Retail interest spikes: Google searches for Bitcoin and Ethereum surge 26%
Bitcoin and Ethereum searches hit 2025 highs
Google Trends shows that March’s relative search index for “Bitcoin” climbed to 34—its highest reading of 2025, up from 31 in January and 27 in February.
“Ethereum” searches also rose to 19 in March from 16 the prior month.
These figures, scaled to a 0–100 baseline (with Bitcoin’s all‑time peak of 100 in December 2017 and Ethereum’s in May 2021), reverse a six‑month decline in public attention, marking a 26 percent month‑over‑month increase for Bitcoin interest alone, reports The Block.
Macroeconomic context
Analysts link the renewed curiosity to heightened macroeconomic tensions following the U.S. announcement of reciprocal tariffs on April 2—an event dubbed “liberation day” by some commentators. Since then, Bitcoin’s price relative to the S&P 500 has risen more than 8 percent, though gold continues to outperform as a safe‑haven asset: gold-to-BTC and gold-to-SPX ratios have increased roughly 8 percent and 10 percent, respectively, over the same period. The search data suggest that retail investors may be revisiting digital assets as part of a diversified response to policy shifts and inflationary pressures.
Market implications and next steps
Sustained spikes in search volumes often presage upticks in trading activity, as retail participants seek information before entering positions. If the pattern follows historical precedents—such as the search surge in late 2017 coinciding with Bitcoin’s record rally—markets could see renewed volume and volatility in the coming weeks. Traders and institutional managers alike will be monitoring on‑chain metrics, exchange order books and derivative flows to gauge whether this rekindled interest translates into durable inflows or a short‑lived spike.
As digital assets mature, blending technical development milestones—such as Ethereum’s upcoming Pectra upgrade—with macro triggers could redefine how retail and professional investors view cryptocurrencies in their broader portfolios.
Read also: VanEck prepares to launch ETF to track crypto stocks
