Bitcoin is facing renewed pressure as selling across spot ETFs, weaker market sentiment, and leveraged liquidations weigh on price action. The recent decline has revived the old ‘Bitcoin is dead’ rumour.
But, history has proven that these statements have resurfaced during corrections, despite Bitcoin’s maturing market structure with increasing institutional participation and permanent supply constraints.
Bitcoin Death Calls Return as Price Weakness Deepens
Bitcoin has been in the news for a lot of the time and has had death threats throughout its history. At each big correction, there are the rumblings that the asset is done or overvalued or not attractive to serious investors.
When price action is down, and traders are on their defensive, these arguments tend to become louder.
According to the BitcoinDeaths data, since 2010, Bitcoin has been pronounced dead a total of over 470 times. The first obituary was published when Bitcoin was trading close to $0.11.The first obituary came out when Bitcoin was trading near $0.11. Since then it has been repeatedly asked by public figures, economists, bankers, investors, and media commentators about what’s next.
The bull market’s demise has left another opportunity for the pessimists. Bitcoin price dropped by more than 5% on the 24-hour chart and was trading at around $67,653. The fall was also below some of the important psychologically significant levels that short-term traders watch.
But, there is a clear trend in Bitcoin’s cycles as seen in the past. When markets rally hard, hope may be the order of the day; when they tank hard, obituary-type commentary may be the word of the day. However, the network has remained in operation during each of the previous downturns.
ETF Outflows and Liquidations Pressure Bitcoin’s Market Structure
The latest drop seems to be linked to selling pressure from institutions and with holding their leveraged positions. Bitcoin ETFs reportedly saw 11 consecutive days of outflows, totaling $3.45 billion.
The reason is ETFs have enjoyed a surging demand since their inception. The price structure of Bitcoin can be sustained by inflows when they increase. But prolonged outflows may not boost confidence and lead to selling pressure in the market.
There has been an additional stress of liquidations. Bitcoin has broken through the levels of support, leaving long traders with no choice but to exit. This resulted in a vicious circle of falling prices leading to additional sales.
It is now extremely important to work with technical levels. The short-term outlook for Bitcoin is hinged on the ability of buyers to hold up at the $67,000 to $68,700 price level. If the market clears below that line, it could drop back to the $65,000 level.
On the positive side, $72,000 is a significant price support level. Any movement above this level may help to break the bearish momentum in the near term as per the long-term BTC projection.
Why the “Bitcoin Is Dead” Narrative May Fade by 2027
So the “Bitcoin is dead” narrative is unlikely to disappear by 2027. But as Bitcoin integrates into traditional finance, it might lose some of its influence.
Bitcoin is playing in a new market structure from previous cycles. Access to spot ETFs, institutions and public company trading and regulated trading products have increased.
These advancements help to make Bitcoin less disposable retailing and more of a permanent fixture.
Also, it has a fixed supply, which further backs up the long-term argument. The number of Bitcoin tokens in circulation always caps at 21 million.
After the halving in April of 2024, the miner rewards have been reduced from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC per block.
Bitcoin Price Forecast 2027: Arthur Hayes Sees $750,000 BTC
Arthur Hayes is among the most optimistic Bitcoin predictions for this cycle. He projected Bitcoin could reach $250,000 in 2026 and $750,000 by 2027.
🖨️ MOST INFLUENTIAL: @CryptoHayes predicts $500K–$750K Bitcoin, arguing that 2026-27 will be the “meat of the money printing” under the Trump administration. pic.twitter.com/LCi9B0kpCg
— CoinDesk (@CoinDesk) December 25, 2025
His focus is on printing money, expanding the liquidity, and increasing demand for limited resources. Hayes believes the Fed’s aggressive monetary policy would drive investors to Bitcoin because of fear of currency debasement.
The line “Bitcoin is dead” could still be used when the sell-off has occurred by 2027. But it might not be as influential in an ETF, institutional capital and macro-driven market.
