Bitcoin market sentiment has risen above 89 on an index tracked by CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost, reaching its highest level since March 2024 before easing back.
CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost said the last comparable burst of bullish sentiment came in March 2024. His measure briefly climbed above 89 out of 100 as Bitcoin rose, putting it in the range he describes as “extreme greed.”
The reading has since moved down from its peak, according to Darkfost, even as Bitcoin attempts to hold its current price. He cautioned that unusually optimistic or pessimistic readings deserve attention because they can appear around market turning points. His observation identifies a risk to watch; it does not establish that Bitcoin has begun a reversal.
Bitcoin sentiment has cooled from its peak
Darkfost’s comparison with March 2024 concerns the sentiment measure cited in his post. The measure incorporates Fear & Greed data alongside other inputs, so its reading of more than 89 should not be presented as the current value of every crypto sentiment index.
For comparison, Alternative.me’s separate Fear & Greed Index stood at 63, classified as “greed,” when checked for this report. Its page showed 56 the previous day, 73 a week earlier, and 29 a month earlier. Alternative.me says its index draws on Bitcoin volatility, trading momentum and volume, social-media activity, Bitcoin’s share of the crypto market, and search trends.
The two readings serve different purposes in the story. Darkfost’s figure describes the high reached by the measure he follows; Alternative.me’s figure provides a separate, current snapshot of market mood. Neither reading shows how much Bitcoin investors have bought or sold, and neither gives a price target.
Darkfost also drew a distinction between sentiment during a sustained bear market and sentiment as prices change course. In his account, negative readings can persist for long periods when the market is weak. Extreme readings become more useful to monitor when investor behavior changes alongside price, although his post does not specify a date or price at which Bitcoin might turn.
Bitcoin trades below its recent $80,000 test
At the time of the latest CoinGecko price check, Bitcoin traded near $77,300. The site showed a 24-hour low of about $76,393 and a high of about $79,607, placing the current price well below the top of that daily range. Live prices and rolling ranges will change before publication.
The price action gives context to Darkfost’s point about sentiment cooling while Bitcoin tries to hold its level. It does not show when his index reached its high, so the market data should not be used to claim that a specific intraday move caused the reading above 89.
Recent crypto.news coverage has tracked the price levels around the pullback. On Sep. 10, a Bitcoin technical report recorded a fall below $78,000 and identified the lower daily Bollinger Band near $76,392 at the time. The report also put the band’s midpoint near $78,650 and its upper boundary near $80,907. Those were chart readings from Sep. 10, rather than newly calculated levels for the present session.
Earlier in the week, analysts told crypto.news that Bitcoin could remain under $82,000 before the Federal Reserve’s next decision. In the Sep. 7 report, CoinEx chief analyst Jeff Ko described support around $78,000–$79,000 and a cap near $82,000. Bitcoin’s later move below $78,000 means the quoted support range has already been tested; Ko’s earlier levels should be read in the context of when he gave them.
The same Sep. 7 report said U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs had taken in about $986.9 million during the previous trading week, bringing three weeks of inflows to roughly $3.8 billion. Ko said he wanted to see further inflows while Bitcoin traded sideways before calling the activity sustained accumulation. The following week’s fund data has provided a different result.
U.S. Bitcoin ETF flows have turned negative
During the Sep. 8–11 trading week, U.S.-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $462.7 million in net outflows, according to Farside data covered Saturday. The funds posted a net loss in each of the four sessions after U.S. markets closed for Labor Day on Monday, Sep. 7.
Thursday accounted for the largest daily withdrawal at $282.7 million. The net outflow eased to $13.2 million on Friday, while $ARK 21Shares’ ARKB posted the largest weekly loss among individual Bitcoin funds at $234.2 million, according to the report. BlackRock’s IBIT lost a net $52.5 million over the four sessions.
Fund flows give U.S. investors another measure to follow alongside Darkfost’s sentiment reading, though they track different activity. Farside’s figures measure net subscriptions and redemptions in the listed products; they do not establish whether a particular ETF holder bought or sold Bitcoin directly. Nor does a weekly net outflow, on its own, explain a daily price move.
U.S. inflation data has also entered the market picture ahead of the Fed’s meeting. In its Aug. consumer price report, released Sep. 11, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said prices rose 3.4% over 12 months, matching July’s annual rate. Prices excluding food and energy rose 0.3% in August and 2.4% from a year earlier.
The Federal Reserve calendar lists its next policy meeting for Sep. 15–16. The meeting date is confirmed, while its decision and any subsequent Bitcoin price response remain unknown.
