How Dollar-Cost Averaging Can Reduce Timing Pressure

January 13, 2026
Newton Team
January 13, 2026
How Dollar-Cost Averaging Can Reduce Timing Pressure

Bear markets do not just drain prices; they also drain investor confidence, making inaction at times feel safer than action. This is not a personal failing, but rather a natural response to uncertainty.

It helps explain why “buy low, sell high” sounds simple in theory, yet proves difficult in practice, and why results often diverge even within the same market. After all, if it were easy, everyone would be able to master the markets.

In 2025, several top-10 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, finished the year at lower price levels than where they began. In environments like this, timing is hard to get right, and even harder to repeat. This is why dollar-cost averaging is often discussed. Not as a promise of better returns, but as a way to reduce the emotional burden of decision-making.

Why does market timing feel so difficult?

Dollar-cost averaging is an approach that involves investing fixed amounts at regular intervals, regardless of short-term price movements.

The idea starts with acknowledging how difficult market predictions really are. It was formalized long before digital assets existed, in early value investing frameworks that emphasized discipline over precision.

By investing smaller amounts at regular intervals, dollar-cost averaging spreads decisions over time. It removes the pressure of choosing the “right” moment and replaces it with a repeatable process that does not require constant judgment calls. 

For many people, the hardest part of investing is not understanding the strategy. It is staying consistent when confidence is low. Quiet months or sideways markets are often when conviction feels thin, and having a defined process can help reduce the friction of repeated decision-making.

What does consistency look like across market conditions?

The challenge with timing the market is not understanding the concept, but living with the uncertainty between decision and outcome.

A small number of assets drove a disproportionate share of gains in 2025, while large parts of both equity and crypto markets have remained negative. In environments like this, investing becomes less about direction and more about exact timing, but market timing is difficult to sustain.

How can dollar-cost averaging spread decisions over time?

A five-year stretch helps illustrate the point. Over that period, our investor Jane contributed $20 every two weeks to Bitcoin and Ethereum while experiencing multiple market cycles, including sharp drawdowns and periods of recovery.

She made no adjustments and did not attempt to wait for better entry points. She steadily contributed through bull markets, bear markets, and her total contribution added up to approximately $2,600 CAD per asset.

Using rounded historical price averages in CAD dollars for illustration purposes only, that consistent contribution pattern would have led to an estimated portfolio value of approximately:

Bitcoin: ~$6,200–$6,500 CAD by the end of 2025

and

Ethereum: ~$8,700–$9,200 CAD by the end of 2025

Different start dates, contribution periods, or asset selections could have produced materially different outcomes, including lower or negative results. This illustration is intended to show how contributions may be distributed across market conditions, not to demonstrate performance.

What stands out is not the endpoint, but Jane’s path.

Many of her contributions occurred during periods when prices were falling, and some happened when the coins were hitting their all-time highs. Moments when opening her app may have felt uncomfortable to even consider, and ignoring red charts may have felt easier than confronting them.

Dollar-cost averaging cannot make markets predictable or reduce market volatility. For some investors, the approach can take some of the weight off individual decisions.

This mock example is provided for educational purposes only. It assumes biweekly contributions of $20 CAD from January 2020 through December 2025 and uses rounded historical price averages to illustrate how dollar-cost averaging works over time. Figures are estimates, do not reflect exact market pricing, and are not indicative of future results or the effectiveness of any strategy.

How can automation support consistency over time?

For others, the challenge with dollar-cost averaging is not understanding the approach, but maintaining it over time. Regular contributions can be easy to plan, but harder to execute consistently when markets are volatile or attention is elsewhere.

That is why tools such as automatic recurring buys are made to help this kind of consistency by minimizing the requirement to repeatedly revisit the same action. Instead of deciding when to act each time, the structure is defined, set up in advance, and carried out automatically.

How do recurring buys work?

A recurring buy allows you to schedule regular market order purchases of a chosen asset at a set amount and frequency.

In the Newton app, this option is available through the Trade section. Once set up, you decide which asset to buy, how much to contribute, and the cadence that works for you. The start date simply marks when the process begins.

Before confirming, the app will show you a projected view of how your scheduled purchases may accumulate over time. This is intended to help you understand the level of commitment you are setting, rather than to predict your future financial outcome.

Once a recurring buy is set up, purchases are placed automatically according to the schedule you chose.

Can recurring buys be adjusted or paused?

Yes, recurring buys can be adjusted or paused as circumstances change.

What practical considerations apply to recurring buys?

There are a few operational details to be aware of when using recurring buys:

  • Scheduled purchases count toward your applicable net buying limits.

  • Sufficient CAD funds need to be available in your account for each scheduled purchase to execute as planned. Many users support this by scheduling regular bank electronic transfers.

  • Recurring buy orders are placed on the selected calendar day in Eastern Time. While they are often executed earlier in the day, timing may vary.

How does the recurring purchase feature work?

Most investing decisions are not made in calm moments. They are made in between workdays, headlines, and doubt. Having a defined process can reduce the sense that every decision has to be perfectly timed.

For step-by-step guidance on setting up recurring buys, a walkthrough is available in the app. If you have questions about how the feature works, Newton’s support team can help at newton.co/support.

In value-oriented approaches, the emphasis is often not on reacting well in any single moment, but on having a process that can be carried forward throughout. What matters most is that your risk tolerance and time horizon are aligned with the decisions you are making.

Key takeaways

Viewed as a whole, the role of dollar-cost averaging is less about prediction and more about process.

  • Dollar-cost averaging does not remove risk, but it can reduce timing pressure

  • Consistency often matters most during periods of uncertainty

  • Automation can help maintain discipline without constant decision-making

If you are new to crypto or if you have been in the space for years, Newton’s blog offers resources for everyone. Our learning content is designed to be beginner-friendly without skipping the deeper ideas, because we believe the future of money should be understood.

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Newton

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This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment, financial, or legal advice. Cryptocurrencies and blockchain-based assets are highly speculative, subject to significant risks including price volatility, regulatory uncertainty, and potential total loss of investment. Staking crypto assets also comes with unique risks. Crypto assets are not insured by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC). Cryptocurrencies and stablecoins may be considered securities or derivatives under Canadian law, subject to CSA and CIRO oversight. Consult a qualified financial or legal professional before making investment decisions. No securities regulatory authority has expressed an opinion about any of the crypto assets made available on the Newton platform, including any opinion that a crypto asset is not a security and/or derivative.
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