THE LATEST CRYPTO NEWS

As Bitcoin (BTC) struggles to maintain its position below the $90,000 threshold, market sentiment appears to be shifting toward the possibility of a new bear market. Notably, analyst Ali Martinez has drawn comparisons with historical market cycles to forecast Bitcoin’s trajectory.  Bitcoin Market Patterns In a recent social media post, Martinez highlighted a recurring pattern that suggests it typically takes around 1,064 days for Bitcoin to transition from a market bottom to a market top, followed by approximately 364 days from a market peak back to the next bottom. Related Reading: Ethereum Fails To Surpass $3,000: Predictions For The Final Days Of The Year In the first cycle, the market bottomed out in January 2015 and reached its peak in December 2017, exactly 1,064 days later. This was followed by a bear market that lasted 364 days, culminating in the bottom in December 2018.  The second cycle mirrored this pattern: the market bottomed in December 2018 and reached its apex in November 2021, again over a span of 1,064 days. Subsequently, another downturn followed, leading to a bottom in November 2022, when Bitcoin traded around $15,500. Next Bottom At $37,500? Currently, the analyst highlights that the market is in what could be the third cycle, having witnessed a market bottom in November 2022 and a current peak above $126,000 reached back in October.  Applying the historical patterns of these cycles, it suggests that Bitcoin is now within the 364-day correction window, indicating a potential bottom could materialize around October 2026 — approximately 288 days from now. Related Reading: Altcoin Struggles: What The Future Holds And The Potential For A 2026 Revival Examining past bear markets offers additional context for projecting potential downside. The bear market from 2017 to 2018 saw a correction of approximately 84%, while the market decline from 2021 to 2022 experienced a retracement of roughly 77%.  Averaging these two corrections, Martinez suggests an expected retracement of around 80%, positioning Bitcoin’s next market bottom at around $37,500. Currently, the market’s leading cryptocurrency is trading slightly above the $88,290 mark, which is a 30% gap from the current peak.  Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

Data of the Bitcoin Fear & Greed Index suggests the average investor sentiment has now been inside the extreme fear zone for 13 straight days. Bitcoin Fear & Greed Index Is Still Pointing At Extreme Fear The “Fear & Greed Index” refers to an indicator created by Alternative that tells us about the average sentiment shared by traders in the Bitcoin and wider cryptocurrency markets. The index determines the sentiment by referring to the data of five factors: market cap dominance, trading volume, Google Trends, social sentiment, and volatility. It then represents it using a numeric scale that runs from zero to hundred. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Trading Near ‘Fair Value,’ Says On-Chain Model All values above 53 indicate the presence of a greed sentiment among the investors, while those below 47 suggest the dominance of fear. Levels lying between the two thresholds correspond to a net neutral mentality. Besides these three core regions, there are also two “extreme” zones in the Fear & Greed Index, known as the extreme fear and extreme greed. The former occurs at and below 25, while the latter occurs above 75. Now, here is how the sentiment among investors in the current Bitcoin market is, according to the Fear & Greed Index: As is visible above, the majority sentiment in the cryptocurrency sector is one of extreme fear at the moment, with the indicator sitting at a value of 23. The despair among the investors isn’t new, as the index has, in fact, remained in this region for the last couple of weeks. As displayed in the chart, the Bitcoin Fear & Greed Index has indicated extreme fear for 13 consecutive days now, underscoring the FUD that has been present in the market. If history is anything to go by, though, the extremely fearful sentiment may not actually be such a bad sign for BTC and other cryptocurrencies. Often, digital asset markets tend to move in a direction that goes contrary to the crowd’s belief. This probability of an opposite move generally becomes the strongest inside the extreme sentiment zones, with major tops and bottoms historically forming while the index has been in the respective region. The price low in November, which has acted as the bottom for Bitcoin so far, also occurred alongside an extended stay inside the extreme fear territory. Clearly, though, that extreme fear streak wasn’t enough to reignite sustained bullish momentum for BTC, as the asset has only consolidated since then. Related Reading: When Will Bitcoin Bottom? History Points To October 2026, Says Analyst As such, it only remains to be seen whether the latest stay inside extreme fear will be able to change that or if it will be a while before the bottom is reached in the current cycle. BTC Price At the time of writing, Bitcoin is floating around $87,500, unchanged from one week ago. Featured image from Dall-E, Alternative.me, chart from TradingView.com

An on-chain pricing model for Bitcoin suggests that the cryptocurrency is currently neither overvalued nor undervalued, trading right around its “fair value.” Bitcoin Is Trading Near Its On-Chain Fair Value In a new post on X, cycle analyst Root has shared an update on how Bitcoin is looking from the perspective of the On-chain Value Map. This BTC valuation model was created by Root using three on-chain metrics: Realized Cap, Liquid Supply, and Coin Days Destroyed. Related Reading: XRP Retail Turns Fearful Again—A Classic Contrarian Setup? First, the “Realized Cap” is a capitalization model that calculates the cryptocurrency’s total value by assuming that the value of each token in circulation is equal to the spot price at which it was last transacted on the blockchain. In simple terms, what this indicator reflects is the amount of capital that the investors as a whole used to purchase the BTC supply. The second metric, the “Liquid Supply,” tracks the part of the BTC supply that’s held by investors who often move their coins. Basically, this is the supply that’s likely to return back into circulation, rather than being “HODL’d” Finally, the “Coin Days Destroyed” (CDD) measures the number of coin days being reset across the network. A “coin day” is a quantity that 1 BTC accumulates after 1 day of dormancy. When a token carrying some number of coin days is transacted, its coin days counter resets back to zero, and the coin days that it was holding are said to be “destroyed.” The CDD is useful for spotting periods where long-term holders are participating in distribution. These diamond hands hold for long spans, so they naturally accumulate a large amount of coin days, which, when destroyed, produce a spike in the CDD. Now, here is the chart for the On-chain Value Map shared by Root, which combines the data of all these Bitcoin indicators to define a few different valuation levels: As displayed in the above graph, Bitcoin spiked above the “overvalued” level as it set its all-time high (ATH) back in October. Since then, the cryptocurrency has notably declined, with its price returning to the level corresponding to “fair value” on the model. Related Reading: Bitcoin Perps Heat Up Again As Leveraged Longs Rise Thus, it would appear that, at least from the perspective of the On-chain Value Map, the asset is currently neither undervalued nor overvalued, but pretty much neutral. Given this trend, it remains to be seen which direction the coin will head from here. BTC Price Bitcoin has been in a phase of consolidation since its low in November, but its price hasn’t diverged much from the On-chain Value Map’s fair value during this period. Currently, it’s trading around $87,600. Featured image from Dall-E, BitcoinStrategyPlatform.com, chart from TradingView.com

After failing to turn the $90,000 area, Bitcoin (BTC) continues to move within its local range with apparent no clear direction. Some market observers have suggested that the flagship crypto will remain rangebound until next year, when its potential moment of truth will come. Related Reading: More Pain For Ethereum? Head And Shoulder Pattern Signals $2,400 Breakdown Bitcoin Takes Holiday Break On Christmas Eve Day, Bitcoin continued with its sideways trajectory, trading between the $86,000-$87,000 levels throughout the day. The cryptocurrency has been hovering within the $80,000-$94,000 levels since the late November correction, failing to break out of its one-month range despite earlier attempts. Notably, BTC’s price has been trading around the mid-zone of its range, moving between the $84,000-$90,000 levels for nearly two weeks. Analyst Ted Pillows noted that Bitcoin “is still in no trading zone,” arguing that if the price doesn’t reclaim the $90,000 resistance area, the price could risk another retest of the $84,000 support. However, if the support and resistance levels don’t break, it will continue to move within its range until the market’s momentum returns. Meanwhile, Daan Crypto Trades highlighted that December has been “a very boring month all things considered.” In an X post, he explained that there the broader crypto market had “no major narratives, no major moves. Just a lot of up days followed by down days. With alts bleeding lower in the end and BTC & ETH roughly stable.” The trader also asserted that it hasn’t been BTC’s best year despite reaching new highs this quarter. He pointed out that “this year was abysmal, especially looking at the risk adjusted returns.” Nonetheless, he noted that “during years like these, we are taking big steps towards distributing coins from OG large holders and get a more evenly spread supply. Regardless of price action in the short term, that’s always a good thing to see.” BTC To Breakout Or Breakdown In 2026? Daan affirmed that Q1 2026 will be the moment where Bitcoin can “try and prove itself” and when everyone will be closely watching the cryptocurrency’s performance to determine whether the cycle is over or not. Other market watchers have suggested two potential scenarios for BTC’s early 2026 performance. Ted Pillows highlighted that BTC appears to be mirroring its 2021-2022 fractal, which suggests that the flagship cryptocurrency is ultimately entering a bear market. Per the chart, Bitcoin saw a significant pullback after topping in late 2021. This was followed by brief recovery period at the start of 2022 before the price continued its descending trajectory. Based on this, the analyst forecasted a rally towards $100,000 at the start of 2026 before its next leg down, which could target the $60,000-$70,000 area. On the contrary, Eljaboom pointed out that BTC could be repeating its performance from the start of the year. Related Reading: XRP ETFs Record 25-Day Streak As Price Eyes Key Resistance Level As he noted, BTC displays a multi-month falling wedge pattern on the three-day chart similar to the one that formed between Q4 2024 and Q2 2025 and led to the Q3 3035 rally. If history repeats, the cryptocurrency could retest the pattern’s lower boundary in the coming weeks before breaking out of the formation and potentially moving to new highs by Q2 2026. As of this writing, Bitcoin trades at $87,350, a 0.5% decline in the daily timeframe. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

An analyst has explained when Bitcoin could possibly reach a bottom, based on the historical pattern followed by its price across cycles. Bitcoin Has Tended To Take 364 Days From Major Tops To Bottoms In a new thread on X, analyst Ali Martinez has discussed about what history could hint about when Bitcoin might reach a bottom in the current cycle. “Bitcoin $BTC major cycles have followed a surprisingly consistent rhythm, both in timing and depth,” noted Martinez. Related Reading: XRP Retail Turns Fearful Again—A Classic Contrarian Setup? Below is a chart shared by the analyst that highlights some of the similarities that the last few BTC cycles have shared. As is visible in the graph, the quarterly price of Bitcoin has taken roughly 1,064 days to reach the top from the bottom of the previous bear market during the last three cycles. This is naturally assuming that the cryptocurrency’s high above $126,000 was the top for the current cycle. The distance from the top to the next bottom was also similar in the 2017 and 2021 cycles on the cryptocurrency’s quarterly chart, coming at about 364 days. “If this pattern holds, Bitcoin $BTC is now inside that 364-day correction window, which points to a potential bottom around October 2026,” explained Martinez. In the chart, the analyst has also highlighted a possible bottom target for Bitcoin, based on, once again, the pattern from the previous cycles. The 2018 bear market reached its low after a drawdown of 84.22% from the bull market top, while the 2022 bear involved a decline of 77.57%. Martinez has drawn a drawdown of 70% for the current cycle, which would put the price target at the $37,500 level. It now remains to be seen whether this cycle will follow a trajectory anything like the last cycles or if the asset will go a different direction this time around. The chart for the Bitcoin cycles is showcasing the long-term trend of the asset using its quarterly price, but what about the short-term direction? In another X post, the analyst has shared the 4-hour chart for BTC, highlighting a technical analysis (TA) pattern forming on a short scale. As displayed in the above chart, Bitcoin has potentially been following a Parallel Channel on its 4-hour price during the last few weeks. A Parallel Channel appears whenever an asset observes consolidation between two parallel trendlines, with the lower level acting as support and upper one as resistance. Related Reading: Bitcoin Perps Heat Up Again As Leveraged Longs Rise The cryptocurrency retested the lower line of this Parallel Channel last week, which led to a rebound as support held up. The asset has since returned to the middle zone of the pattern, suggesting there isn’t any clear bias in either direction right now. BTC Price At the time of writing, Bitcoin is floating around $87,300, up 0.7% in the last seven days. Featured image from Dall-E, chart from TradingView.com

As the Bitcoin (BTC) price settles below the critical $90,000 support level, discussions about the potential onset of a new bear market are growing among experts and market analysts.  The market’s leading cryptocurrency, currently trading at approximately $87,370, has experienced a decline of over 30% from its all-time high of more than $126,000, drawing comparisons to past market behaviors, particularly those witnessed in December 2021. Fractal Patterns Resurface Notably, on December 24, 2021, Bitcoin was valued at around $51,700, marking a local peak before it plummeted to $34,000 by January 24, 2022. This decline represented a significant 34% drop within just one month.  Related Reading: This Friday’s Bitcoin Options Expiry Could Shake Up The Market: What To Look Out For An expert analyzing the current market dynamics has applied a fractal model derived from that previous sell-off to Bitcoin’s present price. According to this analysis, there is a potential trajectory that could see the cryptocurrency move toward the $70,000 mark in the coming days.  The expert argues that given the current price action and current market conditions, this scenario is plausible and suggests an additional decline of about 20% for the Bitcoin price if a similar pattern unfolds. However, without clear direction, the question remains whether this situation will unfold into a recovery above key price levels or into an extended bear market heading into the first quarter of 2026. As such, perspectives among analysts vary widely.  Expert Predicts ‘Bitcoin Supercycle’ Ahead CryptoKaleo, another figure on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), posits that the current market mirrors conditions seen in the fall of 2020.  Both scenarios involved Bitcoin losing a critical support level that had been established in the wake of significant market corrections, leading to a “mini-bart” scenario where the price retraced nearly all of its previous gains, eventually finding a new base. During the recovery phase after the COVID-19 crash in 2020, traditional stocks, particularly in the tech sector, significantly outperformed Bitcoin, leading many to claim that the leading cryptocurrency was fading into irrelevance.  Related Reading: These Five Key Drivers Could Boost XRP To $5 By 2026, Claims Top Analyst Today, as equities frequently reach new all-time highs, a similar narrative is emerging, with some asserting that Bitcoin has become stagnant and altcoins are lacking momentum. Despite this, CryptoKaleo remains optimistic, suggesting that the present situation does not conform to the typical four-year market cycle for the cryptocurrency.  Instead of a prolonged bearish phase, he predicts that when Bitcoin reaches new all-time highs in 2026, it will usher in an exciting “supercycle,” characterized by prolonged upward trends, robust altcoin seasons, and a resurgence of retail interest in mainstream cryptocurrencies. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

As the year comes to a close, Bitcoin (BTC) is approaching a pivotal moment that could lead to increased market volatility. This Friday, December 26, more than $23 billion worth of Bitcoin options are set to expire, marking the largest options expiration in the cryptocurrency’s history. How $23 Billion Roll-Off May Impact Bitcoin Prices Market expert NoLimit took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to elucidate the significance of this event. Understanding options expiration is crucial to grasping its potential impact on the market.  In the expert’s words, options are leveraged bets on the future price of Bitcoin: call options anticipate an increase in price, while put options anticipate a decrease. When these options expire, one of two things happens: either they expire worthless, or they trigger hedging actions that necessitate buying or selling in the spot market. Related Reading: XRP Price Forecasts For 2026 Unveiled By AI Simulation: Should Investors Remain Bullish? With a massive $23.6 billion worth of Bitcoin options rolling off at once, a substantial amount of risk is being removed from dealer books in a single day. This clearing of positions is a primary driver of volatility. For perspective, previous year-end expiries have been significantly smaller: around $6 billion in 2021, $2.4 billion in 2022, $11 billion in 2023, and $19.8 billion in 2024.  The sheer scale of this upcoming expiry highlights a shift in the market landscape, indicating that it is now largely shaped by institutional investors rather than retail traders. The specificity of this Friday is particularly noteworthy. Dealers have strategically hedged their positions around key Bitcoin price levels, and as the options expiry arrives, these hedges will be unwound.  This process could lead to sharp price movements in either direction, especially given the current low-liquidity conditions in the market. The holiday season has resulted in diminished trading volume, which means that individual orders can impact prices more dramatically—potentially leading to violent price swings. Key Price Ranges Adding to the complexity, fellow market analyst MartyParty highlighted that significant gamma exposure is clustered in critical price ranges, particularly between $86,000 and $110,000.  Estimates suggest that high gamma—around $238 million or more in notional sensitivity—will expire, amplifying volatility through delta-hedging flows as Friday approaches. The maximum pain point, where Bitcoin option sellers face the greatest loss, is pegged at $96,000. Related Reading: New Crypto Tax Proposal: Bipartisan House Duo Pushes For Stablecoin Safe Harbor Furthermore, analysts from CryptoQuant weighed in on the situation, noting that while downside positioning has eased with the open interest in $85,000 puts declining, there remains a notable presence of $100,000 Bitcoin calls.  This suggests a cautious but persistent optimism for a potential “Santa rally,” according to the analysts. The risk reversals also indicate a softening of bearish sentiment as Bitcoin’s spot price stabilizes. At the time of writing, Bitcoin was trading at $87,292, having recorded a loss of 2.5% in the past 24 hours and a 30% gap between the current trading price and the record high. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

Bitcoin price failed to continue higher and dipped below $88,500. BTC is now declining and might struggle to stay above $86,800. Bitcoin started a fresh decline from the $90,500 zone. The price is trading below $88,000 and the 100 hourly Simple moving average. There is a bearish trend line forming with resistance at $87,650 on the hourly chart of the BTC/USD pair (data feed from Kraken). The pair might continue to move down if it trades below the $86,800 zone. Bitcoin Price Corrects Gains Bitcoin price failed to stay in a positive zone and started a fresh decline below $90,000. BTC dipped below $89,500 and $88,500 to move into a bearish zone. The bears were able to push the price below the 50% Fib retracement level of the upward move from the $84,420 swing low to the $90,552 high. Besides, there is a bearish trend line forming with resistance at $87,650 on the hourly chart of the BTC/USD pair. Bitcoin is now trading below $88,000 and the 100 hourly Simple moving average. If the price remains stable above $87,000, it could attempt a fresh recovery wave. Immediate resistance is near the $87,650 level and the trend line. The first key resistance is near the $88,500 level. The next resistance could be $89,100. A close above the $89,100 resistance might send the price further higher. In the stated case, the price could rise and test the $90,000 resistance. Any more gains might send the price toward the $90,500 level. The next barrier for the bulls could be $91,500 and $92,000. More Losses In BTC? If Bitcoin fails to rise above the $88,500 resistance zone, it could start another decline. Immediate support is near the $87,000 level. The first major support is near the $86,750 level and the 61.8% Fib retracement level of the upward move from the $84,420 swing low to the $90,552 high. The next support is now near the $86,000 zone. Any more losses might send the price toward the $85,450 support in the near term. The main support sits at $84,500, below which BTC might accelerate lower in the near term. Technical indicators: Hourly MACD – The MACD is now gaining pace in the bearish zone. Hourly RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The RSI for BTC/USD is now below the 50 level. Major Support Levels – $86,750, followed by $86,000. Major Resistance Levels – $87,650 and $88,500.

Bitcoin is on track to close the year in negative territory, a development that has reinforced growing concerns among analysts who are increasingly positioning for a potential bear market ahead. After failing to sustain momentum above key psychological and technical levels, market sentiment has shifted toward caution, with investors closely monitoring liquidity behavior and exchange flows for early signals of regime change. Related Reading: The Gold-to-Bitcoin Rotation Narrative Gains Strength: A Data-Driven Review Recent analysis from Arab Chain, based on CryptoQuant’s Exchange Inflow Value (7-day cumulative) metric, highlights a notable divergence in liquidity patterns between major exchanges. The data aggregates Bitcoin and Ethereum inflows, providing a broader view of risk positioning across the two largest crypto assets. On November 24, when Bitcoin was trading around $88,438, Coinbase recorded seven-day cumulative inflows totaling approximately $21.0 billion. In contrast, Binance saw lower, though still significant, inflows near $15.3 billion. What stands out is that these elevated inflows occurred while prices were already well below prior highs. Rather than signaling aggressive accumulation, the data points to increased exchange activity consistent with portfolio rebalancing, hedging, or preparation for potential distribution. Exchange Inflows Signal Liquidity Tightening Despite Stable Bitcoin Prices By December 21, Bitcoin was trading near $88,635. Only marginally higher than late-November levels and still locked within a narrow consolidation range. While price action showed little progress, exchange flow data pointed to a notable shift in market conditions. Updated on-chain figures indicate that liquidity entering major trading venues declined sharply over the span of just a few weeks, underscoring a cooling in overall market activity. Coinbase, often used as a proxy for institutional and US-based flows, saw seven-day cumulative inflows fall to roughly $7.8 billion. That represents a steep drop of more than 60% compared with inflow levels observed in late November. Binance also experienced a contraction, but the decline was materially less severe, with inflows totaling about $10.3 billion over the same period. As a result, Binance surpassed Coinbase in net inflows during December, reversing the earlier dynamic. This divergence suggests that while broad liquidity has tightened, trading activity has become more concentrated on venues associated with shorter-term positioning and active risk management. At the same time, the absence of a significant price reaction highlights how Bitcoin has continued to trade sideways even as fresh capital flows slowed. Taken together, the data points to a market operating with reduced turnover and lower urgency on both the buy and sell side. Bitcoin’s ability to remain range-bound amid shrinking inflows reflects a quieter, more constrained liquidity environment compared with conditions seen just one month earlier. Related Reading: Ethereum Market Structure Strengthens: Binance Netflows Point to Long-Term Conviction BTC Slips Below Key Moving Averages as Daily Trend Weakens Bitcoin is trading near the $87,900 level on the daily chart, extending a corrective move that began after the failed breakout above $120,000 earlier in the quarter. The structure now reflects a clear shift in short-term trend dynamics, with price firmly below its major daily moving averages. Notably, Bitcoin has lost the 111-day and 200-day simple moving averages. Both of which have started to roll over and act as dynamic resistance rather than support. The rejection from the $110,000–$115,000 zone marked a decisive lower high, followed by an impulsive sell-off toward the mid-$80,000 range. Since then, price action has compressed into a narrow consolidation, suggesting temporary stabilization rather than a confirmed reversal. However, the inability to reclaim the declining moving averages indicates that upside attempts remain fragile. Related Reading: Ethereum Traders Chase Upside With Historic Leverage – Breakout Fuel Or Fragile Setup? Volume behavior adds to the cautious outlook. Selling pressure expanded during the initial breakdown, while subsequent rebounds have occurred on muted volume, signaling limited conviction from buyers. This imbalance suggests that dip-buying demand is present but not strong enough to force a trend shift. From a technical perspective, the $85,000–$88,000 area has become a critical near-term support zone. A sustained hold could allow for range formation. Failure to defend this level would increase the risk of a deeper retracement. For sentiment to improve, Bitcoin would need to reclaim the $95,000–$100,000 region and stabilize above its key daily averages. Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com

Bitcoin is struggling to reclaim the $90,000 level, and market confidence continues to deteriorate as an increasing number of analysts begin to call for a prolonged bear market. Sentiment has turned decisively cautious, with investors reassessing risk exposure and preparing for a potentially challenging period ahead. Despite multiple attempts to stabilize, price action remains compressed, offering little confirmation that bullish momentum is ready to return. Related Reading: The Gold-to-Bitcoin Rotation Narrative Gains Strength: A Data-Driven Review According to an analysis by XWIN Research Japan, the current market phase is best described as a range-bound consolidation following a high-level correction, with momentum conditionally tilted to the downside. While Bitcoin has remained largely sideways over the past three months, traditional safe-haven assets have followed a very different trajectory. Gold and silver have continued to push higher, reflecting rising demand for defensive assets amid persistent geopolitical tensions, policy uncertainty, and expectations of lower real interest rates. This divergence highlights a structural challenge for Bitcoin in the current macro environment. Institutional capital can allocate to precious metals with relative ease, benefiting from deep liquidity, established market infrastructure, and clear regulatory frameworks. Silver, in particular, has amplified gold’s move, supported by tighter supply dynamics and greater sensitivity to speculative flows. Bitcoin’s Role as a Risk Asset Limits Its Upside The analysis explains that Bitcoin has not followed gold and silver higher because it is still treated primarily as a high-beta risk asset, rather than a pure safe haven. In risk-off environments, capital typically flows first into gold and government bonds, where investors seek stability and capital preservation. Bitcoin, by contrast, is often a secondary consideration, attracting flows only after confidence improves. Unlike gold’s long-term and relatively price-insensitive buyer base, Bitcoin remains more exposed to short-term positioning and marginal demand, making broad macro tailwinds insufficient on their own to sustain a durable uptrend. CryptoQuant data reinforces this interpretation. Bitcoin’s apparent demand has recently turned negative, signaling that fresh demand is not expanding even as prices hold at relatively elevated levels. At the same time, Short-Term Holder SOPR has spent extended periods below 1, indicating that short-term participants are selling at a loss or near breakeven. This behavior typically adds selling pressure on rebounds, as underwater holders use price strength to exit positions. As long as capital continues to favor gold and silver, Bitcoin’s internal demand structure remains a key constraint. The base case points to continued support for precious metals, while Bitcoin’s upside stays capped by weak demand and short-term holder pressure. That view would only change if apparent demand turns sustainably positive and STH SOPR reclaims and holds above 1. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Lags Network Utility: A Valuation Reset Is Underway Price Holds Critical Support as Trend Weakens Bitcoin is currently trading near the $87,000–$88,000 area after a sharp corrective move from recent highs above $110,000. The chart shows that price has lost the short-term bullish structure, with BTC now firmly below the 50-day moving average (blue), which has started to slope downward. This confirms that short-term momentum has turned negative and rallies are facing increasing overhead supply. More importantly, price is now testing the 100-day moving average (green), which sits just above the current level and has acted as dynamic support throughout much of this cycle. The market’s reaction around this zone is critical. A sustained hold above the 100-day MA could allow Bitcoin to stabilize and form a base, while a decisive breakdown would likely expose the 200-day moving average (red), currently rising near the low $80,000s. Related Reading: Ethereum Market Structure Strengthens: Binance Netflows Point to Long-Term Conviction Volume dynamics reinforce the cautious outlook. The sell-off from the October peak was accompanied by elevated volume, signaling distribution rather than a shallow pullback. Since then, volume has tapered off, suggesting a lack of aggressive dip-buying interest at current levels. Structurally, Bitcoin remains in a broader uptrend as long as it holds above the 200-day MA, but the loss of the 50-day and weakening momentum indicate consolidation or further downside risk in the near term. Bulls need a recovery back above $90,000 to regain control and shift sentiment meaningfully. Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com

The Bitcoin price could experience major swings this Friday as billions of dollars in options are set to expire. A crypto market expert has warned that the scale of this event could trigger “something big,” potentially affecting both volatility and the actions of retail and institutional investors.  Bitcoin Price Braces For Major Moves This Friday On Monday, crypto analyst NoLimit signaled that this upcoming Friday could be a historic moment for Bitcoin. According to the expert, over $23.6 billion worth of Bitcoin options are scheduled to expire on December 26, marking the largest options expiry the market has ever seen. The analyst has stated that anyone with crypto holdings should pay close attention.  Related Reading: The Bitcoin Bull And Bear Cases That Crypto Traders Should Know About NoLimit explained that an options expiry involves leveraged bets on Bitcoin’s price. He stated that calls are wagers that the price will rise, while puts predict it will fall. The analyst also emphasized that when these options expire, they either become worthless or force buying and selling in the spot market to hedge the positions.  He also highlighted that with $23.6 billion in options expiring in a single day, a massive amount of risk will be removed from dealer books all at once. According to the analysis, this risk offloading is a key driver of market volatility, as the magnitude of the expiry is unprecedented.  Looking at the data, previous year-end expiries were significantly smaller. In 2021, the options expiry was around $6 billion, followed by $2.4 billion in 2022. It climbed to $11 billion in 2023 and reached $19.8 billion in 2024. NoLimit has suggested that this year’s jump to $23.6 billion represents a significant shift in market dynamics.   The analyst pointed out that retail investors no longer dominate the market. He stated that institutional-sized risk is now being repriced in real time, and this Friday could trigger significant price movements. NoLimit also suggested that the scale and timing of the expiry make it a critical event for traders and investors in the market.  Analyst Reveals Why This Friday Truly Matters In his analysis, NoLimit outlined the specific reasons why this Friday truly matters as Bitcoin’s $23.6 billion options prepare to expire. He explained that dealers are heavily hedged around key strikes, and once expiry hits, those hedges are removed. As a result, the shift can trigger sharp moves for Bitcoin in either direction. Related Reading: Don’t Expect A Fast Bitcoin Move – Here’s How Long The Last Leg Could Take The analyst noted that current market conditions could further amplify the impact. According to his analysis, Bitcoin’s liquidity is extremely low during the holiday week, and less volume typically means each order has more influence. As a result, the expert stated that a violent price move could occur even without major news.  NoLimit also noted that much of Bitcoin’s Open Interest is concentrated near the major psychological levels. Once the expiry passes, this open interest disappears entirely. He explained that this is why markets often experience sideways trading leading into expiry, followed by a clear directional move shortly afterward. The analyst added that volatility is the key setup this week. He says the crucial moment to watch is the Bitcoin price after the expiry, not before. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview.com

Bitcoin (BTC) is trading at a critical level as market participants watch closely for its next major move. A crypto analyst has revealed that the leading cryptocurrency is approaching a make-or-break level as it hovers around a key support zone that has been holding the price in the short term. The analyst has also outlined clear upside and downside levels that could determine whether the Bitcoin price regains momentum towards $90,000 or faces renewed downward pressure.  Bitcoin To Face Make Or Break Zone At $100,000 In an X post this Monday, crypto expert CyrilXBT presented a fresh Bitcoin market outlook suggesting its price could be nearing a critical make-or-break level. He noted that Bitcoin was still in a broader downtrend from its peak, but recent price action suggested the market may be forming a base rather than continuing lower.  Related Reading: Expert Predicts The Most Realistic Timeframe For XRP Price To Reach $100 The accompanying chart clearly reflected this bearish structure. It showed a series of lower highs after the market peak, reinforcing the idea that BTC is presently in a decline. Price action was also compressed into a tight range above a highlighted support zone, signaling indecision between buyers and sellers.  According to CyrilXBT, fortunately, the $84,000 to $88,000 zone has been doing most of the heavy lifting, with buyers actively defending it. He revealed that repeated tests of this range had failed to produce a decisive breakdown, showing that demand remained present despite sustained selling pressure.  CyrilXBT has stated that as long as Bitcoin continues to hold the $84,000 to $88,000 region, prices will move upward at a slow but steady pace rather than making an explosive move. He noted that this type of structure often pushes BTC toward the $92,000 to $95,000 range, which he has set as BTC’s first upside target. This move is described as a recovery attempt within the existing trend rather than a complete reversal.  The analyst pointed to $100,000 as the most important level above the current price. He noted that this level had previously provided strong support and had now flipped to resistance. He further described $100,000 as the true make-or-break level that would determine whether Bitcoin could regain bullish momentum. Related Reading: XRP Holders Are In For More Pain As There’s ‘Not A Single Support Holding’ BTC Risks Crash If Resistance Fails  In his post, CyrilXBTC noted that if BTC fails to hold $100,000, its price outlook could turn bearish quickly. The crypto analyst disclosed that a loss of the $84,000 area could trigger a steeper decline toward lower support zones between $76,000 and $72,000. He also indicated that this area represented the next major level at which buyers could step in to prevent further downside.   At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading above $87,000 after declining by more than 8.5% this year. If a crash below $84,000 occurs, the cryptocurrency could lose between 12.6% and 17.2% of its market value.   Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com

Data shows traders have set up fresh Bitcoin positions on the perpetual futures market during the past day, and the Funding Rate suggests they are long bets. Bitcoin Open Interest Has Witnessed An Uptick According to data from on-chain analytics firm Glassnode, the surge Bitcoin has seen to kick off Monday has come alongside a spike in the Bitcoin perpetual futures Open Interest. Related Reading: Bitcoin Inflow Slowdown: CryptoQuant Founder Says Sentiment Could Take Months To Recover The “Open Interest” refers to an indicator that keeps track of the total amount of BTC perpetual futures positions that are currently open on all derivatives exchanges. When the value of this metric rises, it means the investors are opening up fresh positions on the market. Since such a trend usually accompanies an increase in leverage for the sector, it can lead to more volatility for the asset. On the other hand, the indicator going down implies investors are either pulling back on risk or getting liquidated by their platform. This kind of trend can result in the cryptocurrency’s price behaving in a more stable manner. Now, here is a chart that shows the trend in the Bitcoin Open Interest over the last couple of weeks: As displayed in the above graph, the Bitcoin Open Interest rose from 304,000 BTC to 310,000 BTC as the cryptocurrency observed a recovery surge to $90,000 during the past day. This represents an increase of about 2%, which isn’t much, but still signals that the rally encouraged traders to open up new positions on the perpetual futures market. The Open Interest includes both types of positions when calculating its value, so it contains no information about whether positions have a bias toward shorts or longs. Another metric called the Funding Rate can be used to determine that instead. This indicator measures the amount of periodic fee that perpetual futures traders are exchanging between each other. A positive value implies long investors are paying a premium to the shorts in order to hold onto their positions, while a negative one implies bearish bets are dominant. Related Reading: Ethereum Exchange Outflows Soar To $978M: Sign Of Dip Buying? As the below chart shows, the Bitcoin Funding Rate has been positive for much of the last two weeks, indicating that a bullish sentiment has been shared by the majority of perpetual futures traders. This metric also noted an uptick alongside the increase in the Open Interest, going from 0.04% to 0.09%. “This combination signals a renewed buildup in leveraged long positioning, as perpetual traders position for a potential year-end move,” noted Glassnode. BTC Price Bitcoin has seen a bit of a pullback since its surge above $90,000 as its price is now back at $89,500. The trend in the price of the coin over the last five days | Source: BTCUSDT on TradingView Featured image from Dall-E, Glassnode.com, chart from TradingView.com

Bitcoin’s recent bounce may look like a sign of renewed strength, but the price action tells a more deceptive story. With downside liquidity still thin and support holding firm, the market appears primed for a move that draws in eager bulls rather than rewarding them. This rally could be less about recovery and more about setting the stage for maximum pain when sentiment flips. Aligning The Mid- And Long-Term Bitcoin Outlook During an in-depth technical and psychological analysis, Mr. Wall Street explained that his broader outlook on Bitcoin had already been clarified a week earlier, after some confusion around his mid and long-term stance. With those time horizons now clearly defined, he turned his focus to the short-term picture, outlining current market behavior. Related Reading: Bitcoin In Standby Mode: Weekend Ranges Rule Before Holiday ‘Chop’ He reiterated that while his mid-term bias on Bitcoin remains bearish, the short-term structure has turned bullish. The reason centered on insufficient downside liquidity to justify market makers initiating the next major leg lower. This imbalance supported the case for a temporary relief move to the upside. Thus, Mr. Wall Street placed long positions around the Value Area Low between $80,000 and $84,000 on a bounce that could later evolve into a bull trap. Shortly after, Bitcoin dipped and successfully retested the $84,000 level, which aligns with the weekly MA100, following several deceptive upside moves. As a result, his long orders were filled as planned, leaving him holding a position from $84,550. The analyst noted that he plans to exit only in the $98,000–$104,000 zone, where a Fair Value Gap converges with heavy liquidity, making it an ideal area to take profit. Being In Longs Doesn’t Change The Macro Bearish Thesis Mr. Wall Street clarified that holding long positions does not signal a bullish shift on Bitcoin. The broader outlook remains bearish, with expectations for the next major downside move toward the $64,000–$70,000 region. In the short term, Bitcoin is sitting at strong support while downside liquidity is limited, which reduces the probability of an immediate continuation lower. Related Reading: Citi Analysts Project Bitcoin Price Could Reach $189,000 Next Year In Bullish Scenario A more logical scenario involves market makers engineering a bullish move to attract retail participation. As late buyers enter long positions, they gradually become exit liquidity, setting the stage for a larger downside move once sufficient liquidity is built. He also mentioned the $68,000–$74,000 zone had become too widely anticipated to function as a true “maximum pain” area capable of resetting market structure. For that reason, the downside target was revised lower to the $64,000–$70,000 range, with expectations that this zone could be reached in late Q1 or early Q2 of 2026. This level represents an initial major target rather than the final bottom. Recent price action was highlighted as a clear example of these dynamics. Bitcoin’s rapid move from $87,000 to $90,000, followed by a sharp drop to $85,000 within hours, resulted in widespread liquidations. Many traders chased the upside and were quickly trapped, and fake moves in both directions are likely to continue as liquidity is built ahead of a larger move lower. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview.com

Bitcoin price started a decent recovery wave above $88,000. BTC is now consolidating below $89,000 and might aim for a fresh increase. Bitcoin started a recovery wave above the $87,500 zone. The price is trading above $87,500 and the 100 hourly Simple moving average. There is a bullish trend line forming with support at $87,900 on the hourly chart of the BTC/USD pair (data feed from Kraken). The pair might continue to move up if it settles above the $89,100 zone. Bitcoin Price Eyes More Gains Bitcoin price attempted a fresh recovery wave above $87,500 and $88,000. BTC even cleared the $88,800 resistance and tested the $90,500 hurdle. A high was formed at $90,552 and the price is now consolidating gains. There was a minor decline below $89,000 and $88,500. The price dipped below the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the upward move from the $84,420 swing low to the $90,552 high. Bitcoin is now trading above $87,800 and the 100 hourly Simple moving average. There is also a bullish trend line forming with support at $87,900 on the hourly chart of the BTC/USD pair. If the price remains stable above the trend line, it could attempt more gains. Immediate resistance is near the $89,100 level. The first key resistance is near the $89,500 level. The next resistance could be $90,500. A close above the $90,500 resistance might send the price further higher. In the stated case, the price could rise and test the $92,000 resistance. Any more gains might send the price toward the $92,500 level. The next barrier for the bulls could be $93,200 and $93,500. Another Decline In BTC? If Bitcoin fails to rise above the $89,500 resistance zone, it could start another decline. Immediate support is near the $88,000 level and the trend line. The first major support is near the $87,500 level. The next support is now near the $86,750 zone and the 61.8% Fib retracement level of the upward move from the $84,420 swing low to the $90,552 high. Any more losses might send the price toward the $85,450 support in the near term. The main support sits at $84,500, below which BTC might accelerate lower in the near term. Technical indicators: Hourly MACD – The MACD is now losing pace in the bullish zone. Hourly RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The RSI for BTC/USD is now below the 50 level. Major Support Levels – $88,000, followed by $87,500. Major Resistance Levels – $89,500 and $90,500.

The founder and CEO of on-chain analytics firm CryptoQuant has revealed how Bitcoin on-chain capital inflows have stalled over the last couple of months. Bitcoin Realized Cap Has Witnessed A Slowdown Recently In a new post on X, CryptoQuant founder and CEO Ki Young Ju has talked about how on-chain capital inflows have been weakening for Bitcoin recently. “After about 2.5 years of growth, realized cap has stalled over the past month,” noted Young Ju. The “Realized Cap” here refers to an on-chain capitalization model for Bitcoin that calculates its total value by assuming the value of each coin in circulation is equal to the price at which it was last transacted on the blockchain. Related Reading: Bitcoin & Ethereum Diverge: Longs Dominate BTC, While ETH Shorts Rise Since the last transaction of any coin is likely to represent the last instance of it changing hands, the price at that time can be considered as its current cost basis. Therefore, the Realized Cap is just a sum of the cost basis of the entire BTC supply. In other words, it tracks the capital that the investors used to purchase their tokens. Realized Cap had been enjoying growth for the last couple of years, but as the CryptoQuant founder has revealed, capital inflows have dropped off. This suggests a decline in sentiment around Bitcoin. The turnaround in sentiment is also visible through the analytics firm’s PnL Index, which incorporates key on-chain indicators to build a single valuation metric for BTC. The indicators in question are the MVRV Ratio, NUPL, and STH/LTH SOPR. The first two both deal with the amount of unrealized profit or loss held by the investors as a whole, while the latter provides a look into investor profit-taking. Below is the chart shared by Young Ju that shows the trend in the 365-day moving average (MA) of the Bitcoin PnL Index over the history of the asset. From the graph, it’s visible that the Bitcoin PnL Index saw its 365-day MA reach a high earlier in the year, implying that the coin had potentially become overvalued. Since then, the metric has seen a reversal to the downside. Currently, its value is still notably positive, so the cryptocurrency may be considered to be in a bullish phase, but historically, drawdowns have tended to lead into bear markets. Though there were a couple of instances where this pattern didn’t hold. One being the aftermath of the COVID crash and the other the decline that occurred in the early months of 2025. Related Reading: Ethereum Exchange Outflows Soar To $978M: Sign Of Dip Buying? So far, the indicator hasn’t shown signs of any turnaround back to the upside, although it should be noted that it’s an average over the past year, so there is some delay attached. Based on the on-chain trend, Young Ju has said, “Sentiment recovery might take a few months.” BTC Price Bitcoin has made recovery from last week’s plunge as its price is now back at $89,800. Featured image from Dall-E, CryptoQuant.com, chart from TradingView.com

Bitcoin is once again attempting to reclaim the $90,000 level, but price action remains capped below this key psychological threshold. Despite several short-lived relief rallies, momentum has failed to follow through, reinforcing growing concerns that the broader market structure is weakening. As volatility persists and upside attempts stall, an increasing number of analysts are beginning to openly discuss the possibility that Bitcoin may be transitioning into a bear market phase. Sentiment across derivatives and spot markets has turned noticeably more cautious, with risk appetite continuing to fade. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Lags Network Utility: A Valuation Reset Is Underway In this context, a recent report by Darkfost draws attention to a familiar but controversial narrative: capital rotation from gold into Bitcoin. With gold setting a new all-time high above $4,420 per ounce, the idea that investors may soon shift capital toward Bitcoin is resurfacing across the market. Historically, this narrative has gained traction during periods when traditional safe-haven assets outperform, fueling speculation that Bitcoin could follow as an alternative store of value. However, Darkfost cautions that this assumption is far from well-grounded. While the rotation thesis has been widely repeated throughout this cycle, empirical evidence linking gold outperformance directly to sustained Bitcoin inflows remains weak. Rather than signaling an imminent bullish turn, the current setup suggests that Bitcoin remains vulnerable, caught between macro-driven narratives and deteriorating internal market structure. Testing the Gold-to-Bitcoin Rotation Thesis Darkfost emphasizes that the popular narrative of capital rotating from gold into Bitcoin lacks direct, verifiable evidence. To address this, he constructed a comparative framework to identify periods where such rotations may have occurred. He did this without assuming a causal relationship. The core issue, as he notes, is that on-chain and market data cannot conclusively prove that capital exiting gold is the same capital entering Bitcoin. To approximate potential rotation phases, Darkfost applied a simple but disciplined signal structure. A positive signal appears when Bitcoin is trading above its 180-day moving average while gold is trading below its own 180-day moving average. In theory, this configuration suggests relative strength shifting toward Bitcoin. Conversely, a negative signal is triggered when both Bitcoin and gold trade below their respective 180-day moving averages. Indicating a broad risk-off environment rather than a rotation. This methodology allows historical comparison across cycles, highlighting moments where relative performance diverged. However, the results challenge the simplicity of the narrative. As shown on the chart, these signals do not produce consistent or reliable outcomes. In several instances, supposed rotation periods failed to generate sustained upside for Bitcoin. At other times, Bitcoin rallied independently of gold’s trend. The takeaway is clear: capital rotation between gold and Bitcoin is not an absolute or mechanical process. Market behavior appears far more nuanced. Driven by broader macro conditions, liquidity dynamics, and investor positioning rather than a straightforward asset-to-asset rotation. Related Reading: Ethereum Traders Chase Upside With Historic Leverage – Breakout Fuel Or Fragile Setup? Price Struggles Below Key Moving Averages Bitcoin is attempting to stabilize after a sharp corrective phase, but the chart highlights that price action remains structurally fragile. BTC is currently trading just below the $90,000 level, an area that has flipped from support into near-term resistance following the recent breakdown. While the latest bounce shows short-term buying interest, it has not yet altered the broader bearish structure that formed after the October highs. From a trend perspective, Bitcoin is now trading below the 50-3D moving average (blue), which has started to slope downward, signaling weakening momentum. The failure to reclaim this level suggests that recent upside moves are corrective rather than impulsive. Related Reading: Legendary Bitcoin OG Deepens Ethereum Bet Despite Losses Exceeding $70 Million Below the current price, the 100-3D moving average (green) sits near the $85,000–$86,000 zone and has acted as interim support during the rebound. A sustained loss of this area would likely expose BTC to a deeper retracement toward the 200-3D moving average (red), currently rising near the low $80,000 region. The sell-off was accompanied by elevated volume. While the rebound has occurred on comparatively lighter participation, pointing to a lack of conviction from buyers. Structurally, Bitcoin is consolidating in a lower range. With lower highs and compressed volatility suggesting a pause rather than a trend reversal. For bulls, reclaiming and holding above $90,000 and the declining 50-3D moving average is critical to invalidate the bearish bias. Until then, price action favors range-bound trading with downside risk still present. Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com

Bitcoin’s price action in recent days has been characterized by tight consolidation and fading momentum. After recovering from a dip toward the $85,000 area last week, Bitcoin has spent most of the time trading between roughly $87,500 and $89,000, struggling to build a sustained move in either direction. This ongoing indecision has led to technical commentary from a crypto analyst known as DrBullZeus, who noted that Bitcoin is currently trapped inside a clearly defined range and may need a decisive breakout before the next directional move becomes clear. Bitcoin Continues To Respect A Well-Defined Range According to the analysis, Bitcoin is still trading inside a clearly established range, repeatedly bouncing between the same support and resistance zones. These zones are highlighted in the 1-hour candlestick timeframe chart below, which shows the Bitcoin price oscillating between a lower support area around the mid-$87,000 region and an upper resistance band just below $90,000.  Related Reading: Crypto Founder Reveals What Will Drive Bitcoin Price To $200,000 In 2026 Multiple daily candlesticks have tested both zones without producing sustained follow-through, and this strengthens the idea that neither bulls nor bears currently have full control. Short-term breakouts have quickly stalled, and pullbacks have failed to develop into deeper corrections. This type of price behavior suggests equilibrium, where buyers step in near support, and sellers defend resistance to keep the price volatility contained.  Important Levels That Could Define The Next Major Move According to the technical analysis, Bitcoin’s next direction depends on how the price reacts around two clearly defined levels. The resistance zone just below $90,000 is the main hurdle on the upside. Related Reading: Don’t Expect A Fast Bitcoin Move – Here’s How Long The Last Leg Could Take A clean break and sustained hold above this area would mean that buyers are finally gaining control and allow for a push to the $92,000 level highlighted on the chart. Recent attempts to move higher have stalled at this zone, which is why a decisive breakout would likely attract fresh momentum and shift short-term sentiment from range trading to bullish. On the downside, support in the $87,000 range is still acting as a buffer against deeper losses. As long as this level holds, the range structure between support and resistance will stay intact. However, a clear loss of this support would change the short-term sentiment from range trading to bearish very quickly. This, in turn, will expose Bitcoin to a move back toward the $85,000 area, where price previously found strong demand in early December. At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading at $89,690, up by 1.1% in the past 24 hours. The latest price action has been shaped by a rebound from an intraday low near $87,655, a level that closely aligns with the support zone highlighted in the technical analysis and reinforces its importance in the current market structure. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview.com

Bitcoin’s price has spent recent sessions grinding sideways after failing to reclaim higher resistance levels, trading within a narrow range and frustrating both bullish and bearish Bitcoin investors. The lack of follow-through has intensified market debate, with macroeconomic headlines driving sharp sentiment swings. Amid the uncertainty, a crypto analyst has pushed back against the prevailing noise, arguing that Bitcoin’s price action is telling a far clearer story than narratives suggest. Bitcoin’s Price Action Exposes The Limits Of Narrative-Based Trading In a recent post on X, the analyst asserts that Bitcoin’s recent performance highlights a disconnect between market headlines and actual trading behavior. After pulling back from recent highs, Bitcoin has stabilized in the $70,000–$90,000 range, repeatedly defending key support levels rather than accelerating lower. Despite widespread attention to inflation reports, central bank commentary, and macroeconomic uncertainty, this steady behavior suggests that the market is responding to price movements rather than external narratives. Related Reading: XRP Holders Are In For More Pain As There’s ‘Not A Single Support Holding’ The analyst emphasized that Bitcoin is following a clear technical structure, confined within an ascending channel, which has guided price behavior over recent sessions. Attempts to push the price below support have repeatedly failed, demonstrating that selling pressure lacks the strength to disrupt the broader trend. Because market sentiment typically lags price, panic-driven headlines and bearish projections often exaggerate perceived weakness. In this context, sideways movement represents a natural pause, allowing the market to rebalance positions without indicating a reversal. This range-bound behavior, the analyst explains, reflects measured control rather than disorder. After recent volatility, the stabilization of Bitcoin’s price highlights disciplined accumulation and cautious positioning among market participants. Consolidation within the channel forms part of a functional market rhythm, helping the trend digest prior moves while preserving structural integrity. As long as support holds, he argues, the ascending framework remains valid, reinforcing the broader bullish trend. Chart Insights For Bitcoin Investors Amid Sideways Trading With a chart posted alongside his statement, the analyst describes Bitcoin’s recent price action as a corrective consolidation. He notes that after those losses, price has stabilized, reflecting a balance between buyers and sellers. Bulls are hoping for a rebound, bears are anticipating a breakdown, and the price movement shows both sides testing each other.  Related Reading: Ripple Goes Institutional: What The Doppler Finance And SBI Partnership Means For XRP He adds that upward moves remain capped below previous support levels, while higher lows indicate corrective positioning rather than renewed strength. The analyst explicitly states that his price target remains 96k, as long as Bitcoin holds the ascending channel structure. This target frames his bullish outlook despite the ongoing consolidation, showing that he expects the trend to continue within the defined structure rather than reversing. He emphasizes that phases like this often precede more decisive moves: a breakdown of the channel could signal renewed downside, while a sustained break above the upper boundary would be needed to challenge the prevailing trend. Until such developments occur, he stresses that investors should focus on structure rather than short-term noise. Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com

The recent Bitcoin price decline has already triggered a major sell-off wave across the crypto market, and it doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon. While trading below $90,000, there are a number of implications for the pioneer cryptocurrency depending on the next move. The tug-of-war between the bulls and the bears makes either direction possible, and with major levels lying at risk, a crypto analyst has analyzed what the consequences of each move could be. How Bitcoin Price Could Play Out Either Way Crypto analyst HAMED_AZ analyzes the Bitcoin price chart, pointing out the current trend and what could lead to either a recovery or a crash. First, the crypto analyst outlines that the bitcoin price is now in a corrective phase. This began with the all-time high record of $126,000, and since then, the cryptocurrency has lost more than $35,000 of its value. Related Reading: Citi Projects $143,000 Base Case For Bitcoin In 12-Month Outlook The corrective phase also places the cryptocurrency inside a tight range, holding it between $84,000 and $94,000. Both of these levels have served as major support and resistance in the past, making them the points to beat that will determine the next move. A continuation of trading inside this range ensures that the Bitcoin price does not see any major move. The main move will happen when either of these support or resistance levels is broken, depending on which camp is able to pull the momentum in their favor. Bull Or Bear Case To Watch Out For The first case is if the Bitcoin bulls are able to crush the resistance that has been mounting at $94,000 over the last week. Since the expectations for an upward move are high, if it does play out this way, then it would push the Bitcoin price toward retesting this resistance level. Related Reading: Don’t Expect A Fast Bitcoin Move – Here’s How Long The Last Leg Could Take If the breakout is confirmed and the resistance fails, then the crypto analyst believes that the Bitcoin price will once again cross above the psychological level of $100,000. The main target lies as high as $108,000 before the momentum runs out. However, there is still the possibility of the bears taking control if they are able to push the price below the $84,000 support. This level acted as the major support in the last downtrend, so it has become the level to hold. Failure to secure this level would trigger a crash that could send the Bitcoin price as low as $72,000. Featured image from Dall.E, chart from TradingView.com

Bitcoin price attempted to start a fresh increase but failed at $89,250. BTC is now consolidating below $89,000 and might react to the downside. Bitcoin started a recovery wave above the $86,800 zone. The price is trading above $87,000 and the 100 hourly Simple moving average. There is a key rising channel forming with support at $87,650 on the hourly chart of the BTC/USD pair (data feed from Kraken). The pair might continue to move up if it settles above the $89,500 zone. Bitcoin Price Faces Resistance Bitcoin price attempted a fresh recovery wave above $88,200 and $89,000. BTC tested the $89,250 resistance zone and struggled to continue higher. The price is now consolidating gains below $89,000. There was a minor decline and it tested the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the upward move from the $84,421 swing low to the $89,238 high. However, the bulls are active above $87,500. Bitcoin is now trading above $87,500 and the 100 hourly Simple moving average. There is also a key rising channel forming with support at $87,650 on the hourly chart of the BTC/USD pair. If the bulls remain in action, the price could attempt more gains. Immediate resistance is near the $89,000 level. The first key resistance is near the $89,250 level. The next resistance could be $89,500. A close above the $89,500 resistance might send the price further higher. In the stated case, the price could rise and test the $90,500 resistance. Any more gains might send the price toward the $92,000 level. The next barrier for the bulls could be $92,650 and $93,200. Another Decline In BTC? If Bitcoin fails to rise above the $89,000 resistance zone, it could start another decline. Immediate support is near the $87,500 level. The first major support is near the $87,000 level. The next support is now near the $86,800 zone and the 50% Fib retracement level of the upward move from the $84,421 swing low to the $89,238 high. Any more losses might send the price toward the $85,500 support in the near term. The main support sits at $84,400, below which BTC might accelerate lower in the near term. Technical indicators: Hourly MACD – The MACD is now losing pace in the bullish zone. Hourly RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The RSI for BTC/USD is now above the 50 level. Major Support Levels – $87,500, followed by $86,800. Major Resistance Levels – $89,000 and $89,500.

The Bitcoin price looks set to end the year in the red, having produced one of its worst Q4 performances in recent years. However, it appears that the new year 2026 might bring the relief majority of the market expects. According to a recent evaluation, the Bitcoin price structure suggests that a deeper correction looks to be on the horizon for the market leader. BTC Price To Revisit $73,000 In 2026 Q1? In a December 20 post on the X platform, quant trader CryptoOnchain shared fresh insights into the current layout of the Bitcoin price. According to the market analyst, the price outlook of BTC is tilting towards a bearish scenario, especially as selling pressure remains evident on the chart. Related Reading: Analysts Warn Strategy Could Be Dropped From Multiple Indexes, Potential $9 Billion Loss Predicted CryptoOnchain said that the price of Bitcoin is hovering around the key Point of Control (POC) level. For context, the point of control (POC) refers to the price level with the highest volume of trading activity within a given period, thereby serving as a significant support or resistance zone. According to the crypto pundit, the failure of the Bitcoin price to quickly recover its former highs suggests an increased likelihood of seeing it break below its POC and towards the $70,000 – $73,000 range. CryptoOnchain identified this region, which was the last cycle’s peak, as a critical “support flip,” where buyers might look to step in aggressively. Furthermore, CryptoOnchain noted that the divergent Relative Strength Index (RSI) adds credence to the Bitcoin price falling to the support cushion around $70,000 – $73,000. “Traders should watch for reversal triggers around the $72,000 level,” the analyst added. However, the market pundit warned that holding the $70,000 – $73,000 zone might be critical in preventing an even deeper correction and an extended bear market for the Bitcoin price. In essence, this “support flip” is crucial for BTC to resume its long-term bullish structure and preserve the macro trend. The price of BTC visited the sub-$75,000 region in the year’s first quarter as the global financial markets reeled from what was initially breaking out as a trade war. Hence, a return to this price level might be a tad familiar to investors, albeit it would also represent an almost 20% decline from the current price point. Bitcoin Price At A Glance As of this writing, Bitcoin is valued at around $88,330, reflecting no significant price change in the past 24 hours. Related Reading: Citi Analysts Project Bitcoin Price Could Reach $189,000 Next Year In Bullish Scenario Featured image from iStock, chart from TradingView

Although the Bitcoin price has recently displayed swift recovery to the upside, the broader picture still mirrors a bleak future for the flagship cryptocurrency. A new on-chain evaluation has surfaced, which suggests that Bitcoin’s recent price recovery could be happening within a broader, weak trend, with macroeconomic factors acting as the major influences. Related Reading: Bitcoin Could Drop To $70K As Bank Of Japan Rate Move Approaches—Analysts Weak Japanese Yen Fails To Ignite Crypto Risk Appetite  In a QuickTake post on CryptoQuant, education group XWIN Research Japan explains reasons to believe that the Bitcoin market is merely at a “post-rebound adjustment” phase, rather than being underway to a full-scale price recovery. The research and education institution begins by pointing out the rate increment to 0.75% by the Bank of Japan. Since the move has been largely priced in, this rate hike did not give strength to the Japanese yen. Instead, a directly opposite result is the reality: the yen remains weak. Historically, a weak Yen has been a catalyst for ‘yen-funded carry trades’, where Japanese investors borrow Yen for the purpose of investing in other assets like cryptocurrencies for profits. However, XWIN Research Japan reveals that the current scenario deviates from historical trends. This conjecture depends on readings obtained from the Bitcoin: Estimated Leverage Ratio metric, which tracks how much leverage traders are using in the futures market, in relation to the amount of Bitcoin held on exchanges. Per the research group, there has been an ostensible decline in the estimated leverage ratio across exchanges. Also worth noting is the observation that there has been no leverage recovery, even during Bitcoin’s recent price fluctuations. Hence, it becomes clear that “yen-funded carry trade-driven risk-taking remains contained rather than expanding.” Related Reading: Bitcoin In Standby Mode: Weekend Ranges Rule Before Holiday ‘Chop’ Coinbase Premium Index Reveals Absent Spot Demand — Implications For Price  At the same time, a very critical sign of a sustained bull market is nowhere to be found. This is monitored by the Coinbase Premium Index metric, which measures the difference between Bitcoin’s price on Coinbase (based in the U.S), and global exchange averages. Notably, the index has recovered from deep negative territory to moderate levels. However, this only indicates that selling pressure is easing, rather than intensifying. On the other hand, it also reveals that U.S spot investors are still uninterested in entering the market. XWIN Research Japan therefore concludes that, while the yen stays weak, “the lack of sustained spot buying implies that the current recovery does not yet reflect a structural uptrend.” Nonetheless, a possible scenario could also change the present narrative. This involves the Coinbase Premium Index regaining ground within positive territory, and price rising, without renewed heightened leverage. If these occur at the same time, XWIN Research Japan explains that it would be the perfect sign of an ongoing demand-driven accumulation. At press time, Bitcoin stands valued at $88,034, with CoinMarketCap data reflecting a minor 0.84% loss in the last 24 hours. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview

Bitcoin continues to consolidate within the $88,000 price zone, resulting in no significant price move over the last day. The “digital gold” had experienced a highly volatile trading week, marked by swift price swings between $85,000 and $90,000. During this period, the Bitcoin futures markets registered two major short liquidation events, which could meaningfully impact price trajectory in the days ahead. Related Reading: Bitcoin In Standby Mode: Weekend Ranges Rule Before Holiday ‘Chop’ Bitcoin $600M Short Liquidation To Limit Price Upside: Analyst  In a QuickTake post on December 20, popular analyst Amr Taha highlights some important developments in the Bitcoin futures markets with significant implications for price growth. As the premier cryptocurrency struggled to establish a stable price direction over the last week, the market recorded two consecutive short liquidation events, eventually pushing prices to trade above the $87,700 price level. Notably, short liquidation occurs after traders bet on the downside and the asset’s price moves sharply upward, eroding their margin and forcing exchanges to close those positions, sometimes amplifying the rally in a short squeeze. Traders log in waves of short positions amid heightened bearish expectations, such as when Bitcoin twice fell below $90,000 in the last week. Amr Taha reports that each of the dual short liquidations exceeded $300 million, bringing total losses to $600 million. Interestingly, the analyst further explains that short liquidations are bullish during the move, but once completed, they frequently mark temporary resistance unless followed by strong spot buying and volume expansion. This is due to a lack of organic market demand, as the initial price boost was driven by former short sellers being forced to buy back their position, thus creating the short price squeeze seen in the market. Related Reading: Major Ethereum Metric Just Hit A New All-Time High – Can Price Reclaim $3,000? Low USDT Transaction Volume Signals Fading Liquidity  Notably, Amr Taha also discovered another underlying development that could limit Bitcoin’s recent price surge. The renowned analyst notes that USDT Transaction volume on the TRON and Ethereum blockchains has drastically declined over the last month.  On November 10, USDT transfers on these platforms reached $13 billion (TRON) and $35 billion (Ethereum). However, CryptoQuant data shows that these figures dropped to $1.7 billion on TRON and $3.7 billion on Ethereum, marking respective losses of 86.9% and 89.4%. Generally, a diminishing USDT transaction volume suggests low market liquidity, which would impact investors’ ability to drive up market demand. This factor, coupled with the expected brief performance of the short-squeeze, means Bitcoin may struggle to produce more price gains in the coming days. At press time, the leading cryptocurrency trades at $88,321, reflecting a 0.72% gain in the past day. Featured image from Flickr, chart from Tradingview

Bitcoin has slipped into standby mode as the weekend unfolds, with price action remaining compressed inside a familiar range. Volatility is muted, momentum is lacking, and traders are largely focused on well-defined scalp levels rather than expecting a decisive move. With the holiday period approaching, patience and precision are taking center stage as the market waits for its next real catalyst. Bitcoin Slips Back Into Weekend Range Mode According to a recent update, analyst Lennaert Snyder noted that Bitcoin has once again entered a period of “weekend chop.” While he does not expect any major trending moves during this time, he has outlined several specific scalp scenarios and price traps he is monitoring closely to take advantage of short-term volatility. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s Make-or-Break Phase Begins: Weekly Support Holds, Momentum Fades If Bitcoin swipes the wick near $88,865 and tests the resistance box situated just above it, he will be hunting for scalp-short opportunities, specifically after failing to hold the level. Conversely, for those looking to go long, he is eyeing the $87,420 level, which marks the start of the previous impulse and a key support box. If the price tests this area, Snyder will be watching for clear reversal patterns to trigger a scalp-long. However, if the market loses that “start impulse” support, the analyst believes a continuation short down to the $85,890 lows becomes highly probable. Once the price arrives at those deeper lows, he will pivot his strategy to wait for a reversal to long position. Finally, Snyder identified a major breakout trigger: when Bitcoin can gain and hold $89,375 (the top of the resistance box), the analyst assumes the market will finally squeeze toward the $90,400 region. While he doesn’t expect this breakout to materialize before Monday, he has his alerts set and suggests traders take the time to enjoy their weekend. Weekend Lull Keeps Bitcoin Range-Bound In an X post, analyst Daan Crypto Trades observed that BTC is entering the weekend in a state of relative stagnation. The analyst suggested that this is an ideal window for traders to step back and rest, allowing for a mental reset before the market dynamics potentially shift in the coming week. Related Reading: Bitcoin Bullish Structure Weakens As Inter-Exchange Liquidity Touches Red Zone – Details Despite various fluctuations, Bitcoin’s price has remained essentially unchanged over the past few weeks. The asset remains firmly stuck in the middle of its established range, lacking the necessary momentum to either break out toward new highs or break down into a deeper correction. Daan Crypto Trades warned that next week will likely be characterized by more choppy price action, as market activity often thins out significantly around the Christmas holidays. Featured image from Pngtree, chart from Tradingview.com

Since the market-wide crash in early October, the Bitcoin price has struggled to resume any significant movement to the upside. The flagship cryptocurrency has continued to fall even deeper into bearish territory, breaching multiple support zones in the process. With the crypto market’s situation painting a bleak picture, the prevailing sentiment around its leader can hardly be said to be bullish. Interestingly, a recent on-chain evaluation puts into perspective the key players behind Bitcoin’s weakness. BTC Coinbase Premium Gap Reads –$57 In a recent post on the social media platform X, on-chain analyst Maartunn shared that a substantial portion of sell pressure seen in the Bitcoin market might be from the activities of US investors. This on-chain observation is based on the Coinbase Premium Gap metric, which measures whether US based investors are buying or selling Bitcoin more aggressively than the rest of the global market.  Related Reading: Bitcoin Recent Dips Reveal Market Structure Issue Not Coming From Selling Pressure For context, the metric tracks the price gap between Bitcoin on Coinbase and Bitcoin on major offshore exchanges (for example, Binance). A positive reading typically indicates that Bitcoin is more expensive on Coinbase, meaning that US traders are buying aggressively. On the other hand, negative readings are interpreted as increased sales or reduced interest among investors in the United States.  According to the analyst, the Coinbase Premium Gap recently dropped to a -$57 reading. As has been earlier implied, this deep negative value reveals that traders from the US are actively offloading, rather than accumulating Bitcoin.  Interestingly, this heightened selling activity accompanies Bitcoin’s price momentum towards lower levels. Thus, it becomes clear that the sell-pressure reflected on Bitcoin’s price is due mainly to the absence of US demand.  BTC Market Outlook According to historical data, Bitcoin’s direction in the long-term could go either way. While a negative Coinbase Premium Gap reading is usually indicative of a bearish phase in the short term, the long-term perspective is a little less straightforward.  In past cycles, prolonged periods of negative readings have preceded the formations of market bottoms, after which prices saw recoveries to the upside. This often happens when sell-side pressure dwindles, and fresh demand enters the Bitcoin market.  Related Reading: Ethereum Exchange Supply Just Crashed To New Lows, Why This Is Bullish For Price Hence, if this negative reading deepens and there is no fresh demand in the market, the Bitcoin price could follow suit and continue south. However, a reversal of the Coinbase Premium Gap to the upside — pushing it towards neutral or positive levels — could prove pivotal for the world’s leading cryptocurrency.  As of this writing, Bitcoin holds a valuation of $88,260, reflecting no significant price movement in the past day.  Featured image from Dall-E, chart from TradingView

The Bitcoin price has experienced a significant correction after reaching all-time highs above $126,000 in October, currently trading just above $87,900. This marks a notable 30% decline over the past few months.  Despite this setback, analysts at Citi express optimism for the cryptocurrency’s future, forecasting that its value will continue to rise through 2026. Optimistic Bitcoin Price Predictions According to Citi’s analysts, the base case for the Bitcoin price is set at $143,000, reflecting a potential 62% increase from current levels. In a more bullish scenario, the cryptocurrency could surge to over $189,000, indicating a substantial 114% increase.  Conversely, the analysts also present a bear case for the leading crypto, with an estimated price around $78,500, which would represent an additional 10.6% decline from current trading levels. Related Reading: Solana (SOL) Support Shattered, Potential $100 Test Looms, Says Analyst The forecast from Citi relies on the assumption that investor adoption will persist, particularly with an influx of funds into exchange-traded funds (ETFs) projected to reach $15 billion. This influx is seen as a catalyst that could significantly boost the Bitcoin price.  Furthermore, ongoing negotiations in the US Senate regarding their version of the crypto market structure bill, namely the CLARITY Act, which aims to regulate Bitcoin under the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), is anticipated to enhance market adoption. In contrast to Bitcoin, analysts express concerns regarding Ethereum’s (ETH) potential for growth. They argue that Ethereum, being viewed more as “programmable money,” has seen decreased activity, which has resulted in its current trading price of just below $3,000—40% below its all-time high of $4,964. Additional Catalyst For Price Growth Chris Neiger, an analyst at The Motley Fool, also attaches bullish predictions to the Bitcoin price future, highlighting that recent US job data reflects an unemployment rate increase to 4.6%, the highest since 2021.  He asserted that if the Federal Reserve (Fed) chose to lower interest rates by 2026, the Bitcoin price could benefit since lower rates typically enhance the cryptocurrency’s value by making borrowing more affordable. In November, JPMorgan provided a more conservative estimate, suggesting that Bitcoin could reach $170,000 by 2026, with potential upside expected over the next six to twelve months.  Related Reading: Crypto Payments Firm MoonPay Set For $5 Billion Valuation With NYSE Owner’s Backing Meanwhile, even more aggressive predictions from market researcher Fundstrat forecast the Bitcoin price could soar between $200,000 and $250,000 by the end of 2026, largely driven by the mainstream adoption of ETFs. Additionally, the establishment of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve by the federal government has encouraged states to consider similar initiatives. Neiger concludes that just as ETFs have contributed to the credibility of cryptocurrencies and facilitated price increases, the formation of state-level Bitcoin reserves could serve as another critical driver propelling Bitcoin’s value higher in 2026. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

The Recent volatility in the Bitcoin market pullbacks is being widely interpreted as a wave of selling pressure, but the underlying data tells a different story. On-chain metrics show little evidence of broad holder distribution, suggesting that these dips are not being driven by investors exiting their positions. Instead, the weakness in price appears to stem from the market structure issues. Why Structural Weakness Is Often Temporary These Bitcoin dips aren’t coming from selling pressure; they’re coming from stablecoin-denominated shorts. The co-founder of GlydeGG, Sweep, revealed on X that when large amounts of leverage enter the system through dollar or stablecoin, market makers don’t just let the price move.  Related Reading: The Bearish Structure That Puts Bitcoin Price At $92,550, And Then $82,000 Their mandate is to remain neutral because neutrality demands balance. They achieve this by selling spot BTC, not because they’re bearish, but because neutrality requires it. As a result of that, the price drops without fear, panic, and without real spot.  The United States doesn’t need to dump assets to influence global markets; it exports dollars. Those dollars become leverage, while leverage creates synthetic pressure, which in turn forces hedging, and hedging hits the spot markets; that’s the cycle. This is why recent sell-offs feel empty, because retail has already left. Currently, the market is rebalancing within a system price against a weakening currency, and all markets are now denominated in a currency that’s losing purchasing power. That’s why volatility rises even when conviction doesn’t change. This isn’t a bear market; it’s clearing the Liquidity Providers (LPs), which is how big players buy BTC cheaply without ever owning it. How Bitcoin Supply Dynamics Are Entering A New Phase An ambassador and partner of Wolfswapdotapp, Crypto Miners, has pointed out that the Bitcoin supply dynamics are shifting fast. According to K33Research, nearly $300 billion worth of previously dormant BTC re-entered circulation in 2025. This supply release has been driven by long-term holder sales, large OTC transactions, and ETF-related absorption, which represents one of the largest supply unlocks in BTC history. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s Make-or-Break Phase Begins: Weekly Support Holds, Momentum Fades On-chain data from CryptoQuant has shown that the long-term holder distribution over the last 30 days has reached its highest level in more than five years. At the same time, the selling pressure currently is outweighing demand, as ETF flows turn negative, and retail participation has weakened. Despite near-term fragility, K33 noted that this distribution phase may be approaching exhaustion. The early holder selling is expected to fade into early 2026, potentially setting the stage for renewed accumulation as institutional rebalancing stabilizes supply. For now, the markets remain sensitive, but structurally, this looks like a late-cycle supply redistribution rather than panic selling. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview.com

Bitcoin continues to struggle below the $90,000 level as volatility remains elevated and market conviction weakens. Short-term price swings have failed to establish a clear directional bias, reinforcing a broader sense of uncertainty among traders and investors. While price remains historically high, internal market conditions suggest that underlying stress is building beneath the surface, particularly within the mining sector. Related Reading: Bitcoin Faces Elevated Downside Risk: Loss Selling Takes Hold As STH SOPR Falls Below 1 A recent analysis by Axel Adler highlights growing pressure on Bitcoin miners using the Miner Financial Health Index, a composite metric that assesses mining profitability relative to price. Readings above 80% historically signal excessive profitability and late-cycle conditions, while levels below 20% indicate financial strain and elevated risk for miners. Currently, the index sits near 22%, once again approaching the Alert zone. This places miner profitability near one of its weakest levels since 2022, despite Bitcoin trading well above its summer 2022 price range. Similar conditions have typically appeared during post-correction phases or shortly after halving events, when revenue compression collides with high network difficulty. This divergence between elevated price levels and deteriorating miner fundamentals raises important questions about the sustainability of Bitcoin’s current structure as the market searches for its next equilibrium. Miner Economics Signal Growing Stress Beneath Bitcoin’s Price Adler’s analysis further examines the demand–supply balance within Bitcoin’s mining economics, offering deeper insight into why miner profitability continues to deteriorate. This index tracks the ratio of transaction fee revenue relative to new coin issuance, effectively measuring how much users are willing to pay for blockspace compared to the rate of supply expansion. Historically, readings above 70% indicate strong demand and a risk-on environment, while levels below 30% reflect structural weakness. Currently, the demand–supply balance sits near 38% on a 30-day average. While not yet in outright stress territory, the metric has declined steadily from local highs above 60%, placing it firmly in a neutral-weak zone. This trend suggests that organic demand for blockspace remains subdued, with users showing little urgency to outbid one another through higher fees. For a clear improvement in conditions, Adler notes that the index would need to reclaim levels above 50%, likely requiring a surge in transaction activity or a meaningful on-chain catalyst. This weakness is mirrored in absolute miner revenue. Bitcoin miner revenue, measured in US dollars and smoothed over seven days, has fallen to roughly $40 million after a recent peak. Although consistent with 2025 averages, this level remains well below revenue spikes seen during periods of heightened network activity. With difficulty remaining elevated, declining revenues amplify pressure on less efficient miners, reinforcing the stress signaled by both profitability and demand metrics. Related Reading: Legendary Bitcoin OG Deepens Ethereum Bet Despite Losses Exceeding $70 Million Bitcoin Price Struggles to Reclaim Key Trend Levels Bitcoin’s price action on the daily chart reflects a market struggling to regain structural strength after a sharp corrective phase. BTC is currently trading around the $88,000 area following a rebound from recent lows, but the broader trend remains fragile. The selloff from the $120,000–$125,000 region marked a clear break in momentum, with price slicing below the short-term moving averages and triggering accelerated downside pressure. Notably, Bitcoin lost the daily 50-day and 100-day moving averages during the decline, confirming a shift toward a bearish short-term structure. While the 200-day moving average continues to trend higher and remains intact, price is now consolidating just below it, turning this level into a critical zone of resistance. As long as BTC fails to reclaim and hold above this long-term trend line, upside attempts are likely to face selling pressure. Related Reading: Bitcoin Structure Turns Bearish As Structural Indicators Flip Negative The sharp increase in sell volume during the breakdown contrasts with relatively muted buying volume on the rebound, suggesting that recent upside moves are corrective rather than impulsive. Structurally, Bitcoin is forming a lower-high pattern, which keeps downside risk elevated if support near $85,000–$86,000 fails. For bulls to regain control, BTC must reclaim the 200-day moving average and establish higher highs. Until then, the chart favors consolidation or further volatility rather than a sustained recovery. Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com

On-chain analytics platform Glassnode has revealed the number of Bitcoin supply that is currently sitting at a loss. This comes as the BTC price continues to trade below the psychological $90,000 level following its crash, which began last month.  Here’s The Amount Of Bitcoin Supply At A Loss In a report, Glassnode revealed that the Bitcoin supply in loss has risen to 6.7 million BTC, marking the highest level of loss-bearing supply observed in this cycle. The analytics platform further noted that this represents 23.7% of the circulating supply, which is currently underwater. 10.2% of this supply is held by long-term holders and 13.5% by short-term holders.  Related Reading: The Bearish Structure That Puts Bitcoin Price At $92,550, And Then $82,000 Glassnode stated that this distribution suggests that, much like in prior cycle transitions into deeper bearish regimes, the loss-bearing Bitcoin supply accumulated by recent buyers is gradually maturing into the long-term cohort. Meanwhile, the analytics platform noted that the 6-7 million range, which has been at a loss since mid-November, mirrors early transitional phases of prior cycles, where mounting investor frustration came before a shift toward more bearish conditions and intensified capitulation at lower Bitcoin prices.  Notably, the Bitcoin price has dropped to levels last seen in 2024, erasing its year-to-date (YTD) gains. Glassnode stated that this has left behind a dense supply cluster accumulated by top buyers in the $93,000 to $120,000 range. The resulting supply distribution is said to reflect a top-heavy market structure where recovery attempts are capped by heavy overhead sell pressure, especially in the early stages of a bearish phase.  Glassnode declared that as long as the Bitcoin price remains below this range and fails to reclaim key thresholds, most notably the Short-Term Holder Cost Basis at $101,500, the risk of further corrective downside persists. BTC Spot Demand Is Unstable   Glassnode revealed that the Bitcoin spot market flows continue to reflect an uneven demand profile across major venues. The Cumulative Volume Delta bias is said to show periodic bursts of buy-side activity, but has failed to develop into sustained accumulation, especially during the recent BTC price pullbacks.  Related Reading: Why Is Bitcoin And Ethereum Prices Down Today? BlackRock Deposits Spark Worry The on-chain analytics platform noted that the Coinbase spot CVD remains relatively constructive, indicating steadier participation from US-based investors. On the other hand, Binance and aggregate Bitcoin flows remain choppy and largely directionless. Glassnode stated that these dispersion points point to selective engagement rather than coordinated spot demand.  Meanwhile, the platform alluded to recent Bitcoin price declines, which it pointed out have not triggered decisive expansion in positive CVD. Glassnode noted that this suggests dip-buying remains tactical and short-term. In the absence of sustained accumulation across all venues, Bitcoin’s price action continues to rely more on activity in the derivatives market and liquidity conditions rather than organic spot demand.  At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price is trading at around $86,800, up in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview.com