Digital assets closed the third quarter of 2026 with their strongest performance of the year, outrunning both traditional stocks and gold. This sharp turnaround ended three consecutive quarters of price declines. The findings were published in a quarterly report by CoinDesk Research analysts Joshua de Vos and Jacob Joseph.
The recovery was driven by a combination of reduced geopolitical tension, a more supportive liquidity environment, and the return of institutional capital. In the same issue, Kevin Tam explained the mechanics of cryptocurrency perpetual contracts for readers.
To evaluate how companies navigate global regulatory differences, Mesh is gathering anonymous responses for its 2026 State of Digital Money Survey. The survey targets infrastructure providers, digital-asset firms, and financial institutions, with findings set to appear in a future newsletter.
For traders currently holding open perpetual positions across exchanges, this macro turnaround offers broad market context but changes nothing directly regarding funding rates or holding fees. While overall liquidity improved during the quarter, individual position costs depend on specific exchange contract mechanics rather than quarterly performance totals.
Source: coindesk — Crypto for Advisors: Digital assets outran stocks and gold in Q3