The euphoria of the February peaks has evaporated.

Bitcoin, after having brushed against 109,000 dollars, is now fluctuating around 82,000 dollars, revealing a reality more complex than it seems.

The euphoria of the February peaks has evaporated. Bitcoin, after having brushed against 109,000 dollars, is now fluctuating around 82,000 dollars, revealing a reality more complex than it seems.

According to the latest report from Glassnode, authored by researchers Cryptovizart and Ukuria OC, the market is facing an unprecedented liquidity crisis, coupled with a growing divide among investors. A contrasting picture that raises questions: is Bitcoin at a critical turning point or simply in a phase of consolidation?

Bitcoin Facing the Liquidity Famine

Bitcoin is going through a period of financial drought. The Realized Cap, a key indicator measuring the capital actually invested, is only increasing by 0.67% per month.

This stagnation betrays the absence of fresh capital flows, essential for supporting prices. On-chain trades and derivative markets reflect this asphyxiation: inflows onto platforms have dropped by 54% since the end of February, while the “Hot Supply” — those bitcoins held for less than a week, a symbol of frantic speculation — has halved to barely 2.8% of the circulating supply.

The open interest on futures contracts has decreased by 35%, a sign of a retreat from hedging and arbitrage strategies.

Institutions, in particular, are unwinding their “cash and carry” positions — combining spot ETFs and shorts on futures contracts — causing massive closures (378 million dollars on the CME) and outflows from ETFs. “The unwinding of these trades intensifies the pressure on prices,” emphasizes Glassnode.

The options tell the same story: put premiums are rising, while the Delta Skew (25) confirms that bearish protections are favored by investors. Institutional traders, in particular, seem to be barricading themselves, anticipating persistent volatility.

Investors: A Schism Between the Shipwrecked and the Survivors

The current correction in Bitcoin is widening a gap between two categories of actors. Short-term holders (STH), caught in the turmoil, see their unrealized losses reaching cyclical record levels: 7 billion dollars since February.

An alarming figure, but still lower than that of the capitulations of 2021-2022. “These investors are under intense psychological pressure, oscillating between hope and panic,” analyze Cryptovizart and Ukuria OC.

On the opposite side, long-term holders (LTH) are biding their time. Their selling activity is slowing, even if some have seized the opportunity to secure profits around 80,000 dollars.

“Their partial withdrawal from the market reflects a defensive strategy, but not a flight,” the report specifies. With 40% of Bitcoin’s total wealth in their hands, LTH are sitting on a sword of Damocles: a massive sell-off could flood the market.

This duality sketches a paradoxical landscape. On one side, STH, mired in historical losses, embody the fragility of the retail market. On the other side, LTH, silent guardians, seem to be returning to a logic of patient accumulation. “Their relative inertia acts as a stabilizer, limiting panic sales.”

Bitcoin is navigating in a gray area, torn between institutional caution and the distress of small holders. The stagnant liquidity and high volatility could persist as long as incoming flows remain timid. However, there remains a glimmer of hope: if institutional ETFs manage to offset outflows, the network could regain balance.