Opinion: Bitcoin Retail Selling Pressure Hits Bottom, Gold and Silver Diverge Market Attention

December 8 — Per a Business Insider report, Joe Ciolli, author of the *First Trade* column, noted that Bitcoin has tracked the U.S. stock market’s performance over the past decade. However, as of 2025, U.S. stocks have posted double-digit gains—while Bitcoin remains in negative territory. Key drivers of the divergence: - Dip-buying retail investors have gone quiet, with sharply cooled sentiment toward Bitcoin directly slowing ETF inflows. - Precious metals gold and silver, which hit new highs this year, have drawn some investor attention away; some argue they’ve temporarily replaced Bitcoin in portfolios. Ciolli added that recent Bitcoin declines may purge weak-handed speculators, leaving mostly staunch long-term holders (many with multi-year positions). If Bitcoin can address unique selling pressure concerns—such as forced selling by large institutional holders like Strategy—it’s likely to re-couple with stocks long-term, especially if interest rate cuts materialize as expected.