Can Bitcoin regain $90K? Bulls at risk as long-term holders ramp up selling

Bitcoin (BTC) slipped beneath $90,000 during the New York trading league connected Tuesday alongside an summation successful semipermanent selling. Large holders besides exited their positions, keeping the downside unit firmly successful place.

Key takeaways:

• Bitcoin dips beneath $90,000 arsenic whales deposit implicit $400 cardinal to exchanges.

• Long-term holders accelerate profit-taking, selling 68,650 BTC/day since Jan. 17. 

• Bitcoin analysts presumption $84,000–$86,000 arsenic a imaginable enactment portion for a bounce.

Whales dump BTC arsenic semipermanent selling intensifies

Data from CryptoQuant’s whale screener highlighted a “second question of assertive selling pressure” that pushed Bitcoin terms beneath the $90,000 mark.

The whale screener tracks real-time deposits and withdrawals of Bitcoin and different apical cryptocurrencies from implicit 100 progressive whale wallets, moving successful and retired of spot exchanges.

Related: Bitcoin trader keeps $100K BTC people arsenic golden terms hits grounds $4,750

The illustration beneath shows that whale wallets deposited much than $400 cardinal of BTC into spot exchanges connected Jan. 20, indicated by the orangish arrow successful the illustration below.

“This marks the 2nd large BTC deposit spike successful a abbreviated play of time,” aft the $500 cardinal seen connected Jan.15,” CryptoQuant expert Amr Taha said successful his latest Quicktake analysis, adding:

“Historically, ample BTC deposits to spot exchanges usually bespeak mentation to merchantability oregon astatine slightest an summation successful disposable liquidity for distribution.”

BTC speech flows. Source: Amr Taha/CryptoQuant

As Cointelegraph reported, accrued whale transportation to exchanges signals elevated sell-side unit for Bitcoin, risking a deeper correction to $80,000. 

Other information besides suggest a organisation signifier is underway, arsenic semipermanent holder (LTH) selling unit increased.

The LTH nett presumption alteration has been antagonistic since aboriginal January, arsenic astir 68,650 BTC has been sold implicit the past 30 days.

In different words, holders are locking successful profits during rallies, including the latest 1 to $97,000. 

Bitcoin: LTH nett presumption change. Source: Glassnode

One metallic lining for the bulls is that LTH selling has reached levels that marked a section bottommost successful mid-December 2025, earlier the BTC recovered to $94,700 connected Jan. 5 from $84,000 connected Dec. 19.

Bitcoin terms to revisit $84,000 earlier bounce

Cointelegraph reported that $90,000 was cardinal for the Bitcoin bulls and that losing it would trigger different downward trend.

The BTC/USD brace is trading astatine $89,000 astatine the clip of writing, with the adjacent enactment of enactment sitting astatine $87,300, which is besides the 100-week SMA, oregon elemental moving average.

Below that, a cardinal country of involvement sits betwixt the $84,000 intelligence level and the section debased astatine $80,500, reached connected Nov. 22.

BTC/USD regular chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

“Bitcoin breaks down into the scope and starts to plummet arsenic geopolitics get worse,” MN Capital laminitis Michael van de Poppe said successful an X station connected Wednesday.

An accompanying illustration suggested that the terms was approaching a imaginable enactment level stretching from $84,000 to $86,000, and the four-hour RSI was “just arsenic oversold arsenic during the illness to $80K.”

“We could spot a short-term bounce, not a reversal.”

BTC/USD 4-hour chart. Source: Michael van de Poppe

As Cointelegraph reported, a interruption and adjacent beneath the 20-day EMA ($92,000) and the 50-day SMA ($90,000) could effect successful Bitcoin terms dropping toward $84,000, wherever it could found support.