Bitcoin retail interest in ‘bear market’ as crypto sentiment flips to fear

10 hours ago

Key takeaways:

  • Bitcoin retail involvement lags contempt 2025 all-time highs.

  • Declining spot request shows a “shift into bearish conditions.”

  • Crypto marketplace sentiment is besides astatine carnivore marketplace levels, reflecting caution and little capitalist participation.


Bitcoin (BTC) retail investors are known for entering the marketplace during periods of euphoria, typically aft beardown rallies oregon caller all-time highs. However, contempt Bitcoin hitting aggregate all-time highs successful 2025,  the wide nationalist involvement and retail enactment continue to lag.

Have retail investors “given up” connected Bitcoin?

Bitcoin’s spot request had been contracting implicit the past week, signaling a waning of retail interest, according to information from CryptoQuant.

The illustration beneath reveals that spot demand, measured by the Apparent Demand metric, has been declining astatine a 30-day complaint of 111,000 BTC.

Related: Bitcoin needs a caller catalyst to debar a ‘deeper correction’ — Analysts

This is the “steepest contraction since April,’ said CryptoQuant analysts successful its Weekly Crypto Report, adding:

“This signals a displacement into bearish conditions.” 
Bitcoin: Apparent request and bull-bear marketplace rhythm indicator. Source: CryptoQuant

Google planetary hunt involvement for the word “Bitcoin” dropped to 19 past week, coinciding with Bitcoin’s flash clang connected Friday, according to Google Trends. 

“Bitcoin hunt involvement connected Google is astatine carnivore marketplace levels,” said trader Mister Crypto successful an X station connected Wednesday, asking:

“Has retail fixed up connected Bitcoin?”
Search trends for Bitcoin. Source: Google Trends

Similarly, the Coinbase app present ranks 29th successful the US App Store wrong the concern category, a important driblet from its 3rd-place presumption successful January, according to information from The Block.

Coinbase app ranking successful the US App Store: Finance. Source: The Block

If mobile app rankings and Google hunt trends for “Bitcoin” tin service arsenic proxies for retail interest, request past peaked successful November 2024, erstwhile the Coinbase app jumped from the 55th to the 3rd presumption successful nether 30 days. At the aforesaid time, hunt enactment spiked to its highest level successful implicit 2 years.

Crypto sentiment drops to six-month lows

Crypto marketplace sentiment has besides dropped to its lowest level since April, pursuing Friday’s historical sell-off, which resulted successful implicit $20 cardinal successful liquidations connected centralized exchanges. 

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index, which measures wide marketplace sentiment, fell to a “Fear” level of 24 connected Thursday, representing a diminution of 47 points from Friday’s “Greed” speechmaking of 71. 

The scale is present astatine akin levels to those past seen successful April, erstwhile Bitcoin dropped to a debased of $74,000. It besides mirrors levels seen during the 2018 and 2022 carnivore markets, arsenic shown successful the fig below.

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index. Source: Alternative.me

CryptoQuant writer Axel Adler Jr. said that the Bitcoin Unified Santiment Index is successful the “extreme bearish” zone, indicating capitulation oregon panic among investors. 

The scale combines 3 components to seizure wide marketplace psychology: the Fear & Greed Index (reflecting macro temper and volatility), CoinGecko’s up/down votes (reflecting retail sentiment), and a rolling normalization furniture that aligns some connected a 1-year window.

“Currently, sentiment is successful the utmost bearish zone, akin to accent points seen successful 2024, and April, 2025, the expert said, adding:

“This suggests that investors are defensive, information is low, and hazard appetite is depressed contempt comparatively unchangeable BTC prices astir rhythm highs.”
Bitcoin unified sentiment index. Source: CryptoQuant


However, different proxy for retail interest, the Coinbase Premium Index, has remained firmly positive during the caller sell-off driven by liquidations, showing near-term marketplace resilience.

This nonfiction does not incorporate concern proposal oregon recommendations. Every concern and trading determination involves risk, and readers should behaviour their ain probe erstwhile making a decision.

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