Thanks to the internet, the term “Black Friday” means something much different today than it did even ten years ago.
With weeks of sales prior to Black Friday, and Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday close on its tail, it has evolved into a multi-week consumer holiday. But what comes to mind for me when I hear the phrase is chaos.
I’m sure you remember people lining up at midnight so they could battle over cheap flat-screen TVs and the latest toy craze.
Maybe you were one of them.
The term “Black Friday” dates back to the 1960s, when the police in Philadelphia coined it to describe the absolute logistical nightmare that followed Thanksgiving. The huge crowds created a major headache for police, leading to longer shifts to deal with issues like traffic jams and shoplifting.
But Black Friday actually has a much deeper, more consequential meaning in finance.
It doesn’t just refer to a chaotic crowd of shoppers. It refers to a market breaking.
And today it feels more relevant than ever…
The Truth About “Black Friday”
The origin of the term “Black Friday” goes all the way back to September 24, 1869.
On that day, two Wall Street speculators attempted to corner the gold market, leading to a spectacular crash that tanked the price of gold and wiped out fortunes overnight.
It was utter financial chaos.
And though that 19th-century gold panic might seem unrelated to a 1960s retail stampede, I see a common thread. They both represent moments of extreme volatility that set the stage for a necessary reset.
A similar thing is happening in the digital asset market right now.
Of course, the mainstream media is only fixated on the downside of this current cycle.
But they’re missing the big picture. Because this correction we’re seeing today isn’t a signal that crypto is losing its relevance.
It’s simply a healthy reset.
And I understand that might be tough to swallow if you’ve watched your bitcoin gains evaporate over the last month. But I see it as the market’s way of clearing the deck so long-term growth can take over.
For proof, just look at the type of capital flowing into crypto today.
The U.S. launch of spot Bitcoin ETFs has unlocked trillions of dollars in wealth management pipelines. According to recent filings, professional investors — hedge funds, pensions, sovereign wealth funds and institutional advisors — now hold well over a quarter of the total U.S. Bitcoin ETF assets under management.
According to a 2025 survey from Ernst & Young, nearly all major institutional investors increased their crypto allocations over the past year. And most plan to add even more in 2025.
At the same time, the underlying infrastructure of crypto is continuing to mature and grow.
Fidelity and BlackRock have both expanded their digital-asset custody businesses this year. Citi is piloting tokenized deposits for corporate clients. And JPMorgan has already moved more than $300 billion across its new blockchain system, which lets big banks trade money and assets in minutes instead of days.
Meanwhile, under the Trump administration, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has become more open to crypto. It’s working on rules that make it easier for regular investors and big institutions to take part.
And this isn’t just a U.S. phenomenon.
Europe’s MiCA framework is creating the world’s first unified licensing regime for digital assets. Hong Kong is pushing forward with retail ETF access. Singapore, Dubai and Brazil continue to grow as crypto banking hubs.
Globally, crypto adoption is outpacing the early growth rates of the internet in the mid-1990s.
This tells me that crypto is rapidly becoming part of the global financial plumbing.
In fact, the largest transfer of financial infrastructure in history is happening underneath all of this recent market turbulence. And the case for long-term growth is unassailable.
That’s why I’m not panicking right now. Because I see a market preparing for its next leg higher.
Which brings us back to Black Friday.
Here’s My Take
The real Black Friday sale isn’t happening in retail this year. It’s happening in the crypto market.
Digital assets are moving beyond speculative trades and becoming part of the global financial market. And today’s reset clears the path for the next phase of growth.
Institutional investors realize this. That’s why they’re still building long-term positions during this dip.
Because they’re looking past the volatility and focusing on the structural growth happening beneath it.
I’ve learned that the time to buy an asset is when its structural growth is accelerating but its price is being driven down by fear.
And even if the next few months bring more turbulence in the crypto markets, all this volatility has created an opening for you to join the institutional players who are adding to their positions.
It’s an invitation to acquire a piece of the next era of the internet at a significant, Black Friday-style discount.
Regards,
Ian KingChief Strategist, Banyan Hill Publishing
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