{"id":93174,"date":"2026-01-15T14:32:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T11:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/?p=93174"},"modified":"2026-01-15T15:44:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T12:44:09","slug":"bitcoin-sentiment-gauge-flashes-greed-for-the-first-time-since-october","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/bitcoin-sentiment-gauge-flashes-greed-for-the-first-time-since-october\/","title":{"rendered":"Bitcoin Market Sentiment Flips to &#8216;Greed&#8217; for First Time in Months"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>On 15 January, <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-cryptos-fear-and-greed-index\">a popular market\u2011sentiment gauge<\/a> flashed &#8220;greed&#8221; for the first time since October. The reading rose to 61 after a protracted spell of &#8220;fear&#8221; and <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/whales-adl-and-the-end-of-the-bull-what-really-happened-on-cryptos-black-saturday-2\">a $19bn cascade of liquidations<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-761ce0f06bc81dfb-3692783932782019.webp\" alt=\"\u0421\u043d\u0438\u043c\u043e\u043a \u044d\u043a\u0440\u0430\u043d\u0430 2026-01-15 132608\" class=\"wp-image-273383\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Crypto Fear and Greed Index. Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/alternative.me\/crypto\/fear-and-greed-index\/\">Alternative<\/a>.\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A day earlier the gauge sat in neutral territory at 48.<\/p>\n<p>The improvement in sentiment coincided with a recovery in the leading cryptocurrency\u2019s price. Bitcoin climbed to $97,704 \u2014 a two\u2011month high (according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coingecko.com\/en\/coins\/bitcoin\">CoinGecko<\/a>). It last traded above $97,000 in mid\u2011November, when the market was in &#8220;extreme fear&#8221; after a sharp pullback from record highs.<\/p>\n<p>Santiment analysts observed retail investors exiting the asset. Over three days, the number of addresses with a non\u2011zero balance fell by 47,244.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83e\udd73 Bitcoin has roared back to a 2-month high of $97.5K. Over the past 3 days, there is a net drop of -47,244 holders, indicating that retail had been dropping out due to FUD &#038; impatience. This price bounce has also been supported by a 7-month low 1.18M <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search?q=%24BTC&#038;src=ctag&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">$BTC<\/a> on exchanges. \ud83d\udc4d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KtoRIBgChy\">pic.twitter.com\/KtoRIBgChy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Santiment (@santimentfeed) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/santimentfeed\/status\/2011493617227960678?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 14, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Experts called the departure of the &#8220;impatient crowd&#8221; and the decline in exchange balances to a seven\u2011month low (1.18m BTC) a bullish signal.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A return to $100,000<\/h2>\n<p>Santiment argues that mounting pessimism on social media could fuel a rally to new all\u2011time highs.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\ude12 According to social data, the commentary toward Bitcoin across social media has interestingly turned more and more bearish as prices have bounced this week. With markets typically moving the opposite direction of retail sentiment, the most FUD seen in 10 days may propel <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search?q=%24BTC&#038;src=ctag&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">$BTC<\/a>\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BbcFai1Sd5\">pic.twitter.com\/BbcFai1Sd5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Santiment (@santimentfeed) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/santimentfeed\/status\/2011664851609809332?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 15, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Prices are recovering even as user commentary grows increasingly &#8220;bearish&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Markets typically move against crowd expectations. Right now, fear, uncertainty and doubt are at a ten\u2011day peak.<\/p>\n<p>In Santiment\u2019s view, the distrustful mood sets the stage for a move back to $100,000, for the first time since mid\u2011November.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Underlying market strength<\/h2>\n<p>The current upswing is anchored in on\u2011chain metrics rather than speculation, says CryptoQuant analyst Carmelo Aleman.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Bitcoin Breaks Resistance as Holders Refuse to Sell<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHistorically, when Bitcoin\u2019s price rises while VDD remains low, the market tends to be in a healthy expansion phase, where demand absorbs the available supply without generating structural selling pressure.\u201d \u2013 By <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/oro_crypto?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@oro_crypto<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/soss3JTgU0\">pic.twitter.com\/soss3JTgU0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 CryptoQuant.com (@cryptoquant_com) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/cryptoquant_com\/status\/2011699614496460986?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 15, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The expert pointed to the behaviour of the Value Days Destroyed (VDD) indicator. The metric gauges coin movement, weighting transactions by volume and dormant time. High readings signal spending of older coins; low readings point to the circulation of recently bought coins.<\/p>\n<p>In January 2026, VDD fell to 0.53 \u2014 a historically low level indicating that chiefly &#8220;young&#8221; coins are moving on\u2011chain.<\/p>\n<p>Long\u2011term holders are refraining from taking profits despite rising prices. The market is in a healthy accumulation phase: demand is absorbing supply without selling pressure from &#8220;old&#8221; capital.<\/p>\n<p>Aleman stressed that the breakout is driven by genuine market strength. The backdrop should remain favourable while VDD stays low; a sustained rise in the metric would signal long\u2011term investors beginning to sell.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Global derivatives deleveraging<\/h2>\n<p>The 31% drop in bitcoin derivatives open interest since October points to a broad market clean\u2011up of excess leverage, according to CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Deleveraging signal as BTC OI drops by 31%<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHistorically, they have often marked significant bottoms, effectively resetting the market and creating a stronger base for a potential bullish recovery.\u201d \u2013 By <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Darkfost_Coc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Darkfost_Coc<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JkYoKfg4Ql\">pic.twitter.com\/JkYoKfg4Ql<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 CryptoQuant.com (@cryptoquant_com) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/cryptoquant_com\/status\/2011342541413560699?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 14, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>He says that deleveraging has historically marked significant bottoms, resetting the market and creating a base for a potential bullish recovery.<\/p>\n<p>He added that if bitcoin continues to fall, open interest could decline further, implying a deeper correction. For now, the dynamics point to a more positive scenario.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why it matters<\/h2>\n<p>Rising prices alongside falling open interest typically indicate forced or voluntary covering of short positions (a short squeeze). Traders who had bet against the market book losses and exit, easing selling pressure.<\/p>\n<p>In such cases, rallies are fuelled by real spot buying rather than speculative capital. Since the start of the year, bitcoin has risen by almost 10%, underscoring the trend\u2019s resilience.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coinglass.com\/open-interest\/BTC\">CoinGlass<\/a>, aggregate open interest across exchanges is about $65bn \u2014 28% below the early\u2011October peak ($90bn), consistent with CryptoQuant\u2019s calculations.<\/p>\n<p>Optimism is also evident in options. On Deribit, the largest concentration of positions is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.deribit.com\/statistics\/btc\/metrics\/options\">concentrated<\/a> at the $100,000 strike \u2014 traders are betting on further gains.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the optimism, the derivatives market has not yet shifted into a full\u2011blown growth phase, Greeks Live noted.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Bitcoin successfully broke through the $9,5000 resistance level, breaking out of its nearly two-month consolidation range. Since falling below this key threshold in mid-November, Bitcoin had been trading sideways at lower levels.<br \/>Ethereum saw a larger percentage gain but its\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zl0YOIGhIk\">pic.twitter.com\/zl0YOIGhIk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Greeks.live (@GreeksLive) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GreeksLive\/status\/2011254623068459496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 14, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;The current trading structure looks more like a reaction to a sudden price jump; the long-term outlook has not yet shifted toward a bull market,&#8221; the analysts noted.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Earlier, Glassnode <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/institutional-investors-resume-bitcoin-purchases-amid-volatility-risks\">reported<\/a> that institutions have resumed buying bitcoin amid the risk of explosive volatility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On 15 January a popular sentiment gauge flashed &#8220;greed&#8221; for the first time since October, hitting 61 after a long stretch of &#8220;fear&#8221;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":93175,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"select":"1","news_style_id":"1","cryptorium_level":"","_short_excerpt_text":"Sentiment gauge hits 61, flashing 'greed' for first time since October.","creation_source":"ai_translated","_metatest_mainpost_news_update":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[18,1384,1268],"class_list":["post-93174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-bitcoin","tag-fear-index","tag-on-chain-analysis"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"views":"213","promo_type":"1","layout_type":"1","short_excerpt":"Sentiment gauge hits 61, flashing 'greed' for first time since October.","is_update":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93174"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93174\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93177,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93174\/revisions\/93177"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}