Bitcoin has been on strong gains recently, which has also triggered a market-wide rally, despite the notable negative sentiment from retail investors.
By Wahid Pessarlay
Editor Julia Sakovich
Updated
2 mins read
The cryptocurrency market has been seeing notable gains as January kicked off, especially in the past three days. The retail sector, however, continues with its mixed reactions, mostly bearish.
The total crypto market cap grew by over $300 billion over the past two weeks, according to CoinMarketCap. Its value reached a two-month high of $3.3 trillion late on Wednesday, Jan. 14, before a decline to the current level of $3.26 trillion.
Bitcoin BTC $96 836 24h volatility: 1.7% Market cap: $1.94 T Vol. 24h: $67.17 B also touched a local high of $97,860, but with a mild retreat, it’s currently trading close to $92,300.
Ethereum ETH $3 371 24h volatility: 2.2% Market cap: $407.13 B Vol. 24h: $33.54 B has also been showing strength as it reached a local high of almost $3,400 on Jan. 14.
According to Santiment data, BTC and ETH prices reached their local highs while retail investors started to show bearish sentiment.
😒 According to social data, the commentary toward Bitcoin across social media has interestingly turned more and more bearish as prices have bounced this week. With markets typically moving the opposite direction of retail sentiment, the most FUD seen in 10 days may propel $BTC… pic.twitter.com/BbcFai1Sd5
— Santiment (@santimentfeed) January 15, 2026
Santiment expects the FUD among the crowd to push Bitcoin above the $100,000 mark for the first time since mid-November.
Historically, the bearish sentiment from the retail crowd has usually acted as a bullish catalyst for the Bitcoin price.
Moreover, the recent rally has brought the CMC fear and greed index to the 54 mark for the first time since Oct. 10, 2025.
However, it’s not just about sentiments.
Multiple catalysts, such as the inflows into the spot BTC exchange-traded funds, short liquidations and the most recent US Consumer Price Index data, have been adding to the bullish momentum.
According to data from SoSoValue, the US-based spot BTC ETFs saw a net inflow of $843.6 million on Jan. 14. This brings the week’s inflows to $1.71 billion.
Coinspeaker also reported that the US CPI came in at a 2.7% year-over-year increase for December 2025, aligned with the expectations from economists. Bitcoin rose to $96,000 soon after the report was released. This also triggered massive short liquidations, worth $595 million between Jan. 13 and 14.
Disclaimer: Coinspeaker is committed to providing unbiased and transparent reporting. This article aims to deliver accurate and timely information but should not be taken as financial or investment advice. Since market conditions can change rapidly, we encourage you to verify information on your own and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content.
Wahid has been analyzing and reporting on the latest trends in the decentralized ecosystem since 2019. He has over 4,000 articles to his name and his work has been featured on some of the leading outlets including Yahoo Finance, Investing.com, Cointelegraph, and Benzinga. Other than reporting, Wahid likes to connect the dots between DeFi and macro on his newsletter, On-chain Monk.
