Crypto Bull and Bear Markets: How to Navigate Every Cycle Phase

Crypto has four distinct market phases: accumulation, expansion, distribution, and contraction. Identifying each phase changes your optimal strategy. Here is the complete cycle playbook.

Understanding where you are in the market cycle is the most valuable macro skill in crypto. The four phases have distinct on-chain characteristics, sentiment patterns, and optimal strategies. Most retail investors get these phases exactly wrong — buying at peaks, selling at bottoms.

Phase 1: Accumulation (Bear Bottom)

Phase 2: Expansion (Early Bull)

Phase 3: Distribution (Late Bull)

Phase 4: Contraction (Early Bear)