Santiment's research showed that cryptocurrency discussions on social media started 2026 on a positive note, but the company's analyst pointed out that further market strengthening will depend on retail investors' behavior. Brian Quinlivan explicitly stated that it is important for retail to remain cautious and avoid excessive optimism. Meanwhile, other sentiment indicators show more restrained signals, creating a mixed picture for market participants.
Sentiment Analysis of the Crypto Market by Santiment
Brian Quinlivan from Santiment emphasized that social media "sentiment is very positive right now," while simultaneously warning: "we need retail investors to stay a bit cautious, a bit pessimistic, a bit impatient." He noted that such a surge in activity usually raises concerns, but in this case, it might simply be a post-holiday rebound. For a deeper understanding of the role of social media discussions, see the article on how social media influences BTC and ETH prices.
Current Bitcoin Situation
At the time of publication, Bitcoin is trading at $89,930, up 1.77% over the past 24 hours according to CoinMarketCap. Quinlivan warned that a rapid price surge toward the $92,000 level could trigger FOMO and reveal the "true retail reaction" — if people start entering en masse, this would be undesirable, according to him. For market scenarios and forecasts, see the Bitcoin price forecast overview, which compiles opinions and indicators.
Fear and Greed Index
The Crypto Fear & Greed Index in Saturday's update showed a value of 29, classified as "Fear." According to the source, the index has remained in the "Fear" to "Extreme Fear" range since early November 2025, indicating ongoing market caution overall. For an explanation of the index and its values, refer to the article on the Crypto Fear & Greed Index and its interpretation.
Historical January Data
According to CoinGlass, January has historically been a strong month for major cryptocurrencies: average gains since 2013 are 3.75% for Bitcoin and 19.07% for Ether. These historical averages provide context for the current start of the year but do not guarantee repetition of past results in every cycle.
Why This Matters
For miners, even indirect changes in sentiment and prices affect revenue and operational decisions — for example, immediate mining income, coin sale planning, and equipment load management. If the market quickly reacts with growth and FOMO emerges, it can increase volatility, while a reversal can reduce income; therefore, it is important to monitor both price and sentiment indicators. Finally, the fear index value indicates that some participants remain cautious — this impacts liquidity and the flow of short retail demand cycles.
What to Do?
- Monitor price and sentiment: set simple alerts for key levels (e.g., $92,000) and check sentiment indexes before major operations.
- Manage risk: stagger coin sales across levels to avoid selling everything at one price and exposure to sharp fluctuations.
- Optimize expenses: during high volatility, review equipment operation modes and adjust energy consumption if necessary.
- Plan liquidity: keep reserves to cover operational expenses in case of short-term market dips.
- Don’t rely solely on social media emotions: use a combination of price data and sentiment indicators before making decisions.