Bitcoin is situated at a crucial point after a series of days spent in consolidation, fluctuating between $83,000 and $86,000. Despite some fleeting attempts to break free, the price remains stagnant, with neither bulls nor bears managing to assert complete dominance. This ambiguity mirrors the wider uncertainty affecting global financial markets as macroeconomic strains, particularly the ongoing trade dispute between the US and China, keep investors apprehensive.
With no distinct catalyst on the horizon, Bitcoin continues to lack direction, trapped beneath essential moving averages and unable to regain the $90,000 mark that many consider the benchmark for a confirmed upward trend. Concurrently, robust support around the $81,000 level has endured thus far, indicating that long-term holders still provide a solid foundation of confidence.
According to Glassnode, unrealized losses adjusted for percentage drawdown indicate that Short-Term Holders are already incurring significant losses—figures that mirror early bear market scenarios in prior cycles. This metric suggests a delicate market structure where additional downward pressure could prompt widespread capitulation, or, conversely, a sharp recovery if sentiment shifts. For the time being, Bitcoin’s price remains constricted, and traders are observing closely for the breakout that will determine the next major movement.
Bitcoin Consolidation Persists Amidst Volatility And Ambiguity
Bitcoin has entered a phase of consolidation following weeks of extensive selling pressure and increased volatility. The wider macroeconomic environment continues to be unwelcoming, with global tensions escalating as US President Donald Trump intensifies his trade conflict with China.
Despite a 90-day pause on tariffs announced last week for all countries except China, this action has done little to alleviate investor anxiety. The impasse between the world’s two largest economies continues to affect risk appetite, weighing down both traditional markets and crypto.
On-chain data from Glassnode shows that Bitcoin’s unrealized losses, when adjusted for percentage drawdown, reveal that Short-Term Holders are already dealing with considerable losses. These levels correspond to the initial phases of previous bear markets, indicating that downside risk remains high. While this does not confirm the initiation of a full-blown bear market, it underscores the vulnerability present in the current framework. Until a significant breakout or breakdown occurs, Bitcoin lingers in a state of uncertainty.

Bitcoin is presently trading beneath essential moving averages, lacking the momentum to recover despite rebounding from short-term support levels. This indicates a market still influenced by uncertainty and devoid of a definitive catalyst. The $90K threshold remains a pivotal point that bulls must reclaim to shift market sentiment, while the $81K area serves as an important support level for now.
BTC Price Faces Challenges Below Key Levels As Market Awaits Confirmation
Bitcoin is currently valued at $84,900 after lingering several days just below the 200-day exponential moving average (EMA) situated around $85,000. Despite maintaining above the $83,000 support range, bulls have not succeeded in reclaiming crucial moving averages that would signal revived momentum. The 200-day simple moving average (SMA), presently around $88,000, remains the primary resistance level that needs to be surpassed for a genuine recovery rally to commence.

The price movements indicate uncertainty as buyers hesitate to take action amid ongoing macroeconomic unpredictability and global tensions. BTC’s failure to close decisively above the EMA keeps the market in a state of cautious optimism. The bulls need to reclaim both the 200-day EMA and the 200-day SMA to confirm a bullish trend reversal and attempt to retest the $90,000 level.
Nonetheless, a breakdown below the $83,000 level could instigate a fresh wave of selling. Should bears regain supremacy and push BTC beneath this range, a movement toward $80,000—or potentially lower—becomes increasingly possible. For the moment, the market remains within a tight consolidation corridor, and traders are closely monitoring for a breakout in either direction. A significant shift will likely influence Bitcoin’s forthcoming major trend.
Featured image from Dall-E, chart from TradingView

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