Bitcoin, Ethereum trend amid ‘Extreme Fear’ – But THIS signal warns of caution

ambcryptoPublished on 2026-04-05Last updated on 2026-04-05

Abstract

The global crypto market shows modest improvement after volatility from U.S.-Iran tensions. Santiment highlights trending coins, with Ethereum and Bitcoin leading due to quantum-computing risk discussions, institutional interest like Charles Schwab offering spot trading, and geopolitical impacts. However, active addresses for BTC, ETH, and Chainlink (trending from large on-chain moves and unlocks) show declining retail activity, indicating investor caution. Solana gained attention negatively from a $270M+ exploit, while memecoin Pippin trended on hype, not fundamentals. USDC stablecoin trends despite hack-related transfers, still outpacing USDT in volume. Overall, market signals are conflicting, with Coinbase warning of risks ahead of Trump’s Iran deal deadline.

The global crypto market is showing modest signs of improvement after facing a volatile phase amidst increasing U.S-Iran tensions. Now, as the weekend is about to end, Santiment presented a list of coins trending, which includes top coins and a few altcoins in the space.

Source: Santiment

Ethereum and Bitcoin steal the spotlight

Starting with the largest altcoin, Ethereum [ETH], which was outperforming others. This surge in traction comes as there were various Ethereum accounts that were examined for “quantum‐computing risks to ECDSA signatures”.

Additionally, with the Ethereum Foundation staking thousands in ETH, the community was paying heed to Vitalik Buterin’s creation.

On top of that, Santiment also highlighted:

Charles Schwab’s announcement to offer direct spot trading of Bitcoin and Ethereum to its large client base.

Needless to say, Bitcoin [BTC] was trending, too, thanks to its “Google Quantum AI whitepaper and broad media coverage”, fueling debate about “Bitcoin’s long‐term exposure to quantum attacks”.

On the back of Bitcoin’s long-term health, its current price action due to the Middle East tensions also added to BTC’s growing chatter.

Other altcoins that are trending and why

Adding to the list is Chainlink [LINK], which, due to various large on-chain movements and a recent “quarterly unlock of roughly 19M,” is catching people’s eye.

However, the active address mapping of BTC, LINK, and ETH shows a major drop in retail activity. This shows that despite a rise in trends, the metrics are not in favour, and investors are still cautious.

Source: Santiment

That said, Solana [SOL], too, was trending but somehow for the wrong reasons. The recent Drift Protocol exploit, which drained about $270–286 million and impacted over 20 Solana projects, was the major reason behind the rise in attention.

On the other hand, mentions of Pippin [PIPPIN] are surging, but if looked at deeply, this memecoin is trending only because of “community hype rather than traditional fundamentals”.

Confirming this sentiment was the social volume metric of both tokens, which was on a decline.

Source: Santiment

Who is ruling the stablecoin market?

Lastly, in the stablecoin market, Circle’s USDC was trending, but there, too, the plot twist was that there have been about 15 incidents where large USDC transfers were tied to hacks/exploits.

However, the transaction volume of USDC shows that it’s still outpacing Tether’s USDT and others.

Source: Visa on-chain analytics

All this combined paints a confusing picture of the crypto market where neither sentiments nor metrics are in sync with the other.

In conclusion, adding more tension, Coinbase analysts recently flagged an upcoming risk to the crypto market ahead of U.S President Donald Trump’s April deadline on the Iran deal.


Final Summary

  • A list of coins is trending on Santiment, but still, on-chain metrics are drawing a different conclusion.
  • Some coins are trending because of good reasons, whereas some traction is tied to exploits and hacks.

Related Questions

QWhat are the main reasons why Ethereum (ETH) and Bitcoin (BTC) are trending according to the article?

AEthereum is trending due to accounts being examined for 'quantum-computing risks to ECDSA signatures' and the Ethereum Foundation staking a significant amount of ETH. Bitcoin is trending because of a 'Google Quantum AI whitepaper and broad media coverage' sparking debate about quantum attacks, as well as its price action amid Middle East tensions.

QWhich altcoin is mentioned as trending for negative reasons, and what was the cause?

ASolana (SOL) is trending for negative reasons. The cause was a major exploit on the Drift Protocol that drained $270–286 million and impacted over 20 Solana projects.

QWhat does the active address mapping for BTC, LINK, and ETH indicate about retail investor activity?

AThe active address mapping shows a major drop in retail activity, indicating that despite the rise in trends for these coins, investors remain cautious and the on-chain metrics are not favorable.

QIn the stablecoin market, why was USDC trending and what is the 'plot twist' mentioned?

AUSDC was trending, but the 'plot twist' is that there have been about 15 incidents where large USDC transfers were tied to hacks or exploits.

QWhat overall picture does the article paint about the current state of the crypto market?

AThe article paints a confusing picture where market sentiments and on-chain metrics are not in sync. Some coins are trending for positive fundamental reasons, while others are gaining attention due to exploits, hacks, or mere community hype, with overall investor caution prevailing.

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