I noticed an interesting trend on Google Trends. In the US, literally in February, search queries about Bitcoin dropped to zero — meaning people were massively googling that exact query. The indicator reached a record high of 100 on the relative popularity scale. All this coincided with BTC falling to $60K after being higher than $70K in October.

Usually, such panic spikes are a good contrarian signal. In 2021 and 2022, similar peaks coincided with local lows. But here’s an interesting point: if you look at global data, the picture is quite different. Worldwide, the same query peaked in August ( also at 100), and now it has fallen to 38. So, panic in the US, but the rest of the world is calmer.

The reason is probably due to local factors — tariff wars, geopolitical tensions, outflows from risky assets in the American market. Asian and European traders react differently to these news. Plus, a methodological point: Google Trends shows relative interest, not absolute numbers. When the crypto audience grew exponentially since 2021, a 100 in 2026 might simply be above the baseline, not necessarily indicating more people in absolute terms.

Conclusion: retail fear in the US is clearly heightened, but this doesn’t necessarily mean a clear trend reversal. It could be a contrarian signal, but not as guaranteed as it might seem at first glance. It’s important to consider the global context.