Altcoins like ETH and SOL are seeing more than a 50% drop in weekly volume compared with last year’s holidays.
As 2025 draws to a close, cryptocurrency trading activity has fallen to its quietest point this year.
Bitcoin (BTC) and major altcoins are experiencing their lowest two-week trading volume since December 2024, with weekly activity for assets like Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL) down more than 50% compared to last year’s holiday period.
Holiday Lull Drags Volumes to Yearly Lows
Data shared by Santiment on X on December 30 showed trading volume sliding steadily through the final weeks of 2025, with both Bitcoin and altcoins recording their quietest two-week stretch since the same period last year.
The analytics firm said that flat, erratic price movement, combined with year-end holidays, has pulled traders away from screens, draining liquidity across spot and derivatives markets.
The drop is especially visible among altcoins. Santiment noted that ETH, SOL, Cardano (ADA), and Dogecoin (DOGE) are now seeing less than half of their weekly trading volume compared with late 2024, when speculative activity remained elevated even during the holidays. According to Santiment, this year’s drop points to weaker short-term interest rather than panic selling.
Social data also tells a similar story. A post by Oro Crypto, citing Santiment metrics, highlighted a steady fall in Bitcoin social volume since mid-November. The numbers show that discussions across major platforms have thinned, reactions to price swings have dulled, and even volatile sessions have failed to draw attention.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s social dominance has also slipped into low single-digit territory, suggesting fragmented focus rather than hype concentrated around a single asset.
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Oro Crypto said this environment looks more like exhaustion than fear. Historically, major cycle peaks have coincided with loud narratives and heavy retail participation, but those signals are currently missing, even as prices fluctuate within wide bands.
Diverging Signals for the New Year
While the immediate technicals appear concerning, some observers have pointed to broader macroeconomic patterns as a reason for optimism.
A recent analysis drew a parallel to mid-2020, when gold and silver rallied vigorously on central bank liquidity before capital rotated into Bitcoin, triggering a historic bull run. Today, with gold hitting record highs above $4,500 and silver also reaching new peaks, the same sequence could be unfolding.
This perspective frames the metals’ strength not as a risk-off warning, but as a leading indicator that risk assets like BTC may follow in 2026, supported by potential rate cuts and clearer regulation.
Still, on the charts, Bitcoin’s immediate path remains contested. Trading around $88,000, the asset is caught in a tightening pattern, with one trader noting that Bitcoin must break above $90,600 to open a path toward $107,000. However, if support fails to hold, the market may test levels between $70,000 and $65,000.
The convergence of low volumes, social apathy, and critical technical levels means the market’s current silence is unlikely to last. As such, the defining story of early 2026 will be whether it breaks upward into a new rally or downward into a deeper correction.
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