Is the crypto bull market over? Retail sentiment is ‘worst it’s been in years’

As the crypto markets stall and the fear and greed index hits a low of 35, many investors are wondering if the crypto bull market is over as desperate traders hang on for a long-awaited “Alt Season.”

But with a pro-crypto president in the White House issuing executive orders to investigate a strategic bitcoin reserve, a sovereign wealth fund, and overhauling the SEC with ‘crypto Mom’ Hester Pierce in charge of its new Crypto Task Force, why isn’t the market reacting to this bullish news?

Crypto Banter’s Ran Neuner posted:

“Market exhaustion is a real thing. The altcoin market is totally exhausted! All buyers are fully deployed. All speculators are blown up. All narratives are fully priced in. Bitcoin flows remain confined and no longer filter into Alts. The only thing that could push this market higher is a fed pivot or some Trump action that increases liquidity!”

Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan commented:

“There is an absolutely massive disconnect between retail and professional sentiment in crypto right now. Retail sentiment is the worst it’s been in years, while professional investors are extraordinarily bullish. It’s like living in two completely separate worlds.”

Bloomberg analyst James Seyffart pointed out, “Feel like its because retail is holding a ton of alt coins and memecoins etc that are down really bad,” while ‘El Presidente’ Dave Portnoy didn’t hold back in his message to altcoin traders:

“To all the shitcoiners crying right now. We all know the rules. We’re all trying to make a buck. Nobody is misleading anybody. If you are buying and selling shitcoins you should be prepared to lose your investment. It’s a risk.”

The bullish case for crypto

Despite the overall fatigue from retail in the market, 68% of investors believe Bitcoin will hit $200k in 2025. Jeff LaBerge, Head of Capital Markets and Strategic Initiatives at Bitdeer, told Roundtable that while predicting Bitcoin’s price was tricky, the “$150,000 to $200,000 range is certainly in the cards this year.”

Macroeconomist Henrik Zeberg acknowledged that sentiment was in the gutter but that conditions were ripe for a “massive crypto bull market” before April and that there was a “less than 5% chance” that the cycle top is in.

Despite current bearish sentiments from retail investors, many experts believe that cryptocurrency still has significant growth potential and could see substantial gains before year-end.

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