Retail interest in crypto declines as investors search for the next big price mover

One of the main narratives of hope for cryptocurrency investors is that there will be a major shift in public perception that sparks a new wave of capital from retail and institutional traders.

Unfortunately for these hopeful bulls, data indicates that the opposite has occurred for nearly a year, a fact evidenced by the declining rate of searches for the term Bitcoin (BTC) on Google.

Google search volume for Bitcoin. Source: Google Trends

A similar pattern is seen when looking at the search interest for the top smart contract platform Ethereum (ETH), which saw its peak interest occur during the second week of May 2021, and has been on the decline ever since. Search interest for Ethereum is currently at its lowest level since December 2020.

Google search volume for Ethereum. Source: Google Trends

Based on this information, it could be time for crypto investors to reevaluate where the next major lift to the market will come from because it is clear that retail interest is tied in large part to big price movements.

BTC/USDT vs. ETH/USDT 1-day chart. Source: TradingView

Weak exchange volumes

Further evidence for the declining interest in cryptocurrencies can be found when looking at the total exchange trade volumes on major exchanges. According to data from Blockchain.com, this metric was at $165.8 billion on April 19, its lowest level since October 2020.

Total exchange traded volume in USD. Source: Blockchain

Growth in the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector and decentralized exchanges (DEXes) has likewise been on the decline, according to data from Dune Analytics.

Monthly DEX volume by project. Source: Dune Analytics

As shown on the chart above, the volume on DEXes is currently below the amount traded in January 2021 when the bull run was just getting started and the DeFi sector as a whole was breaking out.

Related: Coinbase announces beta of NFT marketplace with social engagement