Primitive Ventures' Dovey Wan argues that despite Bitcoin hitting new all-time highs in 2025, the crypto market feels stagnant and disconnected. Key issues include a lack of altcoin momentum, underperformance against traditional assets like stocks and gold, and a significant divergence between onshore (U.S.) buying and offshore selling. U.S. investors bought spot Bitcoin, while international traders sold into strength and used leverage. Structural shifts, including Bitcoin ETFs and institutional products, changed liquidity dynamics. Retail interest declined, and miners sold Bitcoin to fund AI ventures. Major sell pressure came from early whales, miners, and gray market entities. The traditional 4-year cycle is broken; future performance depends on macro conditions and institutional adoption. Crypto must evolve from speculative asset to utility-driven technology to attract new cycles of investment.
marsbit2026.01.13
