The price of the leading cryptocurrency tested the $81,000 level, gaining 1.4% over the past day.
At the time of writing, Bitcoin's price has retreated to $80,572.
Hourly chart of BTC/USDT on Binance. Source: TradingView.
The volume of forcibly closed short orders in the futures market has exceeded $224 million.
Source: CoinGlass.
Is the Ice Breaking?
An expert known as Darkfost has noted a capital influx into the digital asset market. Over the past 60 days, the total market capitalization of USDT has increased by $5.9 billion.
Demand is still relatively weak to support a strong rebound, but it is important to note that it has improved over the past few months.
ā Darkfost (@Darkfost_Coc) May 3, 2026
If we look at the evolution of market cap, the trend has clearly shifted.
š¢ Over a 60-day period, more than $5.9B has been added to marketā¦ pic.twitter.com/Xtuom7aH3p
The analyst pointed out that at the beginning of March, the market was losing about $2 billion monthlyānow the trend has reversed. In the last 30 days, $2.6 billion has flowed into the industry.
While demand remains moderate, indicators have been improving for several months, supporting the market recovery that began in February.
Investor Optimism
Darkfost noted that a special index tracking a range from +100 to -100 has moved into the "greed" zone. The expert views this as a positive signal: confident investors are less likely to sell assets and prefer long-term holding.
š¢ We are returning to a more positive market sentiment as BTC attempts to establish itself above $80,000.
ā Darkfost (@Darkfost_Coc) May 5, 2026
ā š”This index, which incorporates the Fear & Greed Index among other components, does not function in the same way. Its scale ranges from +100 to -100, moving fromā¦ pic.twitter.com/PWIA5lwihS
Darkfost urged caution, recalling the situation in January when a similar surge in optimism was followed by a sharp market reversal and correction.
The analyst believes the market is approaching a potential turning point, where the behavior of major market participants requires close attention.
Disparity in BTC and ETH Dynamics
Experts from XWIN Japan analyzed the cryptocurrency market's growth in April and identified significant differences in demand structure for the two largest cryptocurrencies.
Deconstructing Aprilās Recovery ā The Divergence in Supply-Demand Structure Between Bitcoin and Ethereum
ā CryptoQuant.com (@cryptoquant_com) May 5, 2026
āIf ETH begins to show sustained spot demand similar to BTC, broader altcoin participation may follow. Until then, Bitcoin dominance is likely to persist.ā ā By @xwinfinance pic.twitter.com/UVw1bfVXAr
In April, Bitcoin rose by 11.85%, from $68,219 to $76,306, while Ethereum saw a more modest increase of 7.28% (from $2,103 to $2,256). Analysts at XWIN Japan termed this trend a "structural divergence."
Key factors driving Bitcoin's growth include:
- A positive premium on Coinbaseāan indicator of demand from American institutional investors and ETFs;
- Consistent outflows of coins from exchanges, indicating accumulation by large players.
The situation with Ethereum appears different. Analysts did not observe significant interest from funds. The price of Ether increased mainly due to reduced selling pressure rather than active buying.
XWIN Japan believes the market has stopped moving uniformly. Capital is now being allocated selectively. Bitcoin's dominance will continue until Ethereum sees sustained spot demand.
Recall that on May 4, the price of the leading cryptocurrency rose to $80,500, with one of the growth drivers being the changing news backdrop surrounding the conflict between the U.S. and Iran.