Bitcoin slides toward post-election lows as bear market fears grow

Bitcoin is hovering around its lowest level since Trump’s victory in the presidential election. From its peak of over $120k to now 70k, the 50k threshold is the next bearish mark that looks close, in a year that looks set to be dominated by a bear market.

The kingcoin is down 15% in just a week, extending to almost 20% in the last month. This price movement comes as Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD) levels reach their highest since November. 

This is a shift in investor sentiment despite prevailing market concerns for it as a ‘safe haven’. According to the Crypto Fear & Greed Index, market sentiment is currently firmly in extreme fear, with the index reading 17.

Key opinion leaders push the bear narrative

Key opinion leaders are on the front line with the fear sentiments.  Gracy Chen, the chief executive of crypto exchange Bitget, warns that Bitcoin’s price could reach $50,000. According to him, there will be another 40% Bitcoin price crash, bringing its market cap to $1 trillion.

Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao has also come out to say that he’s less confident about Bitcoin. According to him, there will be very high volatility

“A couple of weeks ago, I was pretty positive about the bitcoin super cycle, but right now, given all the fud [fear, uncertainty, and doubt] and all the emotions that have been stirred up in the community, I’m less confident about it now, to be frank,” he stated.

Despite being blamed for the coin’s crash, the Billionaire has no change of heart. The only green light he has given is that a Bitcoin “super cycle”, which causes the market to break its historic dependence on a four-year cycle centered around Bitcoin’s halving system of supply cuts, makes the coin stable. However, he gave it a 50% chance of happening.

Ark Invest chief executive Cathie Wood blamed Bitcoin’s recent weakness on “a Binance software glitch.” Star Xu, the founder of rival exchange OKX, also suggested that the record liquidation cascade was triggered by a Binance stablecoin yield campaign and caused “real and lasting damage to the industry.”

In response, Changpeng Zhao said, “The more fud you kick up and the more you get the community all riled up, it does have negative effects. 

Just be careful of the 50k BTC your targeting

Potential bottom for now, bull trap then to the real bottom pic.twitter.com/KLSoHoLLQ1

— Adam 🌬️ (@Crypto_Adamantt) January 31, 2026

Investors who have predicted market crashes also say that the 50k level is possible. “There is no organic use case reason for Bitcoin to slow or stop its descent,”  Michael Burry, the Big Short movie investor known for predicting the 2008 financial crisis, said.

Bitcoin crash fears result in ETF outflows

Bitcoin crash fears have also reflected on the ETFs. According to data from SoSoValue, Bitcoin ETF assets have fallen below $100 billion since April 2025. It’s a major slide from the $168 billion peak in October. Fidelity’s fund saw a massive $148.7 million exit, while ARK’s ARKB posted $62.5 million in outflows. Grayscale’s GBTC also saw a $56.6 million exit, and Bitwise’s BITB recorded $23.4 million in outflows. 

BlackRock was the only major player to buck the trend, bringing in $60 million in new investments. With nearly $1.3 billion leaving crypto ETFs so far this year, professional traders are watching closely to see if this is a temporary cooling-off period or a deeper trend.

As the dust settles, Bitcoin is trading at $74,990, after a volatile 24-hour period that saw it swing from a low of $72,897 to nearly $79,000. Overall, the top crypto coins have all recorded double-digit losses of up to 25% in the last 7 days. The total market cap is sitting at $2.63 trillion, which is a 0.67% decline.

According to analysts from QCP, price action is still fragile. Momentum is still bearish, and any attempts to move higher are limited by recent resistance levels. As such, selectively managing risk on the downside is still prudent.

The smartest crypto minds already read our newsletter. Want in? Join them.