Google Searches for 'Buy Bitcoin' Hit 5-Year High

On-chain data, Trump comments, and AI macro thesis explain renewed retail interest in crypto

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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Google Trends data shows that worldwide searches for "buy bitcoin" have surged to their highest level in five years, signaling a potential resurgence in retail appetite for the cryptocurrency. The search spike corresponds with a roughly 47% drop in bitcoin's price since its October 2025 peak, rattling both retail investors and institutions. However, on-chain data suggests large players may be absorbing supply as smaller holders exit, while comments from former President Trump and a macro thesis around AI-driven deflation could be fueling renewed interest.

Why it matters

The surge in "buy bitcoin" searches is a historically significant signal that has often preceded major price moves in the crypto market. Understanding the underlying factors driving this renewed retail interest could provide insights into the potential direction of bitcoin's price in the coming months.

The details

The last time "buy bitcoin" searches spiked this sharply was in August 2025, when bitcoin was retreating from its then-record high of around $123,000. Before that, the previous comparable peak was in February 2021, when bitcoin had just crossed $50,000 for the first time. In both prior instances, the surge in search interest corresponded with significant price moves in the months that followed. Today's backdrop is different, but the underlying psychology is similar. Bitcoin has shed roughly 47% since its October 2025 peak, recently touching a more-than-one-year low near $63,000. The drop has rattled retail investors and institutions alike, pulling more than $2 trillion off the digital asset market's total capitalization. Yet the surge in Google searches signals that the crowd could be leaning in. On-chain data supports this, with Glassnode's Unspent Transaction Output Realized Price Distribution metric showing more than 400,000 BTC were accumulated between $60,000 and $70,000 since the start of the year. Separately, Glassnode's Accumulation Trend Score shows whales holding at least 1,000 BTC have grown from 1,207 entities in October to 1,303, indicating large players are absorbing supply as smaller retail holders exit.

  • In August 2025, 'buy bitcoin' searches spiked as bitcoin retreated from its then-record high of around $123,000.
  • In February 2021, 'buy bitcoin' searches peaked as bitcoin crossed $50,000 for the first time.

The players

Donald Trump

The former U.S. president used his State of the Union address on February 25 to call for a ban on congressional stock trading, a move that traders cited by Cointelegraph believe helped pull overhead sell liquidity from the bitcoin order book just before prices spiked roughly $2,000 in hours.

Eric Trump

The son of former President Donald Trump, speaking at the World Liberty Financial forum at Mar-a-Lago, doubled down on his $1 million bitcoin price target, arguing the asset's 70% average annual return over the past decade makes it the best-performing asset class in history.

Jane Street

The quantitative trading firm was sued by the bankruptcy administrator of Terraform Labs, alleging it used non-public information obtained from a former Terraform insider to front-run trades during the 2022 Terra-Luna collapse. Traders on X speculated that Jane Street may have also been behind a pattern of daily bitcoin selling pressure that had weighed on prices for months.

Alap Shah

The CIO of Lotus Technology Management co-authored a report arguing that accelerating artificial intelligence adoption will devastate white-collar employment, ultimately forcing central banks into another round of aggressive monetary expansion, which would be bullish for bitcoin.

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What they’re saying

“I'm a huge proponent because I do think it hits $1 million dollars. Go back two years. Bitcoin was at $16,000. Where is it at right now, $70,000? You're going to have volatility with something that has tremendous upside. But I've never been more bullish on Bitcoin in my life. I've never been more bullish on cryptocurrency in my life.”

— Eric Trump (CoinDesk)

“When the economy is in the gutter, the Fed often ramps up money printing. Bitcoin goes up in response to the increased money supply and concerns about currency debasement.”

— Laurens Fraussen, Research Analyst, Kaiko (DL News)

What’s next

The judge in the case against Jane Street will decide on Tuesday whether to allow the firm to contest the lawsuit "forcefully".

The takeaway

The surge in 'buy bitcoin' searches, coupled with on-chain data, political tailwinds, and a credible macro thesis around AI-driven deflation, suggests that the retail appetite for cryptocurrency may be quietly rebuilding, even as bitcoin's price remains well below its recent highs. This could signal a potential bottom for the market, though further volatility is likely ahead.