When there are big liquidity shocks or market crashes, it has dropped substantially. That is largely due to it being tradable 24/7. Margin calls globally can be met at any time using it. Now if you think at some point central banks will choose to idly and let markets tank long term, then you should avoid it. But we all know what happens, the money printer turns on and they bring it back. It's the #1 priority.
I remember quite vividly during the COVID crash when bitcoin finally bottomed under 4k one night. I thought oh shit, put a few drops in the bucket (wish I had done more), and just turned off my phone to hang with the family. Look what happened from there.
US "embracing" bitcoin definitely gave it a boost post election. There are plenty of other financial and societal factors that have been noted that are boosting it now. There are also large pools of capital that are getting more involved. Hedge funds, insurance, pensions. Other countries will be getting more involved. A lot of speculation that oil and gas rich countries in middle east have been mining for a while. Lots of tailwinds.
Good thing you don't get paid in BTC! You're right, we have beaten this over and over. It is currently primarily a savings vehicle. Over time it will have more utility. Hey go buy some steak n shake with it now.
Block/Square rolling out BTC accepting on their PoS in 2025/2026
They'll be able to opt for instant conversion to fiat, set a specific portion as BTC, or just keep the BTC.
Otherwise, if you want to use it for big purchases and need $, just sell and take cap gains 20% out. There are also currently products being built out that will allow you to take out overcollateralized loans against your bitcoin if you'd like. Similar to what has been done by rich people for a long time. Borrowing against large assets.