Bitcoin Rally Led by Institutions, Retail Interest Remains Low
Bitcoin made a new high at $94,000 last week because institutional investors now drive most of its price growth. Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley states financial institutions push Bitcoin value higher even though individual investors show little enthusiasm.
Since reaching its peak last week, Bitcoin has stayed at $94,000, while showing a minor 0.04% slide, yet still gained 8% in the past week. During the weekend, the original cryptocurrency tested support at $92,000 before the buying pressure from the bulls pushed it to stabilize above $94,000.
Hunter Horsley Points to Institutions as New Market Movers
The market now shows different buying patterns compared to earlier times. Google data shows search interest for Bitcoin-related terms remains at minimal levels despite this price rise, unlike previous market push-ups.
Recent interviews with Horsley show that the present price increase does not include mass retail buying since these investors generate higher search activity during bullish moments. He named institutional investors and major companies as important players now competing with state governments to claim their zone in the market.
According to Horsley, investors adopting Bitcoin now arrive from different categories. He observes that professional institutions and large-scale businesses have taken over Bitcoin purchases.
According to him, the new market participants avoid using Google search trends to gather information about Bitcoin. The market progression implies that professional traders now lead Bitcoin’s trading activity.
Bitcoin’s increasing market value does not match its network activity levels. CryptoQuant analyst Maartunn noticed that Bitcoin price rose strongly but network activity stayed slow.
Bitcoin Price and Network Usage Diverge After 2025
The price rise of Bitcoin from 2015 to 2025 was tracked directly and compared with usage patterns of the Bitcoin network. Since 2025, market trends started to fraction in two lines. Bitcoin’s price rise now depends more on outside factors, such as ETF investments and futures trading, than growing user needs in the network.
Crypto analyst Ali Martinez shows that more institutional investors started holding large amounts of Bitcoin: in particular, 100 new wallets started storing 1,000 BTC each since the end of January. Institutional investors choose to buy Bitcoin when its price falls so they can take advantage of market dips.
During the market drop, experienced investors began buying into Bitcoin. This activity went on throughout April as they stayed true to their approach of purchasing assets at lower prices.
Individual buyers of Bitcoin demonstrate declining interest but professional buyers step up their engagement with the crypto. The market transformation toward institutional demand would create steadier price swings instead of erratic retail speculation.
The rising institutional Bitcoin acceptance leads the market onward as investors watch prices move above established barriers. Advanced investors entering the Bitcoin market indicate that the cryptocurrency will shape itself through its growing participation within mainstream financial systems.
