Bitcoin Speculative Trading Cools Off as Investors Shift Focus to Safer Assets

Speculative Bitcoin trading is cooling off as investors shift their focus to safer digital assets. Market uncertainty, global trade tensions, and recent memecoin scams have reportedly led to reduced risk appetite.

Speculative Bitcoin (BTC) trading has cooled off in recent months as investors adjusted their portfolios to favor safer digital assets amid market uncertainty, according to a recent report by Coindesk.

The report, which cites data from Glassnode, highlights a significant drop in Bitcoin’s “hot supply” - the percentage of BTC held for a week or less - from 5.9% in late November to just 2.3% by March 20.

This substantial decline suggests that fewer investors are actively trading Bitcoin, opting instead for more stable positions. Another sign of waning speculation is the stablecoin supply ratio (SSR), which measures Bitcoin’s supply relative to stablecoins. The SSR has fallen to 8, its lowest level in over four months. It was reportedly last seen when Bitcoin traded around $67,000 before its post-election rally.

According to the report, an SSR below 10 historically indicates limited buying power for Bitcoin compared to its market cap.

Despite the growing cautious sentiment, Bitcoin has outpaced traditional asset classes since the U.S. presidential election. Compared to stocks, real estate, and precious metals, Bitcoin remains a top-performing asset. One key economic metric, the ICE/BofA U.S. High Yield Index Option-Adjusted Spread (OAS), has dropped from 3.4% to 3.2%, signaling temporary relief for risk assets, including Bitcoin and equities.

This spread measures the difference in yields between high-yield corporate bonds and U.S. Treasuries and serves as a gauge of economic sentiment. However, some analysts warn that this relief may be short-lived. As Trump’s tariff policies take effect, the OAS spread could widen, triggering renewed risk aversion.