Does the Benner Cycle Predict the Next Crypto Peak in 2026? A 150-Year Tool Under Pressure

The Graph Everyone is Sharing (But No One Fully Understands )

In recent weeks, an old name has reappeared in crypto chats: Benner Cycle. This chart has over 150 years of history. Samuel Benner, a farmer who lost everything in the 1873 crisis, spent years studying economic patterns and left a prediction that today generates passionate debate.

The thesis is simple: Benner observed solar cycles that impacted crops, which in turn affected prices. Based on this, he outlined three key lines:

• Line A: years of panic (sell)
• Line B: years of boom (market peak)
• Line C: years of recession (accumulate)

How Accurate Was It?

The unsettling thing is that it worked. According to reports, the cycle predicted correctly:

• The Great Depression of 1929
• The dot-com crash
• The collapse due to COVID
• Deviations of just a few years

Most recent: 2023 was perfect for buying, and according to Benner, 2026 will be the biggest peak since then.

Investors like Panos and mikewho.eth predict a massive speculative rally in Crypto-AI and tech in 2024-2025, culminating in a peak in 2026. It is the favorite narrative of retail now.

The Problem: Reality is Breaking the Chart

But here comes the awkward part.

In April 2025, Trump's fees triggered what some called “Black Monday 2.0.” The crypto market fell from $2.64 trillion to $2.32 trillion in hours. JPMorgan raised its global recession probability for 2025 to 60%. Goldman Sachs placed it at 45% (post-pandemic peak).

The veteran trader Peter Brandt was brutal: “It's pure theater. I can't sell or buy based on a chart that is 150 years old. It's a fantasy world for serious traders.”

The Inconvenient Truth

Does it work because it is precise or because enough people believe it works? That is the million-dollar question.

Some investors insist: “Markets are psychology, memory, and momentum. Sometimes these old charts work not by magic, but because the masses believe in them.”

Others simply say: I wouldn't bet my portfolio on a chart from 1875.

For now, Google Trends shows that searches for “Benner Cycle” are at historical highs. Retail investors are desperate for reasons to believe that 2026 will be different.

The question of the moment: is it prophecy or self-fulfilling prophecy?