1H26 Recap: Here’s how Bitcoin, Gold, EURUSD+, NAS100 and other major assets performed



For global financial markets, the first half of 2026 was primarily dominated by the Middle East conflict.



Soaring oil prices fed upside inflation risks, which sent the US dollar (DXY index) to a one-year high that weighed down EM assets and precious metals.

The first 6 months of 2026 saw many new record highs, as well as multi-year lows, across asset classes.

Here’s a look back at how major assets performed:

^{NOTE: All % figures below show 1H26 performance (from Dec 31st, 2025 closing price - June 30th, 2026 closing price)}

US Stock Indexes



• US2000: +21.9%

Forecast: +20.5% over next 12 months



• NAS100: +19.9%

Forecast: +17.8% over next 12 months



• SP500: +9.5%

Forecast: +19% over next 12 months



• DJ30: +8.8%

Forecast: +11.2% over next 12 months



Bybit’s best-performing stock index in 1H26:

• TWINDEX (Taiwan RIC Index): +73%

Forecast: +8.6% over next 12 months





US Stocks*

^{*among members of the S&P 500 index only, which is widely seen as the most popular measure of the US stock market’s overall performance}

Biggest year-to-date gainers on the S&P 500:



1) Sandisk: +857.8%



2) Micron: 304.4%

Forecast: +35.8% over next 12 months



3) Intel: 278.4%



4) Western Digital: 270.8%



5) Marvell Technology: +250.5%



^{NOTE: Except Micron, all these stocks have already risen past the 12-month median target price per Wall Street analysts surveyed by Bloomberg}

Chip stocks registered their biggest quarterly gain ever (+88%**) in Q2 2026, which means that these AI-linked stocks have already doubled (+101%**) in the first half of the year!

^{** as measured by the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Semiconductor Index}





“Magnificent 7” stocks:

^{(ranked by market cap)}

• Nvidia: +7.3%

Forecast: +51% over next 12 months



• Alphabet: +14.2%

Forecast: +21.4% over next 12 months



• Apple: +6.4%

Forecast: +10.2% over next 12 months



• Microsoft: -22.9%

Forecast: +50.4% over next 12 months



• Amazon: +3.3%

Forecast: +32.2% over next 12 months



• Tesla: -6.5%

Tesla’s share price has already reached the median 12-month target price per Wall Street analysts surveyed by Bloomberg



• Meta: -14.7%

Forecast: +45.6% over next 12 months



And SpaceX is already up 26.6% since its IPO on June 12th, and forecasted to rise another 30.3% over the next 12 months.



Major FX pairs (currencies)



• Euro fell 2.8% vs. US Dollar (EURUSD+)

Bloomberg FX model predicts 74% chance EURUSD+ trades between 1.10 - 1.20 by end-2026



• British Pound fell 1.6% vs. US Dollar (GBPUSD+)

Bloomberg FX model predicts 74% chance GBPUSD+ trades between 1.256 - 1.393 by end-2026

^{READ MORE (published June 23): Sterling Outlook? Here’s how the British Pound could perform for the rest of 2026}



• Japanese Yen fell 3.7% vs. US Dollar (USDJPY+ rose 3.7% ytd)

Bloomberg FX model predicts 74% chance USDJPY+ trades between 150 - 170.4 by end-2026





Best performing G10 currency in 1H 2026:

• G10 currency: Australian Dollar rose 3.7% vs. US Dollar (AUDUSD+)

Bloomberg FX model predicts 74% chance AUDUSD trades between 0.643 - 0.731 by end-2026



And of all major global currencies tracked by Bloomberg, the biggest gainer year-to-date is:

The Zambian Kwacha, which rose by 22.2% against the US dollar!

^{READ MORE (published June 25th): Can Forex Markets Predict Football Matches?}





Metals & Commodities:



• WTI US Crude Oil (USOUSD): +21%



• Brent Crude Oil (UKOUSD): +19.8%



• Gold (XAUUSD+): -7.2%

Bloomberg model predicts 74% chance XAUUSD+ trades between 3368 - 4748 by end-2026

^{READ MORE (published June 24th): Gold set to form “death cross”. Here’s what could happen next.}

• Silver (XAGUSD): -18.2%

^{Bloomberg model predicts 70% chance XAGUSD trades between 42.89 - 74.11 by end-2026}



Best-performing major commodity:

• Gasoline: +71%







5 Biggest Cryptocurrencies (by market cap)

^{(ranked by market cap)}

• Bitcoin: -33.1%



• Ethereum: -47.1%



• Binance Coin: -37%



• Ripple: -43.4%



• Solana: -40.8%



However, HYPE and TRON were the bright sparks among the biggest cryptos by market cap, boasting double- and even triple-digit year-to-date gains!





Bybit Learn’s Most-Read “Market Pulse” reports:



• 3 Assets to Watch: Feb 9-13

• Elon Musk set to be world’s first Trillionaire on SpaceX IPO! Here’s how you can enter Musk’s world, now. (published May 21st)

• SpaceX IPO: Will it soar or crash on day 1? (published June 12th)



READ MORE:



• end-June 2026: Review - Crypto’s dismal 1H26, and what you need to watch in 2H26

• February 2026: Best performers so far in 2026, and their 12-month forecasts. Year of the Horse: Can they gallop higher?

• end-2025: Recap - Cryptos vs. TradFi







DISCLAIMER:

This article is provided for general information and reflects the author’s views only. It does not constitute investment advice, nor an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any financial instruments or digital assets. Your ability to access or use any products or services mentioned may be subject to the laws and regulatory requirements of your jurisdiction.