Could This Bear-Market Crypto Buy Make You a Millionaire?

Market carnage creates generational buying opportunities—if you know where to look.

The Millionaire's Playbook

While traditional investors panic-sell, crypto veterans are quietly accumulating assets at fire-sale prices. History shows the biggest fortunes are built during maximum fear cycles, not FOMO rallies.

Timing the Bottom

Nobody rings a bell at market lows, but several metrics suggest we're approaching historic oversold territory. The smart money isn't waiting for perfect entry points—they're dollar-cost averaging into quality projects.

Survival of the Fittest

Bear markets separate foundational protocols from speculative garbage. The projects solving real problems and building through the downturn will likely emerge stronger when sentiment eventually flips.

Remember: the same Wall Street analysts now warning about crypto risks were the ones calling Bitcoin worthless at $200—proving most financial 'experts' couldn't analyze their way out of a paper bag.

How bad is it for Target right now?

When talking about an index such as the(^GSPC -0.16%), which is widely viewed as a proxy for the whole U.S. stock market, a bear market is declared when the index's value declines by 20% from its peak. Over the past year, Target's shares have lost more than 45% of their value. Over the past five years, meanwhile, the shares have lost about two-thirds of their value. Target is, very clearly, in a bear market of its own even as the broader market flirts with all-time highs.

Image source: Getty Images.

That said, because of the mathematics of dividend yields, Target's drastic share price decline has resulted in its yield rising to roughly 5.3%, which is NEAR its highest level in recent history. The yield today is much higher than it was during the Great Recession or the coronavirus pandemic. That's one good reason why dividend investors might want to take a look at Target right now.

Another is the fact that Target is a Dividend King, with more than five decades of annual dividend increases under its belt. A company can't build a record like that without having gone through some bad times and surviving them with its ability to keep steadily rewarding its shareholders intact. That's particularly true given that Target is a retailer, so it operates in a sector that's highly exposed to the effects of swings in the economy.

Target isn't firing on all cylinders

Considering its DEEP share price decline, it should come as no surprise that Target's business hasn't been performing particularly well recently. In the first six months of 2025, the company's revenues fell by 1.9%, and same-store sales were down by 2.8%. Those are not good numbers for a retailer and help to explain the dour mood among investors about its shares. Meanwhile, peer has seen strong sales growth.

There's an important difference between these two retailers. Walmart's focus is low prices, which is in line with consumer trends right now. Large numbers of people are trading down to the lowest-priced retailers, a pattern highlighted by the strength of retailers like, which experienced a massive 6.5% same-store sales jump in the second quarter, and a 3% increase in store traffic.

Target's brand identity among its discount chain peers is centered on offering a more premium experience, so it is out of step with the trade-down trend. Target also is recovering from criticism of its diversity policies that triggered boycotts. 

But don't count Target out just yet. Not only has the company survived down periods, but its business could be stabilizing. For example, its six-month drop in sales was 1.9%, but the second-quarter decline was 0.9%. The same trend appeared in same-store sales, which were down 1.9% in the second quarter, which was a lot better than the six-month figure of 2.8%. This basically means that its performance improved as the year progressed, though the trend WOULD probably be best described as having gotten less bad.

If history repeats itself, today's yield could be an attractive opportunity

There is a turnaround opportunity in Target's shares. Adding this depressed stock to a diversified portfolio could give you a leg up on building a million-dollar nest egg. And you would be able to collect the huge yield as well: The company's payout ratio is still fairly reasonable at roughly 52% over the trailing 12 months, so the dividend looks sustainable.

There are clearly risks involved with buying this underperforming and out-of-step retailer. And a business turnaround probably won't happen quickly. But given Target's status as a Dividend King, it seems likely that management will do what's needed to get it back on track. After all, that's exactly what it has done for over five decades at this point.