Google searches for Bitcoin surge again

The brutal volatility of bitcoin in February 2026 caused an unexpected wave. While the price collapsed from $81,500 to $60,000 in less than a week, Google searches for this crypto reached their highest level in a year.

Google Trends confirms renewed interest during the bitcoin crash

Google Trends data do not lie. During the week of February 1, 2026, global interest in Bitcoin surged reaching the maximum score of 100 on Google’s scale. This peak occurred precisely when the crypto was going through one of its most turbulent periods in over a year.

The drop was spectacular. In just five days, Bitcoin fell from $81,500 to about $60,000, a decline of more than 26%. This level had not been seen since October 2024. This extreme volatility acted like a magnet for retail investors curious to understand what caused such a meltdown.

The last comparable peak dates back to November 2025 when Google Trends had recorded a score of 95. At the time, bitcoin had just fallen below the symbolic threshold of $100,000. A pattern emerges: retail investors are more interested in Bitcoin when it falls than when it rises.

Analysts, particularly Bitwise’s Europe head, see this as “a return of retail trading.” Individual investors are looking for low-price buying opportunities despite a climate dominated by fear. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index at 6 out of 100 confirms this mood of “extreme fear.”

Multiple catalysts in a structurally fragile market

Several factors combined to create this perfect storm. On February 7, the South Korean platform Bithumb made a monumental technical error by accidentally distributing more than $40 billion worth of bitcoins to its users. This bug triggered local panic and an immediate wave of selling, amplifying the global downward pressure.

At the same time, the crypto market was facing the repercussions of a “multi-asset deleveraging.” The weakness of large US tech stocks forced many investors to liquidate their crypto positions to meet margin calls in other markets. Bitcoin served as the adjustment variable.

The network itself showed signs of stress. The mining difficulty adjustment registered a historic drop of 11.16% on February 7, the largest since 2021. This correction reflects miners’ difficulties, faced with high energy costs and plummeting revenues. A significant portion of computing power was taken offline.

These events align with CryptoQuant’s analysis, which confirms the break of bitcoin’s 365-day moving average, a major technical signal not observed since March 2022. This break marks, according to experts, the formal entry into a prolonged bear market.

In sum, the paradox is striking: while Bitcoin goes through its worst phase in over a year, public attention reaches a peak. Volatility, much more than optimism, remains the true driver of interest in cryptos. This dynamic suggests retail investors react more to fear and perceived opportunities than to long-term conviction.