AI and Recession Quietly Ready to Trigger 2026’s Biggest Crypto Bull Run?

Jakarta, Pintu News – The crypto fear and greed index plummeted to level 5 earlier this month, recording the lowest figure ever recorded in history. Bitcoin itself has fallen more than 50% from itsall-time high of$126,000.

However, one analyst believes that this situation is the right setup before a massive upward movement. Crypto analyst Jesse Eckel laid out the argument as to why the upcoming crypto bull run has the potential to be the biggest so far, with artificial intelligence as the main driving force.

Is the Crypto Bull Run Really Over?

On paper, the current economic conditions look worse than most people realize.Pending home sales are at the lowest level ever recorded.

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The credit carddelinquency rate has reached 12.7%, the second highest rate in history after the 2008 crisis. In addition, more than 3 million vehicles wererepossessed by 2025, almost double the number that occurred during the 2009 crisis.

Eckel refers to this phenomenon as a “silent recession” hidden behind the strengthening S&P 500 index – a rise driven almost entirely by AI-based stocks. When measured against the value of gold, both Bitcoin and the S&P 500 have actually been in the negative zone since 2022.

“Past bull markets have been driven by retail investor FOMO, as well as excesses andfroth in the economic markets. However, the movement this time is basically just aninstitutional structured bid,” he said.

A key shift is now taking place: business cycle indicators are now back in the expansion zone for the first time since 2022, reaching a state similar to the situation before the great rally of 2013.

Why AI Speculation May Move into Crypto

Eckel does not believe that the next rally will come from the NFT or DeFi sectors. He believes that the surge will be fueled by AI hype, and that speculation will manifest in crypto networks.

The reason is simple. Retail investors want to bet on AI technology, but they can’t make significant gains by buying Nvidia shares that are already at trillion-dollar valuations.Small-cap AI tokens provide theoutsized upside they are looking for.

“I think the mania and hype this time will really center on AI… The speculation will happen on thecrypto rails because that’s the best place for various speculative instruments to thrive,” he added.

He compared this structure to the dot-com bubble and argued that since AI is a more transformative technology, the retail euphoria that will ensue is expected to be much greater.

Read also: Crypto Whale Buys 170 Million XRP as Price Plummets: Sign of a Great Awakening?

AI Grok’s Prediction on Bitcoin

Eckel paid $300 to gain access to Grok 4.2 Heavy, an AI model that ranked first in various livetrading competitions. The model’s Bitcoin price prediction puts BTC at around $155,000 by the end of 2026 and peaking at $240,000 in 2027.

The model highlights ISM expansion, liquidity growth, ETFinflows and regulatory clarity as its key drivers.

Eckel views these numbers as directional clues rather than hard numbers. He expects a consolidation phase for about 50 days before abreakout, which puts the potential for an upward movement around early April.

“I wouldn’t even give this model any credibility if it wasn’t for its ability to consistently exceedbenchmarks in real trading activity,” he says.

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*Disclaimer

This content aims to enrich readers’ information. Pintu collects this information from various relevant sources and is not influenced by outside parties. Note that an asset’s past performance does not determine its projected future performance. Crypto trading activities are subject to high risk and volatility, always do your own research and use cold hard cash before investing. All activities of buying and selling Bitcoin and other crypto asset investments are the responsibility of the reader.

Reference:

• Coinpedia. Crypto Bull Run 2026: Analyst Says AI Bubble, Silent Recession & Record Fear May Trigger a Rally. Accessed on February 25, 2026