Retail interest in cryptocurrencies has cooled significantly. As 2025 draws to a close, data from Google Trends shows that global searches for the term “crypto” have fallen close to their lowest level of the past twelve months. The signal is clear: retail investors have largely stepped away from the crypto market following a series of major shocks this year.

Crypto search interest near yearly bottom

According to Google Trends, global interest in the term “crypto” currently stands at 26 on a scale from 0 to 100. That is just above this year’s low of 24 and well below levels seen at the beginning of the year. In the United States, the trend is even more pronounced, with search interest also dropping to 26, marking the lowest reading of 2025.

Back in January, cryptocurrencies were still drawing strong attention from retail investors. That interest broke in April, when the crypto market was hit by a massive sell-off triggered by new tariff policies announced by U.S. President Donald Trump. The sharp decline effectively erased public interest, which failed to return even after the October flash crash.

Tariffs October crash and the memecoin collapse

The April sell-off following the announcement of broad U.S. tariffs marked the first major blow to the crypto market. The second came in October, when a single-day crash went down as one of the worst in the history of cryptocurrencies.

During the October crash, forced liquidations of leveraged positions reached nearly $20 billion. Some altcoins lost up to 99% of their value in a single day. Bitcoin fell from its all-time high above $125,000 to levels around $80,000. Since then, its price has traded in a relatively narrow range between $80,000 and $90,000.

Market sentiment was further damaged by the collapse of memecoins linked to the Trump family, which have fallen more than 90% from their peaks. This segment had previously been one of the main entry points for retail investors.

Fear has dominated the market for months

The drop in search interest is mirrored in investor sentiment indicators. The Crypto Fear and Greed Index fell to 10 in November, signaling “extreme fear.” The index has remained largely within the “fear” and “extreme fear” zones since the October crash.

At the time of writing, it stands at 28. While this suggests a modest improvement from autumn lows, it still reflects a market environment where investors remain cautious and largely on the sidelines.

Cryptocurrencies without retail investors

Current data points to a significant shift compared to previous market cycles. While prices have stabilized, the crypto market is operating without meaningful participation from retail investors. Low search volumes for “crypto” suggest that the general public has turned away from digital assets, at least until a new catalyst emerges.

Whether that catalyst will be a technological breakthrough, regulatory changes, or renewed price growth remains to be seen. For now, cryptocurrencies are ending 2025 on the fringes of retail attention rather than at its center.

Sources:

https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=Crypto&hl=en

https://cointelegraph.com/news/google-search-volume-crypto-craters-2025-close