According to CNBC, the S&P 500 is on a rare streak of high returns, prompting a look at what historical patterns may imply for 2026; source: CNBC. Historical data show that U.S. midterm election years have typically been the weakest of the four-year presidential cycle for the S&P 500, with elevated volatility and rebounds often concentrated later in the year, based on Stock Trader’s Almanac data summarized by Fidelity Investments; source: Fidelity Investments. Research from the International Monetary Fund finds that crypto assets have moved more in sync with U.S. equities since 2020 (the BTC–S&P 500 return correlation rose to roughly 0.36 in 2020–2021 from near zero pre-pandemic), indicating that shifts in the S&P 500 trend in 2026 can materially influence BTC and ETH performance; source: International Monetary Fund.