On-chain data shows the cryptocurrency traders have hit the snooze button as Bitcoin and other assets have witnessed a plunge in volume.

Bitcoin & Altcoins Have Seen A Trading Volume Crash Recently

According to data from the on-chain analytics firm Santiment, trading volume has seen a slowdown in the cryptocurrency sector during the past week.

The “trading volume” here refers to an indicator that keeps track of the total amount of a given asset that’s becoming involved in trading activities on the major exchanges. When the value of this metric goes up, it means the investors are participating in a higher amount of activity related to the coin. Such a trend implies interest in the asset is on the rise.

On the other hand, the indicator observing a decline suggests the traders may be starting to put their attention elsewhere as they are taking part in a lower amount of activity.

Now, here is a chart that shows the trend in the combined Bitcoin trading volume for four different segments of the digital asset sector:

The value of the metric appears to have gone through a decline for all of these groups | Source: Santiment on X

In the above graph, the four sides or segments of the cryptocurrency market displayed are: Memecoins Top 6, AI & Big Data Top 6, Layer 1 Top 6, and Layer 2 Top 6.

“Layer 1” assets refer to those that circulate on blockchains that handle their own security and aren’t built on top of another ecosystem. Bitcoin and Ethereum are the most prominent examples of coins of this type. The coins that aren’t on primary networks, like Polygon (MATIC) and Arbitrum (ARB), are termed Layer 2.

From the chart, it’s apparent that the six largest coins for both of these categories have seen a sharp decline in their trading volume recently. Segments like meme-based tokens and AI-related coins have also noted cooldowns of their own at the same time.

Back in November and the first half of December, the volume was high across the market as traders made a large number of moves during the Bitcoin bull run hype. It would appear, though, that the recent bearish shift has damaged the investor morale.

After the latest continuation of the decline in the indicator, trading activity in the market has slumped to the lowest level since the 4th of November, a day before the presidential elections in the US.

Generally, the market tends to see volatility when a large number of traders are participating in trading activity, as it’s their trades that fuel price moves. Since the trading volume has slumped across the cryptocurrency sector recently, it’s possible that Bitcoin and others might see a state of calm in the near future.

The low activity may even be considered a sign that there is FUD in the market, which is something that has facilitated bottoms in the past.

BTC Price

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading at around $90,700, down almost 8% in the last week.

Looks like the price of the coin has been going down over the past day | Source: BTCUSDT on TradingView

Featured image from Dall-E, Santiment.net, chart from TradingView.com