While fear still dominates the market, analysts remain divided, with some warning of a bear market and others forecasting Bitcoin to reach above $150,000 in 2026.
Global interest in cryptocurrency, as tracked by Google search trends, has reached its lowest point in over a year, reflecting a steep downturn in retail investor activity towards the end of 2025.
Search volume in the world for “crypto,” according to some current data released by Google Trends, fell to about 26 on the platform’s 0 to 100 scale – two points above its lowest in a year of 24 – and interest in US demand has dropped to its latest low point, again a sign of diminishing public interest in digital assets in general.
Interest worldwide had previously plunged during the crypto market crash in April, triggered in part by US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff policies. In the United States, search trends mirrored the global pattern, reaching a one-year low.
Worldwide search volume collapsed during the crypto market crash in April, due to US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff policy. US Google search volumes for “crypto” followed the same pattern but fell to a 1-year low. Mario Nawfal said:
“There is close to no retail interest in crypto right now. Do we need to start pumping the dino coins again to get retail to come back? After the Trump-Melania memecoin drama, it seems that retail lost a lot of faith in the space.”
None of my normie friends or family ask me anything about crypto anymore,” he added, highlighting the sentiment among retail traders following the price implosion of memecoins from the Trump family, which have declined by over 90% in value from their highs.
The weak search volumes highlight subdued retail investor sentiment, as the crypto market continues to recover from October’s flash crash, one of the most severe single-day drops in its history.
October’s market crash led to nearly $20 billion in leveraged liquidations and caused some altcoins to dip by as much as 99% in a single day.
The crash also took BTC from a peak above $125,000 to a low of about $80,000 in November, with the price subsequently consolidating between $80,000 and $90,000 since then.
The Crypto Fear and Greed Index, an index that tracks sentiment about cryptocurrency, reached a yearly low of 10 in November, indicating “extreme fear” among investors, according to CoinMarketCap.
According to reports, Bitcoin’s outlook for 2026 is sharply divided as traders close the year. The coin was trading at $87,520 at the time of publication and is down 8% year-to-date since January 1. Market mood has been weak. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index reached 20 on December 26, marking two weeks labeled as “extreme fear.”
According to posts on X, Jan3 founder Samson Mow contends that 2025 marked the beginning of the bear market and that Bitcoin could be entering a bull run that lasts into 2035.
The Fear and Greed indicator still reflects fear among investors, but also a slight improvement over the prevailing market sentiment over the last several months.
Several prominent voices still expect sharp gains. Geoff Kendrick at Standard Chartered and Gautam Chhugani at Bernstein each forecast a price of $150,000 for Bitcoin in 2026. Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano, predicted a price of $250,000 by 2026 as supply and rising institutional demand are the primary drivers.
