The George Stretch market cycle theory breaks markets into three phases: Panic Years (A), Good Years (B), and Hard Years (C). This pattern can be applied to Bitcoin to understand where we are now.
Looking at $BTC recent history, we can map these phases clearly. The brutal crypto winter of 2022 was a classic Phase A Panic Year, with fear everywhere and major prices crashes. According to the theory, that was the time of maximum sell pressure.
The period following that, throughout much of 2023 and into early 2024, matches the description of Phase C Hard Years. This is the phase after the panic, where prices have bottomed and trade at lower levels, but sentiment is still weak. This phase is identified as the prime accumulation zone, the best time to buy.
If this mapping is correct, and the theory holds, then the end of Phase C signals that the bear cycle is complete. The market has absorbed the panic, found a bottom, and begun its quiet recovery.
This sets the stage for what the theory defines as Phase B Good Years. This is the bull market phase characterized by rising prices, increasing optimism, and higher valuations. With Bitcoin's recent breakout to new all time highs, strong institutional inflows from ETFs, and the recent halving event, current conditions strongly align with the early stages of this "Good Years" phase.
Therefore, according to the logic of the George Stretch cycle, the evidence suggests the Bitcoin bear cycle that began in 2022 is over. The market has transitioned from the Hard Years of accumulation into the Good Years of price expansion. While volatility will always remain, the cyclical theory points to a completed bear market and a new period of bullish momentum.
