January 2026 Sees Investor Sentiment Shifting from Gold to Silver, Crypto Conversations Fade

Since the beginning of 2026, the crypto market has been going through a notable shift in wider investor sentiment. In this respect, social media statistics present a dramatic twist away from the crypto-related debates toward discussions on precious metals like silver.

As per the data from Santiment, January 2026 began quietly, but after that the the shifting dynamics started to unfold gradually. Specifically, gold witnessed wider mentions with its spike to new price highs, leading to chatter around Bitcoin ($BTC) and silver’s record-breaking trajectory.

January Records Notable Sentiment Shift Between Crypto, Gold, and Silver

The latest market data indicates that throughout January 2026, the crypto sector has been experiencing considerable momentum shifts. The respective evolving narrative points out that the traders are chasing the hype cycles.

In doing so, they often move between sectors in line with the bullish indications. Thus, the momentum has taken a key drift toward the precious metals like silver, while the increasing volatility in the crypto market has faded discussions around it.

1st week Witnesses Crypto Dominance Amid Hopes for Key Milestones

Keeping this in view, the 1st week of January was overwhelmed with crypto discussions as the investors are quite hopeful regarding the major milestones. Nonetheless, with the passage of time, the optimism started to decline.

Following that, the 2nd week presented a notable increase in the discussion related to gold. Hence, the social media discussions around the precious metal exclusively erupted to their new all-time-high levels. Reflecting this spike, the 200g gold bars became widely famous.

Gold Dominates Financial Markets over 2nd Week Amid Surging Interest Levels

Alongside gold, the crypto landscape was also experiencing noteworthy mentions, especially in the case of the leading crypto asset, Bitcoin ($BTC). Nevertheless, this paved the way for a pivot in momentum. As a result, the crypto assets recorded a significant dip.

So, in the 3rd week of the month, the buyers began leveraging the opportunity to buy the dip. Particularly, $BTC recorded a huge jump in interest while its price was plummeting. However, this seemed to be an unsuccessful try to push the crypto market upward.

Crypto Mentions Increase as Investors Start Buying Dip in 3rd Week

Moreover, the data suggests that the 4th week of January was marked by a severe downturn in crypto discussions, while silver emerged as the most widely discussed asset. This development reportedly took place after the precious metal hit its new all-time high. This resulted in a swarm of traders toward the silver market amid growing FOMO.

Therefore, the overall month of January saw massive trader shifts between crypto, gold, and silver markets while following the bullish trend. Nevertheless, the current market outlook presents a staggering volatility even in silver’s trajectory.

Silver Emerges as Top Most Mentioned Asset in 4th Week Amid Rising FOMO

According to Santiment, when the retail crypto market enters the FOMO phase, it generally records tops. The same is the case with silver now, as the investors are reportedly FOMOing.

 However, today, silver climbed above the $177.70 that led to a sudden decline. Subsequently, within a couple of hours, it plunged below $102.70. In such a scenario, traders are advised to go against the crowd and make decisions wisely while avoiding short-term hypes.