The McRib Is Back, but $BTC’s Correlation Is a Missing Ingredient

“There is no correlation at all” between the return of McDonald's McRib and Bitcoin's price, Luke Nolan, senior researcher at CoinShares, told Decrypt. His chart tracking the McRib's return against Bitcoin's weekly close found that only three out of 10 McRib returns posted clear positive Bitcoin returns, while the sandwich's comeback often came before major drops in valuation. Carlos Guzman, vice president of research at crypto trading firm GSR, told Decrypt there is “no causal mechanism” and that any price increases following the McRib's reintroduction are just a “funny coincidence.”

The McRib has become a crypto meme in recent years because many traders believe its reintroduction to the menu precedes a boost in Bitcoin's price, and its comeback in certain states across the U.S. has renewed excitement among crypto traders. On October 22, 2026, internbrah (@internbrah) posted: “The McRib is back on 10/27. BTC historically goes up >2x after the McRib returns. Don't fade the McRib. Not financial advice. pic.twitter.com/RxBuzcVht5”. Nolan said: “Whilst it is a fun exercise, it seems to be that people omit McRib returns when it doesn't fit the narrative.”

Guzman said the crypto community likely clings to the theory because it is “silly,” “obviously absurd,” and funny. Nolan said, “Let's say, hypothetically, it did indicate the start of a bull run, it would be quite nonsensical, similar to when people overlaid the Dune movie releases,” and added: “So yes, it's fun, generates some excitement, but even in the best case, purely coincidental.”

This year's McRib return comes as Bitcoin sits in what André Dragosch, head of research at Bitwise Europe, called “wait and see mode,” with traders waiting for the Federal Reserve's next moves before making big bets. Bitcoin hasn't budged more than 6% over the past month, per Decrypt data, and is currently sitting at around $81,735, down 1.2% on the day. Every top five cryptocurrency has failed to move more than 2% over the past week, and the Crypto Fear and Greed Index is at a neutral score of 47.

In a separate Decrypt market snapshot, Bitcoin had dropped just 6% over the past month while sitting at $79,750. The Fed raised rates in September for the first time since 2023, and CPI then rose 0.6% for the month, with its next rate decision on Wednesday. Jake Koch-Gallup, senior research analyst at Blockworks, told Decrypt that the decision is one of three catalysts coming in the next two