The U.S. dollar finished the year on a notably weak footing, marking its worst annual performance since 2017. The greenback declined 9.37% over the period, reflecting significant pressure from multiple economic factors. This sustained depreciation carries substantial implications for cryptocurrency markets—historically, dollar weakness tends to support risk assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum as investors seek alternative stores of value. The magnitude of this decline, the steepest in over half a decade, signals shifting dynamics in global currency markets and could reshape portfolio allocation decisions across digital and traditional asset classes.