate? Our sizing guide walks through practical frameworks.