Binance’s CZ Advises Buying Bitcoin During Fear, Not at Peaks

Highlights:

• Binance founder Zhao says the smartest investors buy Bitcoin during extreme market fear.
• Market sentiment shows a slight recovery, but traders remain cautious about new opportunities.
• Crypto experts agree real gains are built in doubt, not during price euphoria.

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao shared his strategy for buying Bitcoin during fear. He said the smartest investors do not buy at price peaks. Instead, they invest when the market is full of fear, uncertainty, and doubt.

According to Zhao, periods of extreme fear often bring the lowest prices and create good buying opportunities for cautious investors. Therefore, it is better to accumulate during market dips when sentiment is negative, rather than follow speculative bubbles.

When bitcoin was ATH, have you ever thought, “I wish I bought bitcoins early”?

Guess what, those who bought early did not buy at ATH, they bought when there were fear, uncertainty and doubt.

Merry Christmas 🎄

— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) December 25, 2025

After a long phase of “Extreme Fear,” the change points to cautious optimism rather than full bullishness. On Thursday, the Crypto Fear & Greed Index indicated a “Fear” score of 28. As a result, traders remain alert for new opportunities. Meanwhile, the total cryptocurrency market capitalization fell 0.22% to $2.95 trillion. Its 24-hour trading volume remained strong at $62.56 billion. 

Bitcoin maintained its top spot with a market cap of around $1.73 trillion despite overall losses. Currently, it trades at $87,603, ranging between $86,411 and $87,956 today. Trading volume fell 38% in the last 24 hours, which shows cautious sentiment during the holiday period. Selling pressure is also seen in U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, which lost $175.3 million on Wednesday. Over the past five trading days, these ETFs have dropped a total of $825.7 million.

Crypto Community Backs Zhao

Several members of the crypto community agreed with Zhao’s view. For example, X user Lawrence Lanzilli encouraged buying Bitcoin now. He noted that crypto institutions are quietly preparing for a 2026 rally. He added that real gains are built in doubt, not euphoria. Another user highlighted the risks of early investment. He said a few investors can handle the stress of buying when fear dominates. He explained that the price of being early is not just capital, but the courage to act when the market is tense.

Meanwhile, RWAlytics, an Australian tokenization insights provider, emphasized that strong conviction forms under fear, uncertainty, and doubt, not at market peaks. Analysts compared the current holiday lull to the quiet winter downturn of 2018, which later led to a strong market cycle.

Everyone wants the early price, not the early fear.

Conviction is built in FUD, not at ATHs.

Merry Christmas 🎄

— RWAlytics (@RWAlytics) December 25, 2025

CZ Advocates Contrarian Bitcoin Moves

Zhao’s recent comments reflect guidance he offered earlier this year. In November, he advised traders to sell Bitcoin when optimism is high and to buy when fear dominates. At the time, some investors supported this approach, recommending careful market observation instead of emotional reactions, while others criticized his advice.

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

Meanwhile, Binance CEO Richard Teng reassured investors. He explained that all asset classes experience cycles and volatility. He added that short-term risk-off behavior and deleveraging had contributed to temporary market pressures.

In September, Zhao also warned that panic-selling often happens because investors do not fully understand technology, finance, or global trends. He noted that simply following advice to buy BTC does not prepare investors for downturns.