The Crypto Fear & Greed Index is hovering at levels lower than during the shock FTX collapse in late 2022, despite Bitcoin trading at roughly five times the price. Crypto market sentiment remained in “extreme fear” on Friday, marking the 14th straight day that market sentiment has remained in the zone. The sentiment-tracking Crypto Fear & Greed Index fell three points to a score of 20 out of 100 on Dec. 26, hitting a two-week stretch of “extreme fear” that started on Dec. 13, making it one of the longest periods in the zone since the index launched in February 2018. Market sentiment has been trending down since early October after renewed US-China tariff fears wiped nearly $500 billion from the crypto market on Oct. 10. Read more
If Ether manages to reclaim its all-time high in 2026, it may just be a “bull trap,” says crypto analyst Ben Cowen. Ethereum is unlikely to hit new highs in the coming year, given the current conditions for Bitcoin, says crypto analyst Benjamin Cowen. “If Bitcoin truly is truly in a bear market, which is what it feels like, it would be kind of hard for Ethereum to go up there,” Cowen said on the Bankless podcast on Tuesday. It comes after veteran trader Peter Brandt predicted on Dec. 19 that Bitcoin could fall as low as $60,000 by the third quarter of 2026. Read more