Some bitcoin indicators are still going the wrong way, challenging the bullish $70,000 holdout story

Markets Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Some bitcoin indicators are still going the wrong way, challenging the bullish $70,000 holdout story Key indicators such as ETF inflows cloud the bullish $70,000 holdout story By Omkar Godbole Mar 26, 2026, 6:12 a.m. Make us preferred on Google Some bitcoin indicators are headed the wrong. (Mark Stuckey/Unsplash) What to know : Bitcoin has held near $70,000 despite geopolitical tensions, rising oil prices and fading expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts, underscoring the market's resilience. But a deeply negative Coinbase Premium clouds the bullish holdout story. ETF inflows , a proxy for institutional demand, have slowed since last week,. What do you call a market that consistently shrugs off headlines that usually send it tumbling? You call it resilient with a strong underlying demand support. That's the bitcoin story in recent weeks, as it the cryptocurrency held firm around $70,000 even as the Iran war rages, oil prices surge, and Fed rate-cut bets evaporate. This kind of defiance screams bullishness. But hang on, some key indicators are still heading the wrong way, throwing a wrench into that bullish interpretation. The first indicator is the Coinbase Premium, which measures the price difference between bitcoin on Coinbase, a Nasdaq-listed Exchange, and on the offshore giant Binance. Typically, a strong positive premium means U.S. institutional investors are bidding more aggressively than their global counterparts. A strong Coinbase premium has regularly featured during bull runs, including bitcoin's first run to $100,000 in late 2024. But right now, the Coinbase Premium is at its most negative in over a month, according to data source Coinglass. In other words, BTC trades at a discount on Coinbase, indicating a relatively softer demand from U.S. investors. The discount reappeared on March 19 and has been growing since. Another key indicator – bitcoin ETF inflows, also a proxy for institutional demand – has been underwhelming lately. The 11 U.S.-listed spot bitcoin ETFs saw $1.53 billion in net inflows this month, ending a three-month streak of outflows, per SoSoValue. But nearly $1.3 billion arrived in the first half, with the pace slowing considerably to just $195 million since. Analysts have repeatedly stressed that consistent, strong inflows are crucial for Bitcoin prices to gain bullish momentum. Vikram Subburaj, CEO of India-based Giottus Exchange, put it best: "The signal here is that institutional demand has not disappeared. However, it is selective and less linear than in the strongest accumulation phases." As of writing, bitcoin changed hands at around $70,000, according to CoinDesk data. Bitcoin News More For You Bhutan moves another 500 bitcoin to exchanges as 2026 outflows top $150 million By Shaurya Malwa | Edited by Omkar Godbole 1 hour ago The Royal Government of Bhutan transferred 519.707 BTC on Wednesday, the latest in a series of increasingly large moves that have taken its holdings from a peak of roughly 13,000 BTC to 4,453. What to know : Bhutan has accelerated sales from its state-owned bitcoin reserves, moving about $152 million worth of BTC so far in 2026, including a 519.7 BTC transfer worth $36.75 million on Wednesday. The kingdom's holdings have fallen roughly 66% from a late-2024 peak of about 13,000 BTC to 4,453 BTC, as larger... Read full story Latest Crypto News Bhutan moves another 500 bitcoin to exchanges as 2026 outflows top $150 million 1 hour ago XRP volatility hits cycle lows as $1.40 support comes into focus 1 hour ago Market structure bill compromise draws wide-ranging reaction from fractured crypto crowd 7 hours ago Elon Musk's X hires crypto-savvy design lead as X Money payments push inches closer 9 hours ago BitGo teams with ZKsync to build tokenized deposit infrastructure to bring banks onchain 10 hours ago Crypto Long & Short: Prediction Markets Don’t Just Forecast Power - They Reshape It 11 hours ago Top Stories AI agents to help investigators unearth crypto criminals, according to new TRM program 11 hours ago U.S. lawmakers dig into tokenizing securities as Trump ties muddy waters 12 hours ago Solana bets on AI agents: Foundation says network is becoming core infrastructure for ‘agentic’ internet 13 hours ago Ethereum Foundation prepares for quantum threat with new cryptography roadmap 14 hours ago Circle selloff may be overdone as crypto bill weakens Coinbase edge, say analysts 14 hours ago Gold’s longest losing streak in a century meets bitcoin’s resurgence 19 hours ago