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Bitcoin: Retail Is Back... But Through The Door Of ETFs

Bitcoin: Retail Is Back... But Through The Door Of ETFs

Published:
2025-03-22 11:05:00
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Bitcoin is sulking. It refuses to repeat its old shows, snubs its past peaks, and coldly disregards new records. It is acting like a diva, mired in a lethargy that leaves traders puzzled. But while everyone is scrutinizing the blockchain closely for signs of an impending bull run, a much quieter truth is surfacing: small investors are already there… but in stealth mode, hidden behind ETFs.

Traversée de pont pour atteindre le bitcoin

Bitcoin: the grand theater of ETFs has already begun

Are analysts who scrutinize the chain like a crystal ball being outsmarted by their own tool? Ki Young Ju, the boss of CryptoQuant — the one who recently announced the beginning of the altcoin season, thinks so. According to him, “the absence of retail on-chain activity means nothing anymore.” Small investors, far from having deserted, have simply slipped through the backdoor of ETFs.

These financial vehicles, certainly more regulated, do not appear in the usual on-chain indicators, but concentrate.

“Retail is already participating, but on the paper layer,” Ju says, talking about, invisible to the old market barometers.

flux-ETF-bitcoin

Incoming and outgoing flows of Bitcoin spot ETFs – Source: Farside

In short, those who are still waiting for a rush from individuals to jump into BTC trading might miss the train. The game has changed, and so have the rules. And— Fear & Greed Index, Google Trends, or popularity of crypto apps —. Moreover:

  • The Crypto Fear & Greed Index has fallen to 31 (fear zone);
  • Google searches for “crypto” have dropped by 62% since January;
  • Bitcoin remains down 22% from its last ATH.

Theare there, but what do they really say? Should the manual of the perfect crypto-trader be rewritten?

BTCUSD chart by TradingView

BTC trading, between faded hopes and evaporated liquidity

The current market fresco resembles a poorly hung cubist painting: a bit of volume here, some ETFs there, and above all… a serious lack of inspiration. Or rather, a lack of liquidity. For Ki Young Ju, the signal is clear:.

This is not a full-blown crash, but rather. Translation: between 6 and 12 months of waiting before a new all-time high.

The most worrying thing? The. Three consecutive weeks of negative flows on ETFs, and significant volumes that have not been enough to break the resistance around $100,000. A bad sign for traders accustomed to riding the wave of new entrants.

I’m not going to short BTC, but I’m not going to sell hope either.

In an uncertain macro climate,, even the boldest eventually put away their charts.

When will the whales return? Will the rates drop enough to revive the crypto market? And above all, will the next rise really come from individuals, or from another even more unexpected player?

In conclusion, let’s remember that Bitcoin is going through an unprecedented crisis, according to Glassnode. A period of famine where the lack of fresh capital prevents any real surge. The bull run seems well tucked away in the closet… for now.

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