📉 Trading volume among crypto's 10 largest stablecoins has dropped to roughly 1/4th of the level we saw in the midst of the bull cycle in early December. Several factors are contributing to this:

📌 Trader Fatigue: Following the all-time high top back on January 19th, both institutional and retail traders have increasingly moved capital and taken profits while awaiting new catalysts.

📌 There have been new regulatory announcements in major markets, raising the level of uncertainty and causing traders of all sizes to take more of a 'hodling' approach for the time being

📌 Bitcoin's supply on exchanges recently reached a 7-year low, indicating trader contentment with executing less on-chain trading on a daily basis

🥳 In a solid start to crypto's week, Bitcoin reached as high as $88.5K for the first time in 17 days. Ethereum also jumped above $2,100 for the first time in 14 days. Comments across social media are becoming quite positive, indicating many expect this rally to continue.

🧑‍💻 Here are crypto's top ETH-based coins by development activity. Directional indicators represent each project's ranking positioning since last month:

➡️ 1) Chainlink $LINK 🥇

➡️ 2) Starknet $STRK 🥈

➡️ 3) Ethereum $ETH 🥉

➡️ 4) Eigenlayer $EIGEN

➡️ 5) Fuel $FUEL

📈 6) Status $SNT

📈 7) Synthetix $SNX

📉 8) SUSD $SUSD

📈 9) The Graph $GRT

📈 10) Safe $SAFE

📖 Read about the Santiment methodology for filtering notable github activity data from project repositories, and why it is so useful for crypto trading.

👋 Thanks to the many DeFi and staking options, Ethereum's holders have now brought the available supply on exchanges down to 8.97M, the lowest amount in nearly 10 years (November, 2015). There is 16.4% less $ETH on exchanges compared to just 7 weeks ago. 😮

📺 Our latest video with Thinking Crypto takes a look at some of the rebounds in crypto, and whether they have some staying power this time around. We also deep dive on metrics for Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and Solana.

🥲 The crypto community's sentiment toward Ethereum continues to drop more and more over time. The #2 market cap's value sits at $1,865 at the time of this writing, and the more FUD that continues to show, the better the argument gets for an eventual unexpected $ETH breakout.

📊 Crypto-wide trading volume has been dropping since its peak back on February 27th (when traders were optimistically buying dipping prices). After further market cap declines these past two weeks, trader behavior indicates a mix of exhaustion, hopelessness, and capitulation.

When trading volume for major cryptocurrencies consistently drops, even during slight price recoveries (like we have seen Wednesday), it typically points toward diminishing trader enthusiasm. In this scenario, traders are becoming cautious, suggesting they might not believe that the current upward price movements will last. Essentially, reduced trading activity reflects uncertainty, as fewer traders are convinced that buying at current levels will yield profitable outcomes.

Moreover, a weakening trading volume amid mild price bounces can serve as an early warning sign of weakening market momentum. Without robust buying participation, price gains can quickly lose steam, as there simply isn’t enough underlying support to sustain the upward trend. This leads to the possibility that any rebound could be temporary, with prices vulnerable to another downturn. Shrinking volume during minor rebounds isn't necessarily a direct bearish signal, but volume is a metric that measures participation from both retail and institutional traders. If both groups are waiting for the other to boost market caps in order to make their next moves, it can lead to price stagnancy with little movement (and a slight tendency to veer toward the downside).

To signal a healthier and more sustainable recovery, bulls generally will want to see both rising prices and rising volumes simultaneously. Until trading activity increases meaningfully, cautious market sentiment is likely to dominate.

🐻 Ethereum sentiment has declined to year-low levels as the asset has under-performed relative to other top caps. For those patiently holding their $ETH, the bearishness being projected across social media is a good sign of a potential turnaround once crypto markets stabilize.