TLDR

• The crypto market began 2026 with increased social media activity and growing investor engagement.
• Santiment analyst Brian Quinlivan said cautious behavior from retail investors could support further market growth.
• Bitcoin traded near $89,930 with a 1.77 percent gain over the past 24 hours, according to CoinMarketCap.
• The Crypto Fear and Greed Index remained in the Fear zone despite positive sentiment among some retail users.
• Ethereum showed strong early-year performance, with January historically bringing average gains of over 19%.

The crypto market entered 2026 with strong activity across social media platforms, according to Santiment analyst Brian Quinlivan, who highlighted that retail investors’ restrained…