Where the prices come from
Daily closing prices since December 2014 for Bitcoin and May 2016 for Ether come from Coinbase, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED). Earlier Bitcoin prices are approximate month-start values from the exchanges of the time, when trading was thin and prices varied a lot between venues. Today's price updates every few hours from CoinGecko. Everything is in US dollars.
Bitcoin's history in a few numbers
| Year | What happened | Price range |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | First recorded trades, pizza purchase for 10,000 BTC | under $0.10 |
| 2013 | First big bubble, Mt. Gox era | $13 to $1,000 |
| 2014 | Mt. Gox collapses | $1,000 to $300 |
| 2017 | Retail and ICO mania | $1,000 to $19,700 |
| 2018 | Crypto winter, down over 80% | $19,700 to $3,200 |
| 2020 | Covid crash, then post-halving rally | $4,900 to $29,000 |
| 2021 | Institutional buying, new high | $29,000 to $69,000 |
| 2022 | Terra and FTX collapses | $69,000 to $15,500 |
| 2024 | US spot ETF approval, 4th halving | $40,000 to $100,000 |
Lump sum or buying every month?
Buying a fixed dollar amount every month, dollar-cost averaging, buys more coins when prices are low and fewer when they are high. With an asset as volatile as Bitcoin it smooths out the entry price and makes it much less likely you put everything in at a peak. Try the "Every month" mode from the 2017 or 2021 peaks and compare it with a lump sum on the same date.
The part hindsight hides
A calculator like this shows the destination; the drawdown chart shows the journey. Bitcoin has fallen more than 75% from its high at least four times. Holding through those drops is much harder in real time than it looks afterwards. Most financial planners suggest that crypto, if held at all, stays a small share of a diversified portfolio.
Disclaimer: This is a hypothetical calculator for educational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Cryptocurrency investments carry significant risk. This is not financial advice.