FOMO and Greed Dominate Bitcoin Market as Trump Returns to the White House

The January 20 inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president marked his return to the White House after four years. The event has generated significant enthusiasm in the cryptocurrency market, with Bitcoin soaring to all-time highs amid expectations of a more tech-friendly administration.

However, the enthusiasm was tempered by a rapid market correction.

Social Media Hype Ends in Rapid Correction

Bitcoin’s price experienced a sharp correction from its recent all-time high of $109,300, which occurred amid a surge in social media mentions of higher targets of $110k-$119k. Santiment’s latest analysis revealed that Bitcoin’s potential price targets – $90k-$99k, $100k-$109k, and $110k-$119k – across platforms like X, Reddit, Telegram, 4Chan, and Farcaster serve as valuable contrarian indicators.

Historically, when social media is dominated by optimistic calls for higher prices, it signals a market peak, followed by a sell-off driven by whales selling to retail buyers. On the other hand, when mentions cluster around lower price expectations, it often reflects retail fear and selling. This essentially provides whales with buying opportunities that result in price increases.

As such, Santiment’s data shows an uptick in mentions of higher price levels as potential greed and FOMO dominating the market. This pattern suggests whales may be selling off their holdings, which could lead to a short-term correction.

The on-chain analytic platform advised traders to remain cautious and consider a contrarian approach, as betting against current crowd sentiment often aligns with upcoming market reversals. Monitoring social media trends in real-time can provide valuable insights into Bitcoin’s immediate price trajectory.

The Pullback

Crypto markets anticipated Trump addressing the asset class in his inaugural speech and possibly discussing a strategic Bitcoin reserve. However, the absence of such remarks led Bitcoin to drop from its Monday peak to just over $102,000.

Other major cryptocurrencies, including Cardano, Solana, and Dogecoin, saw over 9% losses, while XRP and Ethereum fell by more than 5%.