Bitcoin Targets $100K Amid Weak Retail Demand While Dogecoin, Shiba Inu & Pepe Test Key Support

On Thursday, cryptocurrency prices moved lower by a small amount as the market continued to consolidate during the week of last week’s sell-off, reflecting the overall crypto sentiment. The value of Bitcoin (BTC) was presently between $104,000 and $105,000, as it could not continue its earlier recovery and fell short of reaching the $107,000 barrier.

Most of the time, the price of Ethereum kept showing upward movement. Ether stayed firm above the $2,600 support and its recent trend may indicate a possible upward move to $3,000, especially as the market anticipates developments in bitcoin news.

The latest news highlights Bitcoin’s trajectory as it eyes the 100k mark, despite weak retail demand. While Dogecoin, Shiba Inu & Pepe test key support, analysts suggest BTC’s path to 100k soon could sustain if bullish momentum overcomes bearish divergence.

Weak Demand Weighs on Bitcoin’s Recovery

There is less participation by both ordinary retail investors and institutional traders in the wider market. Last week, there were three consecutive days when the Bitcoin spot Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) saw a drop in money flowing in which suggests that interest in them is decreasing.

The outlook for markets has shifted as there are more questions about U.S. trade negotiations. Matters became more strained following a court decision to temporarily stop the tariffs because that decision went against decisions made by Donald Trump when he was president. Even so, the U.S. Court of Appeals dismissed the request to cancel the tariffs and keep them for now while the case is resolved.

Derivatives Data Signals Indecision

A light volume of trades means the market could stick in the trading range over the weekend, limiting potential breakout opportunities. The Open Interest (OI) in Bitcoin’s derivatives market went down slightly, reaching $70.70 million. During the past day, long position takers lost nearly $36 million, much more than the less than $7 million lost by short position takers, indicating a shift in sentiment among bitcoin bulls.

Any OI that remains in futures or options contracts—OI for short—often signals how active the market is and can influence the direction of the BTC price, particularly during a bullish breakout. Recent trends show that people are getting more hesitant and trading less frequently in cryptocurrency, raising concerns about the sustainability of the current bull market.

Retail Demand Slips as Bitcoin Loses Momentum Below $105K

The drop from Bitcoin’s previous record of nearly $112,000 is partly because ETF activities slowed down and retail buyers held back. The biggest cryptocurrency was trading at $104,834 on Thursday with little activity, as it fell below some key moving averages on Monday.

ETF Flows Cool After Record Inflows

According to SoSoValue, on Wednesday, Bitcoin spot ETFs experienced inflows of $87 million following $378 million of inflows the day before. This happened after three consecutive days of net outflows which suggests institutional investors are becoming more careful.

In its market note, K33 Research believes that portfolio rebalancing is likely behind the recent outflows since Bitcoin has outperformed key stocks like those in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq for three straight months. According to the firm, “changes in demand during the holiday season and missing allocations caused selling to pick up.”

Retail Activity Slows Amid Price Correction

People have become less interested in purchasing from retail stores. According to CryptoQuant, retail transfer volumes which are transactions for amounts less than $10,000, have fallen from $423 million to $408 million since Bitcoin hit a new record high on May 22. Market analysts believe this proves that small investors can easily be shaken by downward price moves, which might hinder the market’s progress if it continues, especially as it approaches the all-time high.

Those monitoring the market point out that constant retail participation is key to a strong bull run, especially when the market is near significant price action levels. Because the supply is dropping right now, people are concerned that Bitcoin’s short-term support might weaken, creating uncertainty in the upcoming btc price predictions.

Ethereum Sees Steady Institutional Interest

Even though Bitcoin is losing attention, Ethereum Bitcoin still attracts investments from big institu

tions, reinforcing its status as a leading digital asset. On Wednesday, cash came into spot ETFs of Ethereum, with about $57 million, making it the thirteenth day in a row investors have been positive towards ETH in the context of the upcoming bull market in 2025.

Bitcoin’s price climbed in May as investors from traditional departments stepped up and concerns arose regarding the U.S. government’s ability to keep the economy stable.

Technical Indicators Hint at Further Downside

From the perspective of technical analysis, Bitcoin is experiencing a drop in demand, which could impact the btc price. The MACD gave a bearish indication on May 26 when its line dropped below the signal line, suggesting a potential retracement in the price action. As a result, selling could continue over the near future, impacting the overall crypto market sentiment.

As the downtrend keeps up, observers think that the next big support could be around $103,000 which held strong last week, a critical level for bitcoin bulls to watch. Should the price head below the 50-day EMA which is found near $100,955, it could perform as a secondary support and briefly stop the decline.

Comparable performance and a bullish pattern are seen in Ethereum as money flows in from ETFs and there is optimism surrounding the latest upgrade.

Ethereum has held firm above important support levels and received more investment through exchange-traded funds (ETFs) which has helped to boost the cryptocurrency since the upgrade last May.

At this moment, ETH is trading at $2,600 while staying inside a gently increasing trend line, suggesting a possible breakout if the price action continues positively. The market is rising steadily, according to charts, as more investors believe in the company’s prospects.

Technical Indicators Point to Mixed Signals

The SuperTrend indicator giving a buy signal confirms the expectation of rising prices, potentially leading to a bullish breakout in the near future. The dynamic tool has just turned green, so traders would usually take this as a sign to increase their exposure in a market that is gearing up for a bull market. The signal is given when ETH closes above the SuperTrend which might attract more buyers to the market.

At the same time, the big picture is still complicated, particularly with the uncertainty surrounding bitcoin ETFs. The MACD gives a sell recommendation right now, approaching the middle line of zero. If the price swings suddenly towards up or down, it shows that what the SuperTrend predicted may be in question, highlighting a divergence in the market and potential impacts on the spot bitcoin market.

If downward forces appear, Ethereum might fall to previous points of support. You should pay attention to support levels at the 200-day EMA ($2,462) and 50-day EMA ($2,339) to gauge potential retracement in the price. If the price falls below these levels, it could cause investors to feel negative and encourage the price to drop more, affecting the relative strength index.

Despite short-term risks, Ethereum’s overall trend remains constructive, with ETF inflows and technological developments offering a solid foundation for future gains.

Ethereum Reclaims Spotlight in DeFi

Ethereum is seeing a rise in popularity in 2025, thanks to more automated activity and greater use of stablecoins which has brought its mainnet into the center of decentralized finance (DeFi).

According to CEX.io’s report from June 4, about 4.84 million stablecoin transactions were carried out on the Ethereum blockchain’s main network in May by automated bots, highlighting the growing interest in digital assets. The total value of transactions this month amounted to $480 billion which was its highest level ever.

In the first quarter of 2025, transaction fees dropped which is why CEX.io’s lead analyst, Illia Otychenko, noticed a rise in trading activity. According to Otychenko, cheaper expenses slowed users’ and liquidity’s multi-year exodus to other blockchain or Ethereum’s on-chain networks.

Therefore, the market capitalization for stablecoins on Ethereum’s mainnet rose by 11% in 2025, taking back some of the market shares from layer-2 networks. Stablecoin markets on L2s mostly stayed the same, growing only 1% while the mainnet recovered after the move.

Bots Play a Role in Efficiency and Adoption Despite Criticism

Previously, bots were criticized for using MEV and sandwich attacks, but now their help in providing better liquidity and improving the performance of DEXs on Ethereum is being noticed.

CEX.io claims that the activity of bots boosted stablecoin exchanges to the head of the Ethereum DEX trading charts. In April, a large portion of Ethereum DEX trading was stablecoin swaps at 37% which later went down to 32% in May.

The way people trade in Ethereum’s ecosystem is shifting towards using it more for real-life payments. Throughout this time, USDC (USDC $0.9995) came out as the most popular thing people were buying and selling on Circle.

Meme Coin Market Cap Slides Over 4% as DOGE, SHIB, and PEPE Face Critical Support Tests

Pressure is mounting on meme coins because the broader market is down, causing meme coins’ market cap to fall by over 4% to $59.79 billion, reflecting the ongoing consolidation in the crypto space. Dogecoin (DOGE), Shiba Inu (SHIB), and Pepe (PEPE) which are considered leading tokens, are losing value as Bitcoin (BTC) goes under $105,000, resulting in lower market sentiment in the financial markets.

Dogecoin Slides Below Key Levels, Testing Support at $0.1865

Over the past week, Dogecoin has gone down over 2% and is now selling for $0.1886 as of Thursday. The previous week saw a 13.90% fall for meme tokens and even after this, the token reached its lowest one-day close in about three weeks, down 2.58% on Wednesday.

On the technical side, DOGE is now below the 50-day, 100-day, and 200-day EMAs, and its main support is at the $0.1865 level, indicating weak price action. If the market closes daily below the current level, further declines could take Ethereum to $0.1642, which was the lowest price this month, potentially signaling a retest of support. If the price of DOGE drops further, it might hit the year-to-date bottom support level of $0.1422.

Signs are showing that bearishness is increasing. MACD is now in a downward trend and its red histogram bars are increasing in size, while the RSI has come down to 38, hinting at more downward movement. It’s not likely that a bullish reversal will happen soon, but if it does it could struggle at the 50-day EMA located near $0.2026, which is crucial for the bitcoin bulls.

Shiba Inu Reverses Gains, Eyes Deeper Pullback

Shiba Inu’s price is now at $0.00001281, lower than its earlier rise in the week. Since reaching $0.00001344 last week, the token has dropped and is now bouncing off the $0.00001266 support, a value it set up the previous swing low fast, indicating a potential retest of the price action.

A breakdown below this support could pave the way for an 8% decline toward $0.00001168, which could lead to further consolidation in the market. Bearish indicators back this outlook: the MACD and its signal line are slipping deeper into negative territory, while the RSI at 39 continues to trend lower, approaching oversold conditions, raising concerns about potential impacts on bitcoin price predictions.

If SHIB finds support at current levels, the 50-day EMA at $0.00001382 would present the next key resistance point.

Pepe Drops 10% From Weekly High, Clings to 50-Day EMA

The value of Pepe (PEPE) is almost at the important level of the 50-day EMA, worth $0.00001146, reflecting the volatility seen in many digital assets. The meme coin fell by about 10% from its week high of $0.00001296 on Tuesday.

PEPE’s value has dropped less than 1% from yesterday’s price. Yet, downward pressure is indicated by bearish candles. A fall below the 50-day EMA may result in more sellers coming in, pushing Bitcoin toward $0.00001108 and moving onto the $0.000010 level if Bitcoin is unable to hold its support.

If the currency rebounds beyond the current level, it could rise to the $0.00001550 resistance which is the coin’s best close in May.