This Could Be the Best Cryptocurrency to Buy Now and Hold Forever

Dominic Basulto, The Motley Fool

Mon, Apr 7, 2025, 4:00 AM 5 min read

Amid all the uncertainty and volatility surrounding global tariffs, it's understandable why many investors may be planning to steer clear of crypto right now. After all, cryptocurrencies -- just like stocks -- are down across the board, with some of them down as much as 50% for the year.

But there's one cryptocurrency you might want to think about buying now and holding forever, and that's Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC). Here's why.

Perhaps the biggest factor in Bitcoin's favor is its remarkable resilience. During the past 15 years, it has undergone several boom-and-bust cycles, and it is famous for its volatility. But here's the thing -- after every major decline, Bitcoin has bounced back, reaching new highs.

So, even if you think that Bitcoin is headed for a stinker of a year in 2025, it's worth looking back at previous market cycles, to see just how quickly Bitcoin ultimately rebounded. The three key years to consider are 2014 (when Bitcoin fell by 57%), 2018 (when Bitcoin plummeted by 74%), and 2022 (when Bitcoin sank by 64%).

After every one of those epic collapses, Bitcoin went on to hit another record high. Take, for example, the last Bitcoin market cycle. Bitcoin reached a high of $69,000 in November 2021 before ultimately sinking below $16,000 in November 2022. But Bitcoin took off from there, posting triple-digit percentage returns in both 2023 and 2024, before hitting a brand-new all-time high of $109,000 in January.

Historical performance is no guarantee of future results. But the historical record suggests that Bitcoin has the ability to bounce back from any major retreat. So if tariff uncertainty has you on tenterhooks, this might provide some peace of mind.

In 2024, WisdomTree (NYSE: WT) published a comprehensive report analyzing Bitcoin's performance relative to eight asset classes. It looked at the period between 2012 and 2023, to see how Bitcoin stacked up against equities, bonds, commodities, and gold.

What it found was astounding: In nine of those 12 years, Bitcoin was easily the top-performing asset in the world, and it wasn't even close. But in the other three years (2014, 2018, and 2022), Bitcoin was the worst-performing asset in the world, and it wasn't even close.

If Bitcoin were a race car driver, it would be Ricky Bobby, the character played by Will Ferrell in the comedy Talladega Nights. His motto was, "If you ain't first, you're last." It summarized his reckless, do-anything-to-win mentality. Sometimes, it leads to winning the race; other times, it leads to spinning out, wrecking, and not being able to finish the race.