Markets are shifting — and right now the action isn’t just in crypto. Silver is ripping higher as a China-driven supply squeeze takes hold, and that surge is already reshaping flows away from Bitcoin. A volatile 2025 set the stage. The year’s first half was dominated by tariff-war headlines and “Liberation Day” FUD that sparked a sharp Q1 crypto sell-off — roughly an 18% decline in total market cap and about $500 billion in perceived outflows. Momentum didn’t recover. A fresh wave of fear in Q4 — tied to renewed tariff tensions in early October — has left Bitcoin down roughly 25% on the quarter. Now, early moves suggest another geopolitical flashpoint could be shaping Q1 2026. Traditional safe-haven and industrial metals are flashing strength. Gold, silver and platinum have climbed together, with silver leading the pack: up about 70% in Q4 and trading near an all-time high of $79/oz (TradingView, SILVER/USDT). That rally looks less random when you factor in supply-side shifts in China. Why China matters: Beijing controls an estimated 60–70% of global silver supply, and new export restrictions taking effect on January 1 are expected to tighten available metal on world markets. That’s consequential in a year when global silver demand reportedly surged to roughly 1.24 billion ounces in 2025 — a classic recipe for a supply-demand squeeze that pushes prices higher. Flows and positioning tell the rest of the story. On-chain signals show U.S. crypto demand softening: Bitcoin’s Coinbase Premium Index (CPI) has moved deeper into negative territory, indicating weaker buying pressure from U.S.-based investors, and ETF flows have been tilted toward outflows. Meanwhile, institutional interest in silver appears to be heating up — some analysts estimate institutions now hold 50–60% of available silver supply, a dynamic made more urgent by China’s export curbs and incentivizing further stockpiling. Miners are benefiting from the metals rally. Hecla Mining (HL), the largest U.S. silver miner, has been a standout: shares have climbed roughly 170% over the past two quarters, with Q4 alone adding more than 66%, lifting its market capitalization substantially at press time (TradingView, HL/USD). That performance underscores how miners can amplify a metals-driven market rotation. Bottom line: a “metal war” narrative — led by a China supply squeeze and accelerating institutional demand for silver — is re-routing capital away from risk assets like Bitcoin and setting a more bearish near-term tone for BTC into 2026. For traders and allocators, the question is whether the metals rally is a temporary repricing or the start of a longer-term structural shift in capital flows. Disclaimer: This article is informational and not investment advice. Cryptocurrency and commodity trading carry high risks; do your own research before making investment decisions. © 2025 AMBCrypto Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

#BTC #ETF