Bitcoin’s $91K Slump: Spot Buyers Steal the Show (Again)

Bitcoin [BTC], in a breathtaking display of financial indecision, has retreated to the $91,000 neighborhood after a valiant but ultimately misguided attempt to conquer $95,000. It’s like watching a toddler try to build a sandcastle during a tsunami-admirable effort, tragic outcome.

The pullback, while technically “short-term exhaustion,” hasn’t dented the broader market’s enthusiasm. Participants are still out there, buying with the enthusiasm of a man who just discovered his ex’s new dating profile. Institutions, meanwhile, are accumulating Bitcoin like it’s the last bag of crisps in a post-apocalyptic supermarket.

Spot Demand: The Unlikely Hero

Spot buyers have suddenly decided to take the lead, much to the surprise of everyone involved. The Bitcoin Spot Taker CVD, a metric that tracks whether buyers or sellers are throwing the biggest tantrum over 90 days, has flipped decisively positive. It’s the financial equivalent of a choir of angels suddenly switching to a heavy metal band-startling, but oddly energizing.

This shift suggests sellers have finally ceded control, like a beleaguered parent handing over the car keys to their teenager. Buyers are now dictating terms, which is either a sign of recovery or a prelude to chaos. The jury’s out, but the jury’s also probably on a coffee break.

Exchange data confirms the chaos: $171.83 million in Bitcoin has been siphoned from exchanges, a stark contrast to the $203 million in panic-selling just last week. If this trend continues, exchanges might start charging admission for the spectacle.

Institutions: The Unflappable Buffoons

Institutions, those paragons of calm in a sea of madness, have plowed $53 billion into Bitcoin over the past year. That’s roughly the GDP of a small country, or enough to buy every croissant in Paris twice. U.S. Spot Bitcoin ETFs, backed by names like BlackRock and Fidelity, are the financial equivalent of a toddler with a credit card-reckless, but oddly effective.

January alone has seen $1.21 billion in purchases, with another $3.19 billion potentially on the way. Whether this continues depends on whether the global economy decides to play nice, which is about as reliable as a weather forecast in a desert.

Liquidity: The Great Cosmic Joke

Bitcoin’s long-term prospects remain tied to global liquidity, which is currently humming along at 11% M2 growth. That’s well below the 14.4% threshold for crypto mania, suggesting there’s still room to run-or crash, depending on your mood. Farzam Ehsani of VALR warns that U.S.-EU tariff tensions could derail things, calling it a “de-risking phase” that sounds suspiciously like a fancy way of saying “panic.”

“President Trump’s aggressive trade rhetoric is pushing markets back into a full de-risking phase,” he said, which is just code for “we’re all doomed.”

Meanwhile, other risk assets like the KOSPI are doing fine, leaving crypto to flail like a goldfish in a blender. It’s not the market’s fault, really-it’s just the wrong kind of asset for the wrong kind of apocalypse.

Final Thoughts

  • Spot buyers have taken the wheel, netting $171 million with the enthusiasm of a man who’s just won a bet against the devil.
  • Institutions have spent $53 billion on Bitcoin this year, because nothing says “prudent investment” like throwing money at a digital ledger.

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2026-01-21 03:01