Binance founder Changpeng Zhao’s blunt reminder about buying low and selling high landed at a tense time for crypto traders. His line — “Sell when there is maximum greed, and buy when there is maximum fear” — was posted as markets showed fresh signs of strain and debate over whether now is a buying moment or another stall.
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CZ’s Message Meets Extreme Fear
According to the Crypto Fear & Greed Index, sentiment recently climbed to 20, moving out of “Extreme Fear” after a streak of low readings. The index had hit a yearly low of 10 on Nov. 22 and the market had spent eighteen days stuck in extreme fear.
Unpopular opinion, but it’s better to sell when there is maximum greed, and buy when there is maximum fear. 🤷♂️
— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) November 29, 2025
Analysts called that stretch unusually deep. Matthew Hyland described it as the “most extreme fear level” of the cycle, and other traders argued that calling it extreme was being generous.
Bitcoin Holds But Mood Is Fragile
Based on reports, Bitcoin was trading at $91,780, a far cry from the all-time high of $126,000 reached in October. Prices remain up from 2024 lows of just over $40,000, yet confidence is thin.
Santiment tracked online chatter and found talks focused more on volatility and institutional moves than on excitement. The Altcoin Season Index sat at 22/100, a clear sign that traders are favoring safety.
Market Psychology Overrules Charts
Traders reacted fast to CZ’s post. One user said emotion often beats logic in real trading. Another noted that markets tend to move on psychology well before technical signals line up. That gap between what traders know and what they do was on full display: many agree with the rule, and few actually follow it when prices slip.
History Offers A Hint, Not A Guarantee
Reports have disclosed that some analysts see a pattern. Nicola Duke pointed out that in the last five years, every time the market reached extreme fear, Bitcoin found a local bottom within weeks.
While past stretches can offer context, they do not promise the same result now. Bitwise researcher André Dragosch warned that current pricing reflects a recession-level global growth outlook — the most bearish setting since 2020 and 2022 — which raises real risk for buyers.
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Bitcoin Coinbase Premium Turns Positive After 29 Days
Meanwhile, the Bitcoin (BTC) Coinbase premium finally flipped back into positive after nearly a month of staying in the red.
Data from Coinglass on the 30th showed the premium at 0.0255%, marking the first positive reading in 29 days. For almost a month, the negative premium had suggested that selling pressure dominated the US market, with traders and investors leaning toward caution.
The Coinbase premium tracks how Bitcoin’s price on Coinbase, a major US exchange, compares to the global average. When it’s positive, it means the US price is above the worldwide average.
This is often seen as a sign that buying is picking up in the US, more institutions are getting involved, dollar liquidity is recovering, and overall investor confidence is improving.
Featured image from Gemini, chart from TradingView