The post Has Bitcoin entered a new era where ETFs lead and retail steps back? appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Bitcoin is hogging the spotlight while altcoins struggle to find a pulse. At the same time, retail traders (once the heartbeat of every rally) have stepped back and have been replaced by the clinical flows of Spot ETFs. The market looks familiar, but also… just a bit different. This is interesting because AMBCrypto previously reported that Bitcoin’s [BTC] landscape in 2025 is being shaped by a new “dual strategy.” This is where investors embrace both ETF convenience and self-custody control. ETFs have logged months of $4-$6 billion inflows, while long-time users continue to defend the importance of holding their own keys. BTC sets the pace Source: Alphractal Bitcoin continued to dominate the market, and the data made it hard to argue otherwise. The Altcoin Season Index showed that only 4 out of 55 altcoins have outperformed BTC in the last 60 days. That’s far below the 75% threshold needed to enter true altcoin season. So, the chart kept the market deep in “Bitcoin season,” with the index hovering around the 5-10% range. Source: Alphractal The correlation chart also has a similar observation. Most major altcoins are tight with BTC, clustering around 0.7-0.9 correlation on average. That means Bitcoin’s moves still dictate the entire market’s direction. Altcoins are reacting, not leading. Retail steps back as ETFs take the wheel Building on Bitcoin’s firm grip over the market, the drop in retail activity adds more. According to analyst Darkfost, small holders – “Shrimps” with less than 1 BTC – sent just 411 BTC to Binance, down from 2675 BTC during the post-FTX panic in late 2022. Even within the ETF era alone, their inflows have fallen more than 60%, sliding from 1056 BTC after Spot ETFs launched to the lows on the 9th of December. Source: CryptoQuant The timing is peculiar. Bitcoin… The post Has Bitcoin entered a new era where ETFs lead and retail steps back? appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Bitcoin is hogging the spotlight while altcoins struggle to find a pulse. At the same time, retail traders (once the heartbeat of every rally) have stepped back and have been replaced by the clinical flows of Spot ETFs. The market looks familiar, but also… just a bit different. This is interesting because AMBCrypto previously reported that Bitcoin’s [BTC] landscape in 2025 is being shaped by a new “dual strategy.” This is where investors embrace both ETF convenience and self-custody control. ETFs have logged months of $4-$6 billion inflows, while long-time users continue to defend the importance of holding their own keys. BTC sets the pace Source: Alphractal Bitcoin continued to dominate the market, and the data made it hard to argue otherwise. The Altcoin Season Index showed that only 4 out of 55 altcoins have outperformed BTC in the last 60 days. That’s far below the 75% threshold needed to enter true altcoin season. So, the chart kept the market deep in “Bitcoin season,” with the index hovering around the 5-10% range. Source: Alphractal The correlation chart also has a similar observation. Most major altcoins are tight with BTC, clustering around 0.7-0.9 correlation on average. That means Bitcoin’s moves still dictate the entire market’s direction. Altcoins are reacting, not leading. Retail steps back as ETFs take the wheel Building on Bitcoin’s firm grip over the market, the drop in retail activity adds more. According to analyst Darkfost, small holders – “Shrimps” with less than 1 BTC – sent just 411 BTC to Binance, down from 2675 BTC during the post-FTX panic in late 2022. Even within the ETF era alone, their inflows have fallen more than 60%, sliding from 1056 BTC after Spot ETFs launched to the lows on the 9th of December. Source: CryptoQuant The timing is peculiar. Bitcoin…

Has Bitcoin entered a new era where ETFs lead and retail steps back?

2025/12/10 09:09

Bitcoin is hogging the spotlight while altcoins struggle to find a pulse. At the same time, retail traders (once the heartbeat of every rally) have stepped back and have been replaced by the clinical flows of Spot ETFs.

The market looks familiar, but also… just a bit different.

This is interesting because AMBCrypto previously reported that Bitcoin’s [BTC] landscape in 2025 is being shaped by a new “dual strategy.” This is where investors embrace both ETF convenience and self-custody control.

ETFs have logged months of $4-$6 billion inflows, while long-time users continue to defend the importance of holding their own keys.

BTC sets the pace

Source: Alphractal

Bitcoin continued to dominate the market, and the data made it hard to argue otherwise.

The Altcoin Season Index showed that only 4 out of 55 altcoins have outperformed BTC in the last 60 days. That’s far below the 75% threshold needed to enter true altcoin season.

So, the chart kept the market deep in “Bitcoin season,” with the index hovering around the 5-10% range.

Source: Alphractal

The correlation chart also has a similar observation. Most major altcoins are tight with BTC, clustering around 0.7-0.9 correlation on average.

That means Bitcoin’s moves still dictate the entire market’s direction. Altcoins are reacting, not leading.

Retail steps back as ETFs take the wheel

Building on Bitcoin’s firm grip over the market, the drop in retail activity adds more.

According to analyst Darkfost, small holders – “Shrimps” with less than 1 BTC – sent just 411 BTC to Binance, down from 2675 BTC during the post-FTX panic in late 2022.

Even within the ETF era alone, their inflows have fallen more than 60%, sliding from 1056 BTC after Spot ETFs launched to the lows on the 9th of December.

Source: CryptoQuant

The timing is peculiar. Bitcoin has been rising, yet retail presence on exchanges has been fading.

Rather than chasing rallies, everyday investors now appear to prefer the simplicity and safety of ETFs. This can make the market relatively steadier.

There’s still a bit of a struggle, though

Bitcoin’s price action looked hesitant.

BTC traded at $90,196 at the time of writing, stuck below all major EMAs – with the 20-day at $91,315, 50-day at $96,902, and 100-day at $102,323. Until the price reclaims at least the 20-day average, upside conviction is likely to stay weak.

Source: TradingView

The RSI showed muted demand, while the CMF at 0.07 only indicated mild capital inflows. The market seems to be waiting for a clear catalyst.

For now, Bitcoin is holding its ground… but it’s not pushing forward either.


Final Thoughts

  • Bitcoin’s dominance remains unchallenged as ETF demand rises.
  • Until BTC reclaims key moving averages, the market is likely to stay firmly under Bitcoin’s control.

Next: Bitcoin “After Dark” ETF filing aims to capture overnight gains

Source: https://ambcrypto.com/has-bitcoin-entered-a-new-era-where-etfs-lead-and-retail-steps-back/

Disclaimer: The articles reposted on this site are sourced from public platforms and are provided for informational purposes only. They do not necessarily reflect the views of MEXC. All rights remain with the original authors. If you believe any content infringes on third-party rights, please contact [email protected] for removal. MEXC makes no guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the content and is not responsible for any actions taken based on the information provided. The content does not constitute financial, legal, or other professional advice, nor should it be considered a recommendation or endorsement by MEXC.

You May Also Like

Solana Price Stalls as Validator and Address Counts Collapse

Solana Price Stalls as Validator and Address Counts Collapse

The post Solana Price Stalls as Validator and Address Counts Collapse  appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Since mid-November, the Solana price has been resonating within a narrow consolidation of $145 and $125. Solana’s validator count collapsed from 2,500 to ~800 over two years, raising questions about economic sustainability. The number of active addresses on the Solana network recorded a sharp decline from 9.08 million in January 2025 to 3.75 million now, indicating a drop in user participation. On Tuesday, the crypto market witnessed a notable spike in buying pressure, leading major assets like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana to a fresh recovery. However, the Solana price faced renewed selling at $145, evidenced by a long-wick rejection in the daily candle. The headwinds can be linked to networks facing scrutiny following a notable decline in active validators and active addresses.  Validator Exodus Exposes Economic Pressure on Solana Operators The layer-1 blockchain Solana has witnessed a sharp decline in the number of its validators from 2,500 in early 2023 to around 800 in late 2025, according to Solanacompass data. The collapse has caused an ecosystem divide between opposing camps. One side lauds the trend, arguing that the exodus comprises nearly exclusively unreal identities and poor-quality nodes that were gaming rewards without providing real hardware and uptime. In their view, narrowing the list down to a smaller number of committed validators strengthened the network rather than cooled it down. Infrastructure providers that work directly with node operators have a different story to tell. Teams like Layer 33, which is a collective of 25 independent Solana validators, say, “We personally know the teams shutting down. It is not mostly Sybils.” These operators cited increasing server costs, thin staking yields because of commission cuts, and increasing complexity of keeping nodes profitable as reasons for shutting down. Both sides agree on one thing: raw validator numbers don’t tell us much in and of…
Share
BitcoinEthereumNews2025/12/10 12:05
Surges to $94K One Day Ahead of Expected Fed Rate Cut

Surges to $94K One Day Ahead of Expected Fed Rate Cut

The post Surges to $94K One Day Ahead of Expected Fed Rate Cut appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. What started as a slow U.S. morning on crypto markets has taken a quick turn, with bitcoin BTC$92,531.15 re-taking the $94,000 level. Hovering just above $90,000 earlier in the day, the largest crypto surged back to $94,000 minutes after 16:00 UTC, gaining more than $3,000 in less than an hour and up 4% over the past 24 hours. Ethereum’s ether ETH$3,125.08 jumped 5% during the same period, while native tokens of ADA$0.4648 and Chainlink LINK$14.25 climbed even more. The action went down while silver climbed to fresh record highs above $60 per ounce. While broader equity markets remained flat, crypto stocks followed bitcoin’s advance. Digital asset investment firm Galaxy (GLXY) and bitcoin miner CleanSpark (CLSK) led with gains of more than 10%, while Coinbase (COIN), Strategy (MSTR) and BitMine (BMNR) were up 4%-6%. While there was no single obvious catalyst for the quick move higher, BTC for weeks has been mostly selling off alongside the open of U.S. markets. Today’s change of pattern could point to seller exhaustion. Vetle Lunde, lead analyst at K33 Research, pointed to “deeply defensive” positioning on crypto derivatives markets with investors concerned about further weakness, and crowded positioning possibly contributing to the quick snapback. Further signs of bear market capitulation also emerged on Tuesday with Standard Chartered bull Geoff Kendrick slashing his outlook for the price of bitcoin for the next several years. The Coinbase bitcoin premium, which shows the BTC spot price difference on U.S.-centric exchange Coinbase and offshore exchange Binance, has also turned positive over the past few days, signaling U.S. investor demand making a comeback. Looking deeper into market structure, BTC’s daily price gain outpaced the rise in open interest on the derivatives market, suggesting that spot demand is fueling the rally instead of leverage. The Federal Reserve is expected to lower…
Share
BitcoinEthereumNews2025/12/10 11:51