Looking at how different asset classes wrapped up 2025 tells an interesting story. Precious metals had a strong run, equities held their ground reasonably well, and major global indices posted decent gains overall. The crypto market, however, painted a different picture. Bitcoin actually ended the year in the red, a puzzling reversal considering the constant tailwind from institutional ETF inflows and solid corporate buying pressure throughout 2025. That disconnect—rising inflows alongside declining price—raises some questions worth examining. Usually when you've got this much institutional accumulation and ETF money flowing in, you'd expect upward momentum. Instead, Bitcoin moved lower. It's the kind of anomaly that suggests deeper forces were at play: whether macro headwinds, profit-taking cycles, or competing narratives between traditional finance strength and crypto market cycles.