Author: Coingecko Compiled by: Felix, PANews After experiencing a tumultuous end to 2025, Bitcoin continued to fluctuate downward in early 2026. Meanwhile, geopolitical and macroeconomic events drove increases in gold, silver, and recently crude oil prices. As cryptocurrencies continue to gain mainstream adoption as an asset class, many Wall Street investors may be experiencing their first crypto bear market. Coingecko examined the performance of cryptocurrencies relative to other traditional asset classes at the beginning of 2026. With the outbreak of war in Iran, crude oil prices surged faster than all other asset classes in 2026. Since the beginning of 2026, crude oil prices have been rising gradually due to escalating tensions in the Middle East and critical market supply shortages. However, with the United States and Israel on February 28th against