We're looking at something unusual brewing in the stock market. The so-called 'Santa Claus rally'—that cheerful year-end surge that's supposed to send portfolios flying—looks set to miss the mark for the third straight year running.

This isn't just a random dip. If it plays out as the data suggests, we're staring at a historically rare pattern. Markets normally gift traders a pleasant finish to December, but lately? Holiday cheer's been in short supply.

What does this mean for your portfolio? When equities struggle heading into 2025, it ripples across asset classes. Crypto markets tend to track broader financial sentiment, so this kind of systemic weakness doesn't go unnoticed. Traders watching macro conditions know that when traditional markets lose momentum, alternative assets feel the pressure too.

The bigger picture: repeated failures of seasonal rallies can signal weakening confidence among institutional players. They're the ones usually driving these year-end flows. When even the predictable patterns break down, it suggests something deeper is shifting beneath the surface.