Is BTC price about to retest $20K? 5 things to know in Bitcoin this week

1 year ago

Bitcoin (BTC) starts the 2nd week of February successful a recently bearish temper arsenic multi-month highs neglect to hold.

In what whitethorn yet bring vindication to those predicting a large BTC terms comedown, BTC/USD is backmost nether $23,000 and making little lows connected hourly timeframes.

Feb. 6 trading whitethorn not yet beryllium underway successful Europe oregon the United States, but Asian markets are already falling and the U.S. dollar gaining — imaginable further hurdles for Bitcoin bulls to overcome.

With immoderate macroeconomic information to travel from the Federal Reserve this week, attraction is mostly focused connected adjacent week’s ostentation cheque successful the signifier of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for January.

In the build-up to this event, the results of which are already hotly contested, volatility whitethorn summation a caller foothold crossed hazard assets.

Add to that those aforementioned concerns that Bitcoin is agelong overdue a much important retracement than those seen successful caller weeks, and the look is determination for difficult, but perchance lucrative trading conditions.

Cointelegraph takes a look astatine the authorities of play connected Bitcoin this week and considers the factors astatine play successful moving the markets.

BTC terms disappoints with play close

It is precise overmuch a communicative of 2 Bitcoins erstwhile it comes to analyzing BTC terms enactment this week.

BTC/USD has managed to clasp the bulk of its stunning January gains, these totaling astir 40%. At the aforesaid time, signs of a comedown connected the cards are progressively making themselves known.

The play close, portion comparatively beardown astatine conscionable nether $23,000, inactive failed to bushed the erstwhile one, and besides represented a rejection astatine a cardinal absorption level from mid-2022.

“BTC is failing its retest of ~$23400 for the clip being,” fashionable trader and expert Rekt Capital summarized astir the taxable connected Feb. 5.

An accompanying play illustration highlighted the enactment and absorption zones successful play.

“Important BTC tin Weekly Close supra this level for a accidental astatine upside. August 2022 shows that a failed retest could spot BTC driblet deeper successful the blue-blue range,” helium continued.

“Technically, retest inactive successful progress.”
BTC/USD annotated chart. Source: Rekt Capital/ Twitter

As Cointelegraph reported implicit the weekend, traders are already betting connected wherever a imaginable pullback whitethorn extremity up — and which levels could enactment arsenic definitive enactment to buoy Bitcoin’s newfound bullish momentum further.

These presently halfway astir $20,000, a psychologically important fig and besides the tract of Bitcoin’s aged all-time precocious from 2017.

BTC/USD traded astatine astir $22,700 astatine the clip of writing, information from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed, continuing to propulsion little during Asia trading hours.

“Some bids were filled connected this caller propulsion down (green box) but astir of the remaining bids beneath person been pulled (red box),” trader Credible Crypto wrote astir bid publication enactment connected Feb. 5.

“If we proceed little present eyes inactive connected 19-21k portion arsenic a logical bounce zone.”

For a softly assured Il Capo of Crypto, meanwhile, it is already crunch clip erstwhile it comes to the inclination reversal. A protagonist of caller macro lows passim the January gains, the trader and societal media pundit argued that breaking beneath $22,500 would beryllium “bearish confirmation.”

“Current carnivore marketplace rally has created the cleanable situation for radical to support buying each the dips erstwhile the existent inclination reverses,” helium wrote during a Twitter debate.

“Perfect script for a capitulation lawsuit successful the adjacent fewer weeks.”
BTC/USD 1-day candle illustration (Bitstamp). Source: TradingView

Fed officials to talk arsenic marketplace eyes CPI

The week successful macro looks decidedly calm compared to the commencement of February, with little successful the mode of information and much by mode of commentary acceptable to specify the mood.

That commentary volition travel courtesy of Fed officials, including Chair Jerome Powell, and immoderate hint of argumentation alteration contained wrong their connection has the imaginable to displacement markets.

The week anterior saw conscionable specified a improvement play out, arsenic Powell utilized the connection “disinflation” nary less than 15 times during a code and Q&A league accompanying the Fed’s determination to enact a 0.25% involvement complaint hike.

Ahead of caller cardinal information adjacent week, speech successful analytics circles is connected however the Fed mightiness modulation from a restrictive to accommodative economical argumentation and when.

As Cointelegraph reported, not everyone believes that the U.S. volition propulsion disconnected the “soft landing” erstwhile it comes to lowering ostentation and volition alternatively acquisition a recession.

“DON't beryllium amazed if the word "soft-landing" remains astir for a portion earlier the rug being pulled successful Q3 oregon Q4 this year,” capitalist Andy West, co-founder of Longlead Capital Partners and HedgQuarters, concluded successful a dedicated Twitter thread astatine the weekend.

In the meantime, it whitethorn beryllium a lawsuit of concern arsenic usual, however, with smaller complaint hikes aft Powell’s “mini triumph lap” implicit declining inflation, further investigation argues.

“Personally, my content is that the Fed volition astir apt rise by +0.25% successful the upcoming 2 meetings (March & May),” Caleb Franzen, elder marketplace expert astatine CubicAnalytics, wrote successful a blog post connected Feb. 4.

“Of course, each aboriginal actions by the Fed volition beryllium babelike connected the continued improvement of ostentation information & broader macroeconomic conditions.”

Franzen acknowledged that portion recession was not presently an apt statement of the U.S. economy, conditions could inactive worsen going forward, referencing 3 specified cases successful past years.

Closer to home, adjacent week’s CPI merchandise is already connected the radar for many. The grade to which January’s information supports the waning ostentation communicative should beryllium key.

“Post-FOMC, we person a heap of 2nd tier information releases including the important ISM services and NFP,” trading steadfast QCP Capital wrote successful guardant guidance mailed to Telegram transmission subscribers past week.

“However the decider volition beryllium the Valentine's Day CPI - and we deliberation determination are upside risks to that release.”
U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) chart. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Miner "relief" contrasts with BTC sales

Turning to Bitcoin, it is web fundamentals presently offering immoderate stableness amid a turbulent environment.

According to existent estimates from BTC.com, trouble is unchangeable astatine all-time highs, with lone a humble antagonistic readjustment forecast successful six days’ time.

This could good extremity up affirmative depending connected Bitcoin terms action, however, and a look astatine hash complaint data suggests that miners stay successful fierce competition.

Bitcoin miner nett presumption alteration chart. Source: Glassnode

A countertrend comes successful the signifier of miners’ economical behavior. The latest information from on-chain analytics steadfast Glassnode shows that income of BTC by miners proceed to increase, with their reserves dropping faster implicit 30-day periods.

Reserves correspondingly totaled their lowest successful a period connected Feb. 6, with miners’ equilibrium astatine 1,822,605.594 BTC.

Overall, however, existent terms enactment has provided “relief” for miners, Philip Swift, co-founder of trading suite Decentrader says.

In a tweet past week, Swift referenced the Puell Multiple, a measurement of comparative worth of BTC mined, which has near its “capitulation zone” to bespeak amended profitability.

“After 191 days successful capitulation zone, the Puell Multiple has rallied. Showing alleviation for miners via accrued gross and apt reduced merchantability pressure,” helium commented.

Bitcoin Puell Multiple annotated chart. Source: Philip Swift/ Twitter

NVT suggests volatility volition footwear in

Some on-chain information is inactive surging up contempt the slowdown successful BTC terms gains.

Of involvement this week is Bitcoin’s web worth to transaction (NVT) signal, which is present astatine levels not seen successful nearly 2 years.

NVT awesome measures the worth of BTC transferred on-chain against the Bitcoin marketplace cap. It is an adaption of the NVT ratio indicator, but uses a 90-day moving mean of transaction measurement alternatively of earthy data.

NVT astatine multi-year highs whitethorn beryllium origin for interest — web valuation is comparatively precocious compared to worth transferred, a script which whitethorn beryllium “unsustainable,” successful the words of its creator, Willy Woo.

Bitcoin NVT awesome chart. Source: Glassnode/ Twitter

As Cointelegraph reported precocious past year, however, determination are aggregate nuances to NVT which marque its assorted incarnations diverge from 1 different to supply a analyzable representation of on-chain worth astatine a fixed price.

“Bitcoin's NVT is showing indications of worth normalization and the commencement of a caller marketplace regime,” Charles Edwards, CEO of crypto concern steadfast Capriole, commented astir a further tweak of NVT, dubbed dynamic scope NVT, connected Feb. 6.

“The connection is the aforesaid further done past and much often than not it is bully quality successful the mid- to long-term. In the short-term, this is simply a spot we typically spot volatility.”
Bitcoin dynamic scope NVT ratio chart. Source: Charles Edwards/ Twitter

Small Bitcoin wallet amusement "trader optimism"

In a glimmer of hope, on-chain probe steadfast Santiment notes that the fig of smaller Bitcoin wallets has ballooned this year.

Related: Bitcoin, Ethereum and prime altcoins acceptable to resume rally contempt February slump

Since BTC/USD crossed the $20,000 people erstwhile much connected Jan. 13, 620,000 wallets with a maximum of 0.1 BTC person reappeared.

That event, Santiment says, marks the infinitesimal erstwhile “FOMO returned” to the market, and the consequent maturation successful wallet numbers means that these are astatine their highest since Nov. 19.

“There person been ~620k tiny Bitcoin addresses that person popped backmost up connected the web since FOMO returned connected January 13th erstwhile terms regained $20k,” Twitter commentary confirmed connected Feb. 6.

“These 0.1 BTC oregon little addresses grew dilatory successful 2022, but 2023 is showing a instrumentality of trader optimism.”
Bitcoin wallet addresses vs. BTC/USD annotated chart. Source: Santiment/ Twitter

A look astatine the Crypto Fear & Greed Index meantime shows “greed” inactive being the superior statement of marketplace sentiment.

On Jan. 30, the Index deed its “greediest” since Bitcoin’s November 2021 all-time highs.

Crypto Fear & Greed Index (screenshot). Source: Alternative.me

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed present are the authors’ unsocial and bash not needfully bespeak oregon correspond the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

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