WTI Crude Oil just wrapped up one of its worst years in decades. The benchmark tumbled 20% through 2025—the steepest annual decline since the pandemic-fueled crash in 2020.

Last year looked flat, yielding no meaningful movement. Stack that on top: three years running without a single positive close. The streak keeps rolling.

This extended weakness in energy markets reflects broader economic headwinds that crypto investors and macro traders are watching closely. When traditional commodity markets struggle like this, it often signals shifts in risk appetite and capital rotation across assets.