Retail investors increased Bitcoin holdings as prices fell below $70,000, while larger holders sold assets, according to analysis from sentiment platform Santiment. This pattern historically suggests a price correction may not be over, with the Crypto Fear & Greed Index dropping to “Extreme Fear.” Spot Bitcoin ETFs also saw significant outflows.
Retail investors have been accumulating Bitcoin after its price slipped below $70,000, according to crypto sentiment platform Santiment. Meanwhile, whale activity suggests the price could still head lower if past patterns repeat.
Santiment stated that key stakeholders began taking profit when Bitcoin hit $74,000. The firm explained that whales — those holding between 10 and 10,000 Bitcoin — accumulated heavily between February 23 and March 3, when Bitcoin traded between $62,900 and $69,600.
Since Wednesday, when Bitcoin climbed past $70,000, this cohort has offloaded around 66% of their recent purchases. Santiment noted that when retail buys while whales sell, it typically signals that the correction is not yet over. Bitcoin is currently trading at $67,984.
MN Trading Capital founder Michael van de Poppe shared a similar outlook, suggesting a further decline is possible. The price decline led the Crypto Fear & Greed Index to fall 6 points, pushing it further into “Extreme Fear” territory with a score of 12.
The decline coincided with US-based spot Bitcoin ETFs posting their largest outflow day since February 12, with a total of $348.9 million in net outflows across the 11 ETF products, according to Farside data. Economist Timothy Peterson suggests the $60,000 level reached on February 6 could be the floor for the time being.
