Bitcoin prices have fallen nearly 20% so far in the first quarter of this year, reflecting sluggish market conditions in 2026. The difficulties of top cryptocurrencies have been highlighted by the increasing apathy of investors from various walks of life. According to the latest on-chain data, activity among the smallest group of Bitcoin investors has been decreasing over the past few months.
BTC retail activity and demand fall to lowest level in over a year
In a March 21 post on the According to market experts, this decrease in activity also means less demand from retail investors.
Darkfost shared that Bitcoin retail activity and demand appeared to be “relatively stable” for nearly a year before drying up recently. Average monthly demand from BTC retail investors fell by -10%, the lowest level since January 2025, according to data from CryptoQuant.
Source: @Darkfost_Coc on X
Darkfost noted in the post:
Historically, retail demand has tended to rise sharply when Bitcoin is performing well and then decline quickly when BTC corrects. We can clearly observe that retail demand tends to contract during bottoms or bear markets.
The cryptocurrency analyst also highlighted the significant absence of retail investors in this bear cycle, as expected. Typically, Bitcoin retail participation tends to increase rapidly during periods of positive price performance, while retail activity subsides during bear markets.
However, Darkfost noted that the emergence of cash exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has played a significant role in this dynamic, as investors now have regulated exposure to Bitcoin’s volatility. US-based exchange traded funds (ETFs) continued their streak of net capital inflows last week, recording more than $52 million in net capital inflows, according to the latest market data.
“Still, the current lack of retail interest deserves close attention, since such periods are historically associated with corrections already well underway,” the analyst concluded.
Bitcoin price at a glance
As of this writing, the BTC price is around $70,350, up 0.6% over the past 24 hours. Despite rising to $75,500 early last week, the top cryptocurrency has cooled to around $70,000 in recent days. Bitcoin’s value has fallen about 0.4% over the past week, according to data from CoinGecko.
The price of BTC on the daily timeframe | Source: BTCUSDT chart on TradingView
Featured image of DALL-E, TradingView chart
editing process for focuses on providing thoroughly researched, accurate, and unbiased content. We adhere to strict sourcing standards and each page undergoes diligent review by our team of top technology experts and seasoned editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance, and value of the content for readers.
