Ethereum (ETH) has fallen by 6.6% over the past 24 hours and is trading around $1,947. The entire cryptocurrency market continues to navigate volatility and macroeconomic headwinds.
However, amidst this price volatility, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong is presenting surprising reasons for optimism. It is the persistent investment attitude of individual investors.
Ethereum down 7%... Retail diamond hands hold steady
Armstrong emphasized that even in a declining market, Coinbase's individual investors are actively engaging in buying the dips. As a result, holdings of Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) are increasing.
"Coinbase's individual investors are showing quite a resilient stance even in this market environment. According to our data, they continue to buy the dips." – Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase
According to Coinbase management, it has been confirmed that the units of BTC and ETH holdings among individual investors on the exchange have increased.
Armstrong mentioned diamond hands, explaining that the majority of Coinbase customers had cryptocurrency holdings in February that were the same as or greater than those in December.
The Coinbase CEO interprets this trend as a bullish counter-argument to the current negative market sentiment. Despite Bitcoin adjusting to the $68,000-$69,000 range and Ethereum's price dropping 7% below $2,000, individual investors are showing conviction rather than fear.
Despite the price decline, the phenomenon of maintaining or increasing cryptocurrency holdings, known as 'diamond hands', suggests that a mature layer of individual investors is likely stabilizing prices and supporting long-term adoption.
Individual investor confidence...mixed signals in market risk
Meanwhile, not everyone agrees with Armstrong's optimism. Some critics argue that enduring significant drops is not true resilience, but merely enduring losses.
In addition to holding behavior, community members are expressing concerns about broader policies and market accessibility.
"Retail investors should be guaranteed access to interest on stablecoins and the repeal of the accredited investor law." – Wendy O., cryptocurrency influencer
This suggests that the expansion of DeFi participation and the provision of interest opportunities could further enhance the confidence of individual investors.
In this context, Coinbase's Q4 2025 results were recently announced, and the fact that the total cryptocurrency market capitalization has fallen by 11% and trading volumes have decreased is very important.
Nevertheless, the exchange continues to see a net inflow from individual investors. This suggests the formation of a base accumulation that acts as a buffer in the market even during bear markets.
Looking at past cryptocurrency cycles, while individual investors maintain a consistent belief, institutional investors tend to adopt a more cautious attitude, whereas individual investors often absorb volatility and can serve as a catalyst for subsequent rebounds.
Therefore, Armstrong's message serves to reassure the cryptocurrency community while subtly defending Coinbase's position amid volatile performance, indicating that the individual investment market is shifting from short-term speculation to long-term buying.
In the short term, volatility may continue, but this pattern suggests that individual investors are increasingly taking on a role of price stabilization in the market. This could act as a catalyst for recovery when the overall market sentiment shifts.
