Bitcoin Bull Run Gets Second Wind as Retail FOMO Kicks In, On-Chain Metrics Turn Bullish

Key Takeaways

• On-chain metrics show retail investor inflows are up 4% as Bitcoin pushes toward a new all-time high.
• The retail crowd, long absent from the 2024-25 bull run, is finally re-entering the market.
• Bitcoin is just 4.5% away from its ATH, with bullish momentum building across the board.

Retail is finally showing up for the 2025 crypto bull run.

After months of watching from the sidelines while institutions dominated the market, small investors are now piling back in.

The catalyst? Bitcoin’s (BTC) renewed push toward a fresh all-time high, and the growing fear of missing out.

Retail is Finally Here

Data from on-chain analytics firm CryptoQuant shows retail investor activity has surged over the past two weeks.

After a long lull in participation, on-chain inflows from wallets holding up to $10,000 in Bitcoin are climbing again.

Between April 28 and May 13, retail demand rose by 3.4%, according to CryptoQuant’s 30-Day Retail Investor Demand Change metric.

It’s a clear sign that small traders are regaining confidence as Bitcoin flirts with six figures again.

While this group often includes first-time buyers and seasonal investors, their activity is a strong barometer of broader market sentiment.

Historically, rising retail participation has added fuel to bullish price action, creating feedback loops that push prices higher.

Bitcoin Inches Toward a New All-Time High

At press time, Bitcoin was trading just under $104,000, roughly 4.5% shy of its previous record of $109,114.

The rebound follows several bullish developments in recent weeks.

The U.S.-China trade war appears to be winding down, macro sentiment has improved, and rate cuts from the U.S. Federal Reserve are expected in June.

Those shifts have helped BTC recover most of its losses from the February-March correction, when prices dropped as low as $73,000.

For a moment, it looked like the bull run had topped out. But with retail traders jumping back in and on-chain signals turning green, the rally might just be getting started again