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Traders on prediction market Polymarket are pricing in a 75% chance that Bitcoin (BTC) will plunge below $55,000, signaling a sharp shift 18% overnight rise in bearish sentiment as the asset struggles to hold the $65,000 support level.
This quantified bearish data arrives as Bitcoin struggles to remain the 14th biggest asset in global market cap rankings.
Why Are Prediction Markets Signaling Bearish Sentiment?
The pessimistic outlook follows a difficult weekend where Bitcoin’s market capitalization fell to $1.31 trillion, dropping briefly behind the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO).
Prices have retreated roughly 31% over the last year from highs near $100,000, driven by fading post-halving momentum.
Recent data shows the total crypto market cap has reached a 45% drawdown. Since its October 5, 2025, high of $4.3 trillion, crypto has shed nearly $2 trillion to command a combined market cap of $2.35 trillion.
Institutional appetite appears to be waning temporarily, with spot Bitcoin ETFs logging a fifth straight week of outflows.
While the asset holds above $66,000 for now, the recent fall below $65K reignited fears that macro headwinds and geopolitical tensions are overpowering the traditional inflation-hedge narrative.
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Breaking Down the Polymarket Data
The 72% probability figure derives from active contracts on Polymarket, where volume on bearish strikes is surging.
Bets on BTC falling below $50,000 and $45,000 now hold odds of 62% and 47% respectively, with combined trading volumes exceeding $1.5 million.
Heavy crypto wagering persists across the world, even as the Dutch regulator orders Polymarket to halt operations in specific jurisdictions and US state regulators crack down on prediction markets.
Technical indicators support this caution; analysis from BeInCrypto highlights bearish RSI divergence on weekly charts, often a precursor to deeper corrections.
While prediction markets can overshoot, the high confidence in sub-$55K prices aligns with Standard Chartered’s projection of a dip to $50,000 before any structural recovery to $100,000, according to news widely circulated from a recent note to investors.
CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju similarly noted in a recent interview that $55,000 may represent the ultimate market bottom for this cycle.
What Does This Mean for BTC Price?
For traders, the $55,000 level is the critical line in the sand. If the current $63,300 support cluster fails, liquidation cascades could rapidly validate the prediction market’s bearish thesis.
However, on-chain data shows resilience: long-term holder selling dropped 67% in February, from 244,919 BTC to just 81,019 BTC, suggesting the “smart money” is finished selling.
As traders buy crash protection via puts, a reclaim of $72,200 remains necessary to invalidate the bearish structure.
Despite short-term fear, Polymarket prediction markets still assign a 78% probability of BTC hitting $75,000 before 2027, indicating that most market participants view this potential drop as a severe but just a temporary correction.
