Bitcoin closes Q3 up 44%, marking its best quarter since Q1 2024

Bitcoin just wrapped up its best quarter in more than two years. The asset closed Q3 up 44%, its strongest quarterly showing since Q1 2024. The numbers behind the rally The precise gain came in at approximately 43.88% for Q3 2026. Bitcoin opened the quarter at around $58,500 to $58,600. By the end of September, it had closed somewhere between $84,000 and $86,000. That is a jump of roughly $26,000 in three months. The quarter also delivered Bitcoin’s strongest third-quarter performance since 2017. Historically, Bitcoin’s third quarter has averaged returns of 8% to 9%. This year’s result came in at roughly five times that typical pace. Each of the three months in the quarter closed in positive territory. The rally also ended a run of three consecutive losing quarters for Bitcoin. Leaving gold and stocks in the dust Bitcoin’s run looks even sharper when you line it up against traditional assets. Gold gained approximately 8.7% over the same stretch. Major US stock indices fared worse, rising about 2% during the quarter. ETF flows did the heavy lifting The biggest driver was a reversal in money moving through US spot Bitcoin ETFs. At the end of July, these funds were sitting on roughly ...