Bitcoin (BTC) hovered adjacent $118,348 connected Sunday, up 0.39% successful 24 hours, arsenic 2 analysts outlined paths that could trial traders’ nerves: a dip toward $108K–$112K oregon a drawn-out scope with country for altcoins.
Lark Davis argues that if bitcoin continues to slide, the astir apt landing portion is $108,000–$112,000. That scope served arsenic a ceiling earlier this twelvemonth erstwhile bitcoin’s rally stalled, and successful marketplace psychology, levels that erstwhile blocked terms often flip into enactment erstwhile revisited.
He emphasizes that this country besides aligns with 2 classical pullback checkpoints known arsenic the 50% and 61.8% Fibonacci retracements. These measures, drawn from the size of bitcoin’s past rally, are wide watched due to the fact that they often people wherever profit-taking slows and caller buying emerges. While Fibonacci ratios dependable mathematical, successful signifier they enactment arsenic self-fulfilling markers since galore traders program entries there.
Davis besides points to the 20-week exponential moving average, a inclination enactment that updates rapidly with caller terms action. When this enactment is rising into the aforesaid $108K–$112K area, it strengthens the lawsuit for support, due to the fact that method traders spot some past and momentum gathering successful 1 zone.
When respective signals clump similar this — absorption turned support, Fibonacci checkpoints and a rising mean —traders telephone it “confluence,” and confluence zones often enactment similar magnets for terms tests.
In different words, Davis isn’t predicting illness but a steadfast reset. His model suggests that if bitcoin dips, buyers could measurement successful astir that set and substance the adjacent limb higher.
Michaël van de Poppe takes a antithetic angle, noting that bitcoin was conscionable rejected astatine a cardinal absorption level adjacent its caller highs. A rejection means sellers absorbed request arsenic the terms tried to interruption out, a communal awesome that momentum needs to chill disconnected earlier the adjacent push. He expects the marketplace to consolidate alternatively than trend, with bitcoin moving sideways betwixt a level and a ceiling portion leverage resets.
The TradingView illustration helium shared underscores this. It showed bitcoin making repeated attempts astatine the apical of its scope but failing to clasp supra resistance. The candles formed wicks —price spikes that rapidly faded — suggesting selling unit was progressive adjacent the highs. Underneath, the illustration marked a portion of imaginable support, wherever Van de Poppe believes bitcoin could find a basal earlier different breakout attempt.

For van de Poppe, the connection is not astir heavy retracement but time. A sideways scope would springiness the marketplace breathing room, wide retired overextended positions, and acceptable the signifier for the adjacent determination up. It would besides unfastened the doorway to rotation into altcoins, which often outperform erstwhile bitcoin stops trending.
That rotation, helium suggests, could already beryllium brewing. Once bitcoin stabilizes, traders typically question higher returns successful ample altcoins similar ether earlier spreading to smaller tokens. Altcoin rallies seldom commencement portion bitcoin is successful freefall, but they often summation momentum erstwhile BTC ranges and volatility cools.
In plain terms, the 2 analysts are describing antithetic but compatible playbooks. Davis favors a deeper pullback into a enactment clump that could refresh the uptrend, portion van de Poppe sees a range-bound intermission with imaginable for altcoins to shine.
For mundane readers, the checklist is simple: ticker whether bitcoin trades sideways oregon dips to the $108K–$112K zone. In either case, analysts hold the broader bull marketplace model remains intact, but the way guardant could look precise antithetic depending connected however enactment and absorption play retired successful the weeks ahead.
Technical investigation highlights
- According to CoinDesk Research's method investigation information model, Bitcoin showed bullish spot successful the 24-hour model from Aug. 16, 15:00 UTC to Aug. 17, 14:00 UTC, rising from $117,847.02 to $118,485.32, a 1% gain.
- Support formed adjacent $117,261.72 aboriginal connected Aug. 17, followed by a interruption supra $118,000 with higher-than-average measurement of 2,848.15 BTC during rallies astatine 04:00, 08:00, 09:00, and 13:00 UTC.
- In the last hr from Aug. 17, 13:17–14:16 UTC, bitcoin climbed from $118,165.31 to $118,397.67, including a crisp determination astatine 13:51–13:52 UTC erstwhile terms spiked from $118,417.23 to $118,604.10 connected 679.81 BTC of volume.
- The determination acceptable short-term absorption astir $118,600 earlier consolidating adjacent $118,400, leaving imaginable for further upside aft cooling.
Disclaimer: Parts of this nonfiction were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial squad to guarantee accuracy and adherence to our standards. For much information, see CoinDesk's afloat AI Policy.