Have you ever stopped to think about how many people are using old tools to understand the current market? Well, there is one that has resurged strongly: the ciclo de Benner. This economic forecasting chart is over 150 years old and has gone viral among retail investors, especially those dealing with crypto.

It all started when Samuel Benner, a farmer who suffered heavy losses during the 1873 crisis, decided to study price patterns. He observed that solar cycles influenced harvests, which in turn affected agricultural prices. From there, he created a very peculiar market prophecy. In the ciclo de Benner, you have three main lines: Line A marks years of panic, Line B indicates boom years (good to sell), and Line C highlights recession years (ideal for buying and accumulating).

What’s impressive is that this ciclo de Benner aligned reasonably well with major financial events. The Great Depression of 1929, the dot-com bubble, the COVID-19 collapse—everything matched the predictions, with deviations of only a few years. According to analyses from Wealth Management Canada, the chart suggested that 2023 was the best time to buy in recent times, and that 2026 would mark the next major market peak.

In the crypto community, this became fuel for optimism. Investors like mikewho.eth argued that the ciclo de Benner suggested a market peak around 2025, followed by a correction in the subsequent years. The idea was that the hype around Crypto AI and emerging technology would intensify in 2024-2025 before a downturn. Many people shared this chart as a bullish narrative.

But then things got complicated. In April of last year (2025), the markets reacted very badly to announcements of new tariffs. The total crypto market capitalization fell from 2.64 trillion to 2.32 trillion. JPMorgan raised its probability of a global recession to 60%, and Goldman Sachs increased its forecast to 45% over the next 12 months—the highest level since the post-pandemic era. This put a lot of pressure on belief in the ciclo de Benner.

The experienced trader Peter Brandt was very critical. He posted on X that he wouldn’t trust it very much, saying the chart was more distracting than useful. He argued that he couldn’t trade based on it, so for him it was “a fantasy world.”

But you know how it is—not everyone abandoned the idea. Investor Crynet keeps the faith, arguing that the market peak in 2026 would give us another year to confirm whether the story repeats. He admits it sounds crazy, but points out that markets are about sentiment, memory, and momentum—and sometimes these old charts work not because they’re magical, but because a lot of people believe in them.

What’s curious is that search interest in the ciclo de Benner recently peaked on Google Trends. This shows rising demand among retail investors for optimistic narratives, especially amid all this economic and political uncertainty. It seems that even with the challenges, the ciclo de Benner continues to be a tool that many people consult to shape their strategies—whether to believe in it or to question it.