Binance founder Changpeng Zhao’s tough reminder to buy low and sell high comes at a tense time for cryptocurrency traders. His line – “Sell when there is maximum greed and buy when fear is maximum” — was published as markets showed fresh signs of stress and debate over whether now is a buying moment or another blackout.

CZ’s message is met with extreme fear

According to the Crypto Fear & Greed Index, sentiment recently rose to 20, emerging from “Extreme Fear” after a series of low readings. On November 22, the index reached a yearly low of 10, and the market remained at extremes for eighteen days fear.

Unpopular opinion, but it is better to sell when there is maximum greed and to buy when there is maximum fear. 🤷‍♂️

— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) November 29, 2025

Analysts described this episode as unusually deep. Matthew Hyland described it as the “most extreme level of fear” in the cycle, and other traders argued that calling it extreme was being generous.

Bitcoin is holding up, but the mood is feeble

Based on reports, Bitcoin it was trading at $91,780, a far cry from the all-time high of $126,000 reached in October. Prices continue to rise from 2024 lows of just over $40,000, but confidence is low.

Santiment tracked chatter online and found that chatter focused more on volatility and institutional moves than excitement. The Altcoin Season Index hit 22/100, a clear sign that investors are in favor of safety.

Market psychology invalidates charts

Traders quickly reacted to CZ’s post. One user said that in real trading, emotions often trump logic. Another noted that markets tend to follow psychology long before technical signals appear. This discrepancy between traders’ knowledge and what they do was on full display: many agree with this rule, and few actually follow it when prices fall.

History provides a guide, not a guarantee

Reports have revealed that some analysts are seeing a pattern. Nicola Duke pointed out that over the last five years, every time the market reached extreme fear, Bitcoin found a local bottom within weeks.

While past episodes can provide context, they don’t promise the same result now. Bitwise researcher André Dragosch warned that current prices reflect recession-level global growth prospects – the most bearish setting since 2020 and 2022 – increasing real risk for buyers.

Bitcoin Coinbase Premium becomes positive after 29 days

Meanwhile, Coinbase’s Bitcoin (BTC) premium has finally returned to positive territory after being in the red for almost a month.

Data from Coin On the 30th, it showed a premium of 0.0255%, which was the first positive reading in 29 days. For almost a month, the negative premium suggested that selling pressure was dominating the US market and traders and traders were leaning towards caution.

The Coinbase premium tracks how the price of Bitcoin on Coinbase, a major U.S. exchange, compares to the global average. When it is positive, it means that the US price is higher than the global average.

This is often seen as a sign of increased U.S. purchasing, more institutions getting involved, dollar liquidity regaining and overall investor confidence improving.

Featured image from Gemini, chart from TradingView