Bitcoin (BTC) started the new year on a high note after tapping into the six-figure mark in 2024. Most observers expect 2025 to be just as remarkable, with projections placing BTC at $185,000 and higher. The road, however, may be as straightforwardly bullish as expected, as the recent price action suggests sellers are looking to reassert themselves, raising the possibility of a notable price drop ahead. We are referring to the price action of December, when bitcoin reached a record high above $108,000 but ended the month negatively, below $94,000, registering its first monthly loss since August. The two-way price action formed a bearish reversal candlestick pattern called the "shooting star" on the monthly chart. The candle features a long upper wick or shadow, reflecting a substantial gap between the high and the open for the given period, paired with a small body, representing a minimal difference between the open and close. The wick needs to be at least twice the size of the body, and the lower wick could be minuscule at best. In BTC`s case, the upper wick is nearly four times bigger than the body, with a tiny lower wick. The shape of the shooting star shows that buyers initially drove prices higher, only for sellers to take control near highs and push prices below the opening level, hinting at a renewed bearishness in the market. "The bears are potentially in control," explains the CMT Association`s Level III textbook, shedding light on the psychology behind the shooting star pattern. The shooting star has appeared after a notable uptrend from $70,000 to over $100,000, warning of a potential bearish reversal ahead, which would be confirmed if prices dip below the December low of $91,186. That`s the level to defend for the bulls. Note that similar candles with longer upper wicks have marked previous bull market tops. Short-term pain The cautious message of the latest shooting star fits into the broader macroeconomic landscape, indicating challenging times for risk assets. It`s primarily driven by recent hawkish signals from the Fed , coupled with rising Treasury yields and a strengthening dollar index . Analysts, however, are confident that the Fed will walk back on its recent decision to signal fewer rate cuts for 2025, ensuring a bullish broader trajectory for BTC and risk assets in general. My prediction for 2025 is simple: higher. Nothing has fundamentally changed since Nov. 5. February will be the best-performing month, with the recent Fed hawkishness still holding broader markets back short-term," trader and analyst Alex Kruger said on X. "The Fed will swing back dovish sometime in Q1, with traders pricing more cuts back in," Kruger said.
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6 Ways to Be Sure Bitcoin’s Price Will Break The Sky in 2025
For context, Bitcoin returned a yield in average crypto exchange prices of 210% from Nov. 1, 2023, to a historical record high level above $108,000 on Dec. 16, according to data compiled by CoinMarketCap. Compare that to US stocks’ performance over the same time period, and the original and most secure cryptocurrency massively over-indexed for investor profits: Over the same span, the S&P 500 Index, the broad benchmark for US stocks, gained 45% . Meanwhile, the tech-focused Nasdaq Composite jumped by 55% , according to data from Yahoo Finance. What makes Bitcoin’s feat in 2023 especially remarkable is that it was a landmark record year for stocks. However, key analysts among the crypto X community and in traditional finance companies are expecting a repeat of the cryptocurrency sector in 2025. Below are six key factors pouring rocket fuel on the Bitcoin economy. 1. Crashing CX Balance to Bitcoin Price Ratio Based on the simple economics of supply and demand, one of the most bullish portents of 2025 for Bitcoin is the vanishing supply of BTC on crypto exchanges. That decreases the available supply of Bitcoin for sale. The remaining supply is becoming radically more precious and thus commands a higher price. Moreover, the flight of BTC from exchanges signals the intention of owners to hold their stashes long-term. That entails sustained support for Bitcoin’s price at its current levels. The balance of Bitcoin on crypto exchanges crashed over the New Year holiday to a low unseen since Feb. 2018, according to Coinglass data. Meanwhile, BTC’s price is soaring near record highs. 2. Corporations, Governments Join Roaring ’20s The anticipated entry of the US government into the BTC race is another sure sign of massive and lasting price support to come for Bitcoin. In addition to the incoming Trump Administration, which plans to establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve, a volley of publicly traded corporations are jumping into the fray. The Donald Trump Administration plans to hold onto its current stockpile of 198,000 BTC, mostly seized from criminal operations, instead of continuing to sell it off at auction. Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) proposes going further and accumulating one million BTC. She’s taking its disruptive changes to global finance in the Internet era very seriously. Japanese venture capital firm MetaPlanet’s CEO said on New Year’s Eve that he expects other governments in the Asia Pacific region to follow after the US and establish national reserves. Meanwhile, several publicly traded companies, such as MetaPlanet, VA-based MicroStrategy, and CA-based Semler Scientific, are hoarding Bitcoin to bolster their finances and profit from its historic market gains. Plus, there’s the voracious demand on Wall Street for Bitcoin ETFs. 3. Bitcoin MVRV Z-Score: Screaming Bull Signal MVRV stands for market value to realized value. Z-score is a term from statistics that means the average of the differences between a set of values and their average value. This is the ratio of Bitcoin’s market cap to the total of all the BTC calculated at its average market price the last time it moved wallets. A recent article that appeared in Forbes explains why this is important: “By factoring out short-term price fluctuations, realized value offers a clearer view of Bitcoin’s “fair” long-term valuation.” In past cycles, the Bitcoin MVRV ratio flagged the market top within two weeks when the ratio reached 7. On Jan. 1, the MVRV for Bitcoin was under 3, signaling plenty of upside left. In fact, it’s strongly suggestive that Bitcoin’s price could still double from here by the end of the cycle. 4. Bitcoin Hash Rate Tops New All-Time Highs BTC hash rate charted new records through December on a steep upward historical trend line for 2025. The Bitcoin hash rate is a measure of the number of computer cycles BTC mining machines are running to secure the network and keep an accurate, up-to-date copy of the blockchain. When it rises, that’s a bullish sign for Bitcoin’s price because miners must use electricity and tie up computer cycles that could be used for something else to run the cryptocurrency’s core software. They’re doing that to get the blockchain reward for helping to maintain Bitcoin, which is paid out in new BTC. So, a rising hash rate indicates optimism about a rising BTC price going forward from some of the most well-informed stakeholders in the entire enterprise. 5. Macro Rate Cuts and US Federal Deficit Here’s your real Trump bump for crypto assets. On top of an administration that will be friendly to the blockchain sector, Trump’s plans for the federal government over his next term will melt up the federal budget deficit. Fiscal year 2024 was the third largest deficit in history at $1.833 trillion. However, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that Trump’s plans will do this four more times each year he’s in office. That macro tide is certain to boost inflation across the economy and most dramatically in financial markets like the NYSE, NASDAQ, and Bitcoin exchange markets. 6. Urgent Bitcoin Chart Technical Indicator Bitcoin’s price appeared to be already breaking out of a classic 15-day bullish falling wedge pattern with declining volume on Dec. 31, according to data compiled by CoinGecko. Traders may have to act fast to take this ride up. The year began with a rally from under $93,000 to over $97,000. After a minor retracement, the asset could be primed for more gains even before Trump’s inauguration on January 20. The post 6 Ways to Be Sure Bitcoin’s Price Will Break The Sky in 2025 appeared first on CryptoPotato . CoinDesk
Bitcoin Below $100K: Key Factors Holding BTC Back and Potential Risks
Bitcoin’s price recovered from the most substantial declines earlier this week that drove it to a monthly low but still struggles to return to six-digit territory. With the weekly close just hours away, here are the potential risks the cryptocurrency faces if it remains under this coveted level. BTC to Close Below $100K? The last couple of weeks of 2024 were quite painful for BTC as its price dumped from its latest all-time high registered on December 17 of over $108,000 to $91,300 in days. The latter came on December 30 and marked the asset’s lowest price point in over a month. However, bitcoin reacted well to this correction and now sits above $98,000. This represents a 7.5% increase since that low. On a weekly scale, BTC is up by 3.5% compared to the valuation last Sunday. Perhaps the biggest factor holding bitcoin below $100,000 now is the ‘stiff supply wall’ that appears in its current levels. This means that a lot of investors have accumulated their BTC holdings at prices between $98,000 and $100,000, which essentially turns these levels into critical resistance lines, according to Ali Martinez. #Bitcoin $BTC faces a stiff supply wall between $98,000 and $100,000 that is currently acting as resistance! pic.twitter.com/GrDNNATLgT — Ali (@ali_charts) January 4, 2025 On the plus side, the same analyst outlined a highly bullish development for BTC, which occurred at the end of 2024. More than 48,000 BTC (valued at $4.7 billion at today’s prices) were withdrawn from exchanges, thus reducing the immediate sell pressure. Over 48,000 #Bitcoin $BTC have been pulled from exchanges in the past week, valued at over $4.5 billion! pic.twitter.com/V1agc0EtCe — Ali (@ali_charts) January 3, 2025 Where to Next? Martinez believes BTC might retest the 50-day moving average, which is currently at just under $97,000. Although bitcoin is currently above that level, it needs to close there, which will be “essential to signal the end of the correction and confirm bullish momentum.” #Bitcoin $BTC remains at a critical point. This might just be a retest of the 50-day MA before a potential move lower. A sustained close above the 50-day MA is essential to signal the end of the correction and confirm bullish momentum. pic.twitter.com/ppfEjfoJkc — Ali (@ali_charts) January 3, 2025 The analyst told his over 100,000 followers on X that he remains ‘cautiously bullish’ because the cryptocurrency could be forming a head-and-shoulders pattern that might lead to an even more violent decline to $78,000. In his latest post, Martinez highlighted that BTC has to close above $100,000 to invalidate this bearish setup, which is currently not the case. I’m cautiously bullish because for all we know, #Bitcoin $BTC could be forming a head-and-shoulders pattern that anticipates a correction to at least $78,000. This is why a strong close above $100,000 is crucial to invalidate this bearish setup. pic.twitter.com/2O1y3sEWgq — Ali (@ali_charts) January 4, 2025 The post Bitcoin Below $100K: Key Factors Holding BTC Back and Potential Risks appeared first on CryptoPotato . CoinDesk