Crypto feels flat. What are we really expecting for 2025?
TL;DR:
Crypto’s been stuck in neutral all summer, with BTC and ETH showing little momentum despite upgrades and ETF hype. Fall 2025 could shift things if macro or regulatory winds change, but right now, it’s a waiting game. Some think we’ve peaked, others see quiet accumulation. Curious what others expect.
Let’s get into it…
2025’s been weird. Not bad, just... flat. It’s like the entire crypto market is holding its breath. BTC sitting under $100K, ETH hovering around $1.8K. No drama, no big moves, no clear direction. Just a long, sideways shuffle.
It’s not just the prices either. Volume’s down, hype is muted, even the memes feel quieter. Some of that’s summer energy — always slower. But it’s also the fact that we’ve already had some big moments this year (spot ETFs, Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade), and yet the market barely flinched.
Makes you wonder: if not now, then when?
Looking ahead to fall, I’m torn. On one hand, there’s decent reason to feel optimistic. Macro-wise, we might see rate cuts depending on how inflation plays out. The Fed’s holding steady for now, but any pivot toward easing could push risk assets — including crypto — into motion. Institutional interest hasn’t vanished either. BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF has kept pulling in money. E*Trade and SoFi are bringing crypto access back for retail. So there’s infrastructure quietly being built beneath the calm.
ETH is also in this strange spot. It’s upgraded, it’s leaner, but the market just isn’t responding. My guess is investors are watching for real-world use cases and clear staking returns before they get excited again.
That said, the caution is real. Some people think we already topped out this cycle. BTC touched new highs in March, and since then we’ve just been cooling off. Meme coins had their fun early in the year, but the market’s not rewarding chaos anymore — it’s back to fundamentals, or maybe just boredom.
And there’s still a regulatory wildcard. The U.S. is slowly warming to crypto, but it’s a fragile vibe. One election, one lawsuit, one bad headline could easily spook the market again. The Trump meme coin mess is a weird example of how fast things can get political and unpredictable.
So yeah, fall could be a catalyst. Or just more of the same. I’m still in, but I’m not betting on fireworks unless the macro picture shifts and ETH/BTC start to lead again.
What are you all feeling?
Quiet before the storm, or is this just the new normal?
—
For smaller projects like Hummingbird Finance (HMNG) on BSC, this kind of market lull can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, attention is low and liquidity’s tight, so growth feels uphill. But on the flip side, it’s also a time when solid communities and real builders can quietly prepare for the next cycle. If BTC and ETH wake up in the fall, money tends to flow outward from there — and that’s when microcaps like HMNG can start catching eyes again. Timing’s tough to predict, but patience and persistence matter most during these quieter stretches.
Sources for context:
https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2025/04/02/ethereum-developers-lock-in-may-7-for-pectra-upgrade
https://www.investors.com/news/bitcoin-price-hits-96000-crypto-banking-push-strategy-earnings-due
https://decrypt.co/318085/most-corrupt-act-sen-chris-murphy-moves-to-ban-trump-shilling-meme-coin
https://www.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/1hefspm/i_think_we_are_still_in_the_early_stages_of_a
https://www.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/1jtfb2m/i_think_the_bull_run_is_over_guys
