The anticipation for the approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs by the US SEC has reached a fever pitch, as evidenced by a surge in Google searches related to this topic. In the past week, Google searches for spot Bitcoin ETFs hit an all-time high as the crypto community eagerly awaited the green light from the regulatory body, expected to come in early 2024. The data, analyzed over a five-year period, revealed that retail investors in the United States are particularly interested in utilizing BTC through potential spot ETFs.
According to Google data, the search phrase “bitcoin ETF” reached a value of 39, the highest since ProShares’ futures-based ETF was introduced two years ago. This surge in interest indicates a growing curiosity among mainstream individuals about these investment funds and their potential impact on the market capitalization of Bitcoin, which is already the world’s largest cryptocurrency. Historically, a search value of 100 has coincided with bull market tops in BTC and Solana.
The recent trend suggests a positive shift in the adoption of cryptocurrencies as more people seek information about these innovative investment options. The market’s optimism has been further fueled by the SEC’s failure to meet the deadline to appeal a court ruling related to Grayscale’s Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) conversion to an ETF. This situation has bolstered confidence that spot ETF approval is imminent in early 2024.
Ark Invest Modify Bitcoin ETF Application
Additionally, prominent asset management firms such as BlackRock and Ark Invest are actively competing for top positions in ETF approval. Ark Invest, led by Cathie Wood, has made strategic modifications to its applications, including agreements with Coinbase that emphasize the segregation of the trust’s assets from the custodian. The SEC had previously raised concerns about spot Bitcoin ETF applications lacking robust surveillance-sharing agreements.
These encouraging developments have not only led to a surge in Bitcoin’s price to touch $30k briefly but have also spiked the age consumption metric, indicating the movement of previously dormant BTC to different wallets. A recent analysis by Santiment highlighted that this scale of movement has not been observed since July 27, suggesting renewed interest among traders and revitalization in overall network activity.