NEAR Historical Price and Return Analysis: Should I Buy NEAR Now?

Abstract

This article comprehensively reviews the historical price movements and market volatility of NEAR Protocol since its inception, analyzing data across bull and bear market phases to assess potential returns for investors purchasing 10 NEAR tokens. It addresses the critical question: “Should I buy NEAR now?” to help both novice and long-term investors identify optimal entry points and growth opportunities.

Early Market Cycles: Historical Price Overview (2020 to 2023)

NEAR Protocol is a highly scalable base protocol designed to support DApp operations efficiently on mobile devices. Through state sharding, the protocol enables blockchain to scale linearly with the number of nodes in the network, targeting 100k TPS based on one million mobile nodes. NEAR tokens are used to pay validators who provide essential computing and storage resources to the network.

According to market records, NEAR’s early trading price started around $100.0 in 2020.

The following details NEAR’s price performance during the initial market cycles:

2020

• Opening Price: $100.0
• Closing Price: $1.48
• Highest Price: $100.0
• Lowest Price: $0.631
• Annual Return: -98.52%

2021

• Opening Price: $1.73
• Closing Price: $14.39
• Highest Price: $16.24
• Lowest Price: $1.73
• Annual Return: 731.06%

2022

• Opening Price: $13.52
• Closing Price: $1.28
• Highest Price: $20.14
• Lowest Price: $1.28
• Annual Return: -90.57%

2023

• Opening Price: $1.65
• Closing Price: $3.65
• Highest Price: $3.8
• Lowest Price: $1.03
• Annual Return: 121.55%

An investor who purchased 10 NEAR tokens during the early bull market phase in 2021 would have seen a potential gain of $1.18 by 2023, while those who bought during the 2022 bear market downturn experienced a loss of -$117.78.

Recent Market Cycles: Should I Buy NEAR Now? (2024 to 2026)

In recent years, NEAR has experienced significant price fluctuations as the market continues to debate whether the cryptocurrency is entering a new bull cycle or remains in consolidation.

2024

• Opening Price: $3.21
• Closing Price: $5.90
• Highest Price: $8.25
• Lowest Price: $2.75
• Annual Return: 83.61%

2025

• Opening Price: $4.97
• Closing Price: $1.73
• Highest Price: $4.98
• Lowest Price: $1.51
• Annual Return: -65.2%

2026 (To Date)

• Opening Price: $1.70
• Closing Price: $1.74
• Highest Price: $1.74
• Lowest Price: $1.70
• Annual Return: 2.45%

Investors who purchased 10 NEAR tokens during these recent market cycles experienced the following potential returns:

• 2024: -$14.71
• 2025: -$32.27
• 2026 (to date): +$0.42

Summary: Bull Markets, Bear Markets, and Investment Timing Analysis

Through analysis of NEAR’s historical price movements and potential returns over six years of market activity, the data reveals extreme volatility characteristic of emerging blockchain protocols. Investors have experienced both exceptional gains during bull market rallies and significant losses during market corrections. The current 2026 period shows stabilization after the 2025 decline, presenting a potentially more stable entry point compared to recent highly volatile periods. Understanding these historical cycles is essential when evaluating whether now represents an opportune time to accumulate NEAR tokens for long-term portfolio positioning.