While the S&P 500 has reached all-time highs above $7,000 this month, Bitcoin (BTC) has struggled to regain the record-breaking energy that took it above $122,000 in October 2025.
A new survey of 3,400 global consumers by Deutsche Bank suggests that while more people are entering the market, very few believe a new price mania is on the horizon by 2026.
Data from the report shows that cryptocurrency adoption in the United States is making a comeback. In March, the US share rose to 12%, a significant jump from February’s low of 7%. This return to double-digit participation matches levels last seen in July 2025.
A major driver of this shift is the resurgence of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). In March alone, these funds attracted about $1.3 billion in net inflows, the data showed.
Analysts Marion Labore and Camilla Siazon noted that after a steady decline throughout late 2025, adoption rates in the United States finally began to stabilize and recover last month.
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Despite the increase in the number of people owning digital assets, the outlook for future prices remains subdued. The world’s largest cryptocurrency is currently trading near $77,000, but most respondents expect it to end 2026 at a much lower value.
In the United States, 19% of respondents believe the price will stabilize between $20,000 and $60,000 by the end of next year. Even more surprising is that 13% anticipate a drop below the $20,000 mark.
Only a small fraction of investors, about 3% in the US, expect Bitcoin to return to its previous all-time high of $120,000. The Deutsche Bank team noted that very few people currently foresee a return to record levels.
The main reason Bitcoin is not following the S&P 500 to new records appears to be a change in the way investors view risk.
While strong corporate earnings have boosted the stock market, Bitcoin is behaving more like a high-risk asset than a safe haven.
Investors appear to be shifting capital back into proven tech stocks like Nvidia as fears about global conflicts begin to cool.
Even with these concerns, Bitcoin remains the centerpiece of the industry. Approximately 70% of cryptocurrency investors own Bitcoin, a much larger amount than ownership of stablecoins like USDT or USDC.