Bitcoin open interest hit five-week highs while funding rates mimicked the BTC price collapse below $60,000, leading analysis to predict a new short squeeze.

The comments followed recent reports that law enforcement officials retrieved deleted Signal messages through device push notification logs.

AI-driven customer success strategies are transforming sales teams into lean, high-efficiency revenue generators.

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The debate over quantum computers and their risks in the crypto space is gaining traction as new insights emerge about the safety of XRP holders. A crypto pundit has shared information examining how exposure levels to these risks differ across accounts and what that could mean if quantum computing becomes a threat. The expert’s analysis also offers a closer look at whether holders could face significant risk or remain largely protected under current security conditions. 

XRP Holders Face Risks From Quantum Computers

Concerns about quantum computers and digital asset security resurfaced following new remarks from Vet, an XRP Ledger dUNL validator. He explored potential risks, focusing on how transaction activity and the exposure of wallet keys could increase an holder’s vulnerability in a future in which quantum technology poses a threat.

According to Vet’s post on X, about 300,000 XRP accounts, holding a combined 2.4 billion tokens, have yet to make a transaction. Because their public keys have never been exposed, he noted that these accounts are currently considered resistant to quantum computing attacks.

The report also found that only two XRP accounts with much larger balances, totaling 21 million tokens, have stayed dormant for over five years. Unlike accounts that have never executed a transition, these dormant accounts have exposed public keys, making them more vulnerable if quantum technology advances and becomes a threat. 

Vet explained that large, inactive whale accounts are extremely rare in the XRP ecosystem. He stated that most the altcoin is held in active accounts where public keys are already visible, but users can reduce risks by changing their keys if new threats emerge. 

The validator noted that this setup is different from Bitcoin, where large amounts of BTC are typically held in inactive wallets and have exposed public keys due to older address formats. Due to this contrast, even if both crypto networks adopt similar security strategies to defend against quantum threats, the altcoin will likely require its own tailored method to protect large, inactive holder accounts. 

This is partly because only a limited amount of XRP, roughly 0.03% of the total supply, is held in dormant accounts that could face this type of quantum risk. Given how small this portion is, it does not pose a major concern for the XRP network as a whole. 

Concluding his post, Vet emphasized that no quantum computers capable of threatening public blockchain systems currently exist. He noted that by the time such technologies are developed, the industry will have evolved and implemented effective countermeasures against these threats. 

How Holders Can Protect Their Accounts

Following Vet’s comments about potential quantum computing threats to XRP holders, questions emerged about how users could protect their accounts once funds are moved between wallets. Vet explained that the XRP Ledger is account-based and supports signing key rotation, allowing users to change the keys that authorize transactions without switching accounts. 

He acknowledged that this approach is not a complete fix. However, quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms could eventually be introduced to strengthen the network further. Vet also confirmed that escrow funds may be less exposed to quantum risks, suggesting that token escrows with hashlock could be costly for attackers.

Prominent market analyst Sminston With shares data showing that Bitcoin is now at a pivotal decision point following a price rally last week. The premier cryptocurrency commenced April on a bullish note, recording a seven-day gain of about 10%, according to CoinMarketCap data. 

This price surge amid an extended bear market has triggered certain market dynamics that could lead to a deep retrace if the current rally proves unsustainable.

Bitcoin Touches CoP Floor – What Comes Next? 

In an X post on April 10, Sminston With reports that Bitcoin’s price is within the Power Law estimate of the present Cost of Production (CoP). For context, the Power Law (PL) plots Bitcoin’s price on a logarithmic scale, with upper bands representing the overheated zone and lower bands the undervalued zone.

Meanwhile, Cost of Production, as the name implies, is the average cost miners incur to produce 1 BTC. It includes factors such as electricity, hardware, and other operational costs.  When the price falls below the CoP, miners become largely unprofitable, leading to operational shutdowns.

Today's Bitcoin price sits right at, or just barely below, the Power Law estimate of the current cost of production (CoP) floor: $73,234

As lower levels to catch a possible next fall, we have around $60k (1st quantile PL floor), and probably worst case, current CoP est at $53k. pic.twitter.com/7nIzu8NrJK

— Sminston With (@sminston_with) April 10, 2026

With Bitcoin now trading around the (CoP), it is said to be at its fair value, i.e., a balance that is neither cheap nor expensive. If Bitcoin were to lose this structural support level, the Power Law chart indicates a steep correction will follow. In this regard, the 1st quantile PL floor lies around $60,000. This would represent a normal correction floor market, driven by weak hands’ exits and steady accumulation by strong hands and long-term holders. 

In a worst-case scenario where the price fails to hold above this level, it could fall to the lower CoP estimate of $53,000. This is a deep market stress territory accompanied by macro shocks and panic selling among investors. It could also represent another key accumulation zone for long-term holders.

Bitcoin Hash Rate Settles Around 873.19 EH/s

Bitcoin’s hashrate is currently stabilizing around 873.19 EH/s, according to CoinWarz data. Although the network briefly surged toward the 1.2 ZH/s mark twice over the past week, it has failed to sustain a breakout above this level, a threshold it hasn’t consistently cleared in the last six months, with the previous occurrence dating back to December.

At press time, the premier cryptocurrency trades at $72,709, reflecting weekly and monthly gains of 9.03% and 4.13%, respectively.

First Lady Melania Trump’s unexpected White House address forcefully denying any ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and her unprecedented call for congressional hearings for his victims has sparked a political firestorm.

In a surprise April 9 announcement, the first lady addressed reporters at the White House to categorically dismantle rumors regarding her past. She declared:

“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today.”

However, the politically charged statement has failed to lift market sentiment around the MELANIA token.

Melania Trump denies links with Jeffrey Epstein

The first lady also took aim at what she described as “mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation” by individuals she called devoid of ethical standards.

Melania Trump's remarks were sweeping in their scope. She forcefully rebutted persistent online rumors that Epstein was the one who introduced her to Donald Trump.

“I am not Epstein’s victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump,” she said, noting that her initial encounter with her husband occurred by chance at a New York City party in 1998, a meeting documented in her book, MELANIA. A book by Michael Wolff had claimed she was first introduced to her husband through a modeling agent tied to Epstein.

The first lady also clarified that her first encounter with Epstein was in 2000 at a shared event, noting that “overlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach.”

Attempting to sever any perceived ties to Epstein’s inner circle, Melania Trump minimized her past communications with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s convicted accomplice. She stated:

“My email reply to Maxwell cannot be categorized as anything more than casual correspondence.”

The first lady also addressed a widely circulated, digitally altered image that social media users falsely claimed was shared by French President Emmanuel Macron, purporting to show her alongside Epstein.

She warned:

“Numerous fake images and statements about Epstein and me have been circulating on social media for years now. These images and stories are completely false.”

In her speech, she noted that her legal team has already successfully forced retractions and apologies from entities such as The Daily Beast, James Carville, and Harper's Collins UK.

At the end of her speech, the first lady made a direct appeal to lawmakers to investigate the broader network surrounding the disgraced financier. She stated:

“I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors. Give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress, with the power of sworn testimony… Then, and only then, will we have the truth.”

Notably, President Donald Trump has also repeatedly denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein. However, the president has faced sustained pressure to detail his knowledge of Epstein's sprawling web of influence.

MELANIA price struggles continue

However, the political spectacle has landed with a thud in the crypto market.

The first lady’s namesake cryptocurrency, the MELANIA token, continues to languish near historic lows, entirely unfazed by the renewed media spotlight.

The failure of such a high-profile, controversy-laden public appearance to generate even a temporary uptrend reflects the evaporating speculative interest in politically themed meme coins.

According to CryptoSlate data, the token is currently trading at roughly $0.10, down more than 3% over the past 24 hours despite wall-to-wall cable news coverage of her remarks. More notably, MELANIA has plunged approximately 99% from its January 2025 peak of $13.70.

The disconnect between the political uproar and the crypto market's indifference is stark.

In the crypto ecosystem, the “attention economy” typically dictates that this kind of public appearance is good for meme coins, which thrive on virality and name recognition rather than underlying utility.

Yet, the gravity of the Epstein scandal appears to have overridden the typical market mechanics.

The post Melania Trump’s surprise Epstein denial fails to halt 99% crash of her memecoin appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin might trade around the clock, but its liquidity doesn't anymore. The asset that was supposed to become more resilient after absorbing billions in institutional capital through ETFs has instead developed a split personality, one that looks deep and orderly during New York trading hours and considerably more fragile once Wall Street's desks go dark.

Fresh data from Kaiko published this week quantifies what many traders have felt for a while: the same ETF-driven maturation that deepened Bitcoin's weekday market has hollowed out its weekend trading, creating a two-tier trading environment where smaller participants absorb a disproportionate share of risk.

Since spot Bitcoin ETFs launched in January 2024, institutional participation has concentrated during US weekday sessions, pushing the share of trading volume occurring in those hours to roughly 47%, according to Kaiko's analysis.

Weekday volumes now consistently run at double weekend levels, a gap that has widened throughout 2025 and into 2026 as institutional allocations have grown. The promise of a uniform 24/7 market, the feature that was supposed to distinguish crypto from everything else in finance, is weakening in practice because Bitcoin is still open every Saturday and Sunday, while the capital that provides its depth isn't.

BTC still trades 24/7, but serious liquidity is becoming more selective

The shift is seen in what traders call orderbook depth, the total dollar value of buy and sell orders sitting within a given distance of the current price. It's an important measure of liquidity, as it functions as a rough measure of how much selling or buying a market can absorb before the price starts moving against you.

Kaiko tracks depth at 1% from the midpoint, meaning all the resting orders within one percent above and below the current Bitcoin price, and that figure varies enormously depending on where you trade. Binance consistently provides around $30 million in depth at that level, while Coinbase ranges between $16 million and $20 million.

Secondary exchanges, including Gemini, Bybit, and OKX, typically show $10 million to $15 million in volume, producing a two-to-three-times differential that translates directly into worse prices for anyone placing a meaningful order on the wrong platform.

That differential doesn't remain stable under stress, and in fact, it tends to blow out almost exactly when it would be most costly. During the tariff-driven sell-off last October, BTC spot prices diverged materially across venues within minutes, with Binance quoting $102,318, OKX showing $102,142, and Bybit lagging at $101,675, a $643 spread that persisted for several minutes rather than the seconds one would expect if the usual automated arbitrage mechanisms were closing gaps efficiently.

The pattern repeated during March 2026's geopolitical escalation in the Middle East, when the cost of trading BTC-USDT on Bybit surged 230% from its normal level, with similar spikes on OKX and Binance. Both episodes began on weekends, when institutional participants had already stepped away, and order books were at their thinnest.

When Wall Street closes, the gap between “the price” and your price can widen fast

This has some very real and tangible consequences. On Feb. 1, Bitcoin price plunged below $78,000 on a Saturday afternoon, triggering roughly $2.2 billion in liquidations across more than 335,000 traders within 24 hours.

The drawdown was amplified by structurally thin weekend liquidity rather than by any crypto-specific fundamental breakdown, meaning the market wasn't responding to bad news about Bitcoin so much as to the mechanical reality that fewer participants were present to absorb selling pressure.

A subsequent VanEck analysis of the broader February sell-off found that Bitcoin's single-day price move on Feb. 5 ranked among the fastest crashes in the asset's recorded history by statistical measures of speed and magnitude, the kind of extreme event that probability models would predict almost never occurs, yet has now surfaced twice in five months.

A trader buying or selling on a Saturday evening, or on any secondary venue during elevated volatility, may not receive anything close to the consensus Bitcoin price they believe they're transacting at.

The gap between the quoted price and the executed price tends to widen when the consequences of a bad fill are most severe, and that asymmetry falls hardest on the participants who lack the institutional infrastructure to wait for better conditions.

While retail traders clearly still participate in crypto, Kaiko's research suggests they've been pushed into the thinner, less protected parts of it. In terms of time, retail is more exposed during off-hours and weekends, the periods when ETF flows are inactive and institutional market-making retreats.

In terms of geography, retail remains dominant in markets that don't resemble the US ETF-driven Bitcoin trade at all, with South Korea continuing to run heavily on retail participation and altcoin volume while Turkey's crypto activity reflects macro-stress hedging and stablecoin demand rather than the institutional activity we've seen surge in the US.

There's also an asset dimension to the split.

Institutional capital, channeled through ETFs and prime brokerage arrangements, has standardized Bitcoin trading more than anything else in crypto, concentrating sophisticated market-making and deep liquidity around BTC, leaving the rest of the landscape (altcoins, local-currency pairs, smaller platforms) with thinner coverage and less professional support. Speculative and fragmented activity persists in abundance across the broader market, just not in the same exchanges and hours that institutions have colonized.

Same Bitcoin, different market quality

What emerges from this data is something that's increasingly difficult to deny: there may now be two Bitcoin markets running in parallel. A deeper, more efficient, institution-shaped weekday market accessible through ETFs and prime venues, and a thinner, more volatile off-hours market where smaller traders are more likely to be present and more likely to bear the cost of poor execution.

In theory, Bitcoin is the same asset for everyone, but in practice, the quality of the market you encounter depends heavily on when you trade and where you trade.

None of this is an argument that ETFs broke Bitcoin. Institutional participation has brought real benefits, including deeper aggregate liquidity, tighter average spreads during normal conditions, and a degree of legitimacy that none of the previous cycles had.

Cumulative net inflows into US spot Bitcoin ETFs still sit around $53 to $54 billion since launch, even after heavy outflows in early 2026, and they've absorbed enormous capital and survived genuine volatility without collapsing.

But the same forces that improved Bitcoin's best hours appear to have exposed how uneven the market becomes when that participation recedes, delivering maturity for some sessions while leaving fragility in others.

The post How institutions made Bitcoin a weekday market so retail takes on all the weekend risk appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the Middle East’s biggest aluminium producer, has paused some of its supply contracts.

Bloomberg reports this happened after Iranian missiles and drones damaged its main Al Taweelah smelter on March 28.

Gulf Aluminium Crisis Deepens

Force majeure is a legal term (French for “superior force”) that refers to unforeseeable, extraordinary events beyond a party’s control, such as wars, natural disasters, or pandemics, that prevent a party from fulfilling a contract.

When a company “declares force majeure,” it’s essentially telling its customers: “Something catastrophic happened that we couldn’t predict or prevent, so we legally cannot deliver what we promised, and we shouldn’t be held liable for it.”

“The force majeure on some contracts was outlined in documents seen by Bloomberg News,” the outlet reported.

Al Taweelah, located in Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Economic Zone, ranks among the world’s largest smelters. The Iranian strikes inflicted damage that EGA says could take up to 12 months to repair. 

The move signals a prolonged disruption to a facility that produced 1.6 million tonnes of cast metal in 2025. The attack came in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks on Iranian industrial infrastructure.

“Metal solidified inside the smelting circuits, causing significant damage. The company has said restoration could take up to 12 months,” Drop Site reported. 

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EGA is not alone. Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) shut down three aluminium smelting lines in early March after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz halted shipments. It was also a target of the Iranian strike.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s Qatalum was also forced to halt operations in March after QatarEnergy suspended LNG production following strikes on its energy infrastructure. Together, Gulf producers represent about 9% of global primary aluminium output.

“Aluminium is used in everything from airplanes to food packaging and solar panels, meaning disruptions ripple far beyond the metals market. This is no longer just an energy crisis, it is an industrial one,” Global Markets Investor wrote.

Why This Matters Beyond Commodities

Wood Mackenzie estimates the Middle East conflict could remove 3 to 3.5 million tonnes of aluminium output in 2026 from a global market that produced just under 74 million tonnes last year. London Metal Exchange aluminium prices have surged past $3,500 per tonne, approaching four-year highs. 

Goldman Sachs has warned prices could reach $3,600 if regional production losses persist, while Kpler analysts say further escalation could push prices toward $4,000.

The West Point Modern War Institute described aluminium as a “foundational material” for defense and industrial infrastructure, noting that the US depends on Middle Eastern sources for 22% of its aluminium imports. LME warehouse inventories have fallen roughly 60% since May, leaving minimal buffers against further shocks.

For the broader economy already rattled by surging oil prices, disrupted shipping lanes, and mounting crises tied to the Iran conflict, the aluminium squeeze adds another layer of inflationary pressure. The supply crunch compounds cost pressures on industries from aerospace to automotive manufacturing that rely on Gulf-sourced premium aluminium.

As discussions continue, all eyes remain on whether the ceasefire holds and the Strait of Hormuz reopens fully. The outcome will determine how deep the aluminium deficit grows and how far prices climb in the months ahead.

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The post Iran War Triggers Aluminium Supply Crisis in the Gulf appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Bhutan has sold over 70% of its Bitcoin (BTC) reserves over the past 18 months, raising questions about the future of its once-celebrated sovereign mining experiment.

On-chain analytics from Arkham Intelligence paint a picture of steady, deliberate liquidation by the Himalayan kingdom’s state-owned investment arm.

Bhutan’s Bitcoin Experiment Loses Steam

Wu Blockchain reported that $215.7 million in BTC was transferred out of the kingdom’s wallets in 2026 alone. In addition, the latest data from Arkham revealed that Bhutan moved out another 250 BTC around 18 hours ago.

The transfer leaves the wallet with nearly 3,774 BTC, a massive drop from 13,000 BTC in October 2024.

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Druk Holding and Investments (DHI), the state-owned fund that manages Bhutan’s reserves, began mining BTC in 2019 using surplus hydroelectric power. The operation turned a tiny, landlocked Himalayan kingdom into one of the world’s top sovereign holders of Bitcoin.

However, data shows that Bhutan has not received mining inflows exceeding $100,000 in more than a year. That absence has fueled speculation that the kingdom may have halted its hydropower-backed mining operations entirely.

“Bhutan appears to have ceased mining as of ~November 2024,” Arkham posted.

Miners and Treasury Firms Join the Bitcoin Sell-Off

Bhutan is not the only entity reducing its BTC exposure. Several publicly traded miners and Bitcoin treasury firms have accelerated liquidations in recent months, though each for distinct reasons.

Cango sold 2,000 BTC in March to retire outstanding Bitcoin-backed loans, leaving its treasury at 1,025 BTC. MARA sold 15,133 BTC for approximately $1.1 billion between March 4 and March 25 to repurchase $1 billion in convertible notes

Another miner, Riot Platforms, offloaded 3,778 BTC during Q1 2026 for roughly $289.5 million. Notably, additional transfers from both MARA and Riot have been recorded in April, suggesting further sales.

Smaller holders have also trimmed positions. Genius Group liquidated its entire 84.15 BTC treasury on April 1 to repay $8.5 million in debt. Furthermore, Nakamoto Holdings sold approximately 284 BTC in March for about $20 million, resulting in a realized loss relative to its average cost basis.

The wave of selling stands in contrast to MicroStrategy, which purchased 44,377 BTC in March alone and now holds over 766,970 BTC.

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The post Bhutan Offloads 70% of Its Bitcoin Stash as Mining Activity Dries Up appeared first on BeInCrypto.

PEPE has declined over the past 24 hours, after it slipped 3.71% to trade near $0.00000353. The drop came even with recent news around a proposed exchange-traded fund tied to the memecoin. Price action suggests that the market is reacting more to technical pressure and broader sentiment than to the ETF narrative in the short term.

PEPE Declines Amid Canary Capital ETF Filing

The memecoin had rallied sharply earlier in the week. That move pushed PEPE to a three-week high close to $0.0000037. The rally was supported by improving risk sentiment across the crypto market. News of easing geopolitical tensions added relief. At the same time, the filing for a spot PEPE ETF by Canary Capital created fresh attention around the asset. However, the upward move did not sustain. Sellers stepped in near the $0.00000378 level, which acted as a clear resistance zone.

As a result, profit booking followed quickly. Trading activity of the crypto did not show enough strength to support a continued breakout. Volume failed to expand at higher levels. This made the rally vulnerable. Once the broader market turned slightly cautious, the price began to retrace.

Bitcoin also showed signs of weakness during this period. A mild pullback in Bitcoin added pressure on altcoins and memecoins. PEPE, which has the reputation of being a high-volatility asset, reacted faster to the shift. The absence of strong follow-through buying further exposed the token to downside moves.

At the same time, no major negative development related to PEPE emerged. Market sentiment around the token remains relatively stable in the absence of core . Social metrics hint at mild positivity. This suggests that the decline is mostly technical and linked to global market conditions rather than a shift in long-term perception.

On the fundamental side, the ETF filing has proven to be a notable development. Canary Capital submitted an S-1 application to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission seeking approval for a fund that would track PEPE’s spot price. The move follows earlier filings by the firm for other memecoin-related products. It also comes after the success of spot ETFs tied to larger assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.

The filing signifies a growing trend among asset managers. Firms are now testing how far regulators may allow crypto-based financial products to expand. The inclusion of a memecoin like PEPE sheds light upon this shift. It indicates growing interest in speculative cryptos within structured financial vehicles.

However, the ETF narrative has not transformed into immediate price strength. The market appears cautious. Traders are focusing more on short-term technical levels and macro signals. The timing of the filing coincided with a global cooling phase, which limited its impact on price action.

Looking ahead, the immediate focus remains on key support and resistance levels. The $0.0000033 zone is acting as an important support. A sustained hold above this level could allow PEPE to stabilize. In that case, the price may move within a narrow range between $0.0000033 and $0.0000037.

If this support fails, the downside risk increases. A break below $0.0000033 may push the token toward the $0.000003 level. This would mark a deeper correction from recent highs. The next few sessions are likely to define the direction.

On April 8, U.S. President Donald Trump-backed decentralized finance (DeFi) platform’s native cryptocurrency, World Liberty Financial (WLFI), price dipped significantly on a daily chart. 

According to CoinMarketCap, the WLFI price has dropped by over 10%, declining its value from $0.099 to $0.089 with a market capitalization of around $2.82 billion. The daily trading volume holds around $90.51 million. 

WLFI Borrowing Sparks Pool Crisis

There are serious questions currently raised about World Liberty Financial in the DeFi community after its treasury borrowed 50.44 million USD1 from Dolomite, the lending protocol that runs its World Liberty Markets platform. The treasury put up approximately 3 billion WLFI governance tokens as collateral for the loan, which happened over the last 5 days.

This transaction boosted the USD1 lending pool usage rate above 100%. Due to this, the available liquidity turned negative by about 232,000 USD1 tokens, which means that the pool simply ran out of money. 

Deposit rates for users who supplied USD1 shot to 35.81% annual return, while borrowing rates hit around 30%. These high rates came from the sudden lack of liquidity. 

Users who supplied USD1 to earn yield may now face delays when trying to withdraw their funds. Those funds are locked inside the treasury big borrow position. Its withdrawals could stay restricted until that position gets reduced or paid back. 

World Liberty Fi has deposited 3B $WLFI (~$300M) into Dolomite lending protocol in the last 4 days.

They borrowed 65.4M $USD1 and 10.3M $USDC using the $WLFI as collateral.

This makes up over 50% of Dolomite’s TVL ($533M). pic.twitter.com/JPSSbshxlI

— Emmett Gallic (@emmettgallic) April 7, 2026

If the price of WLFI drops sharply, the collateral value could fall below safe levels. That could trigger a forced sale of the 50.44 million USD1 position. The sale of such a large amount of WLFI all at once might create a heavy downward pressure on the cryptocurrency. It might also affect the entire pool and affect the users. The treasury collateral now makes up more than half of the total value locked in this Dolomite market. 

World Liberty Financial launched World Liberty Markets in January 2026 to allow users to lend and borrow USD1 along with assets such as ETH, cbBTC, USDC, and WLFI.

Technical Indicators Point to Bearish Pressure

According to TradingView, the WLFI price is currently sitting around 22, clearly in the oversold territory. This confirms the recent sharp downfall in the cryptocurrency.

(Source: TradingView)

At present, everything is working against the project, and things are going south for WLFI. Moving averages, including the 10-day and 20-day, are now suggesting extreme sell signals as the current price sits below these trend lines. 

At present, there is strong support at around $0.096 from recent session lows, while the next resistance level appears around $0.100.

Back-to-back controversies around the project have depleted investors’ trust in the project. The drop below major support zones forced sellers who viewed the token as vulnerable after a long consolidation zone.

After yesterday’s rally over the ceasefire buzz in the U.S.-Iran war, the Bitcoin (BTC) price has also slipped below $71,000. However, it still has steady institutional flows through exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

Despite the recent controversies, World Liberty Financial is continuously expanding its operations. Recent integrations include Aster DEX adopting USD1 as the mandatory settlement asset for real-world asset perpetual contracts.

Also Read: Morgan Stanley ETF Goes Live: Will Bitcoin Price Hit $75K Soon?

Bitcoin is sitting at a critical turning point after weeks of tight consolidation and repeated tests of key resistance levels. Price action is compressing near a major decision zone, where both bullish breakout potential and downside risk remain in play. With momentum building on both sides, the next decisive move could determine whether BTC breaks into a new expansion phase or slips back into a deeper correction.

BTC Enters Key Range High Zone ($73,000–$75,000)

According to Cryptorphic, Bitcoin is currently challenging the upper boundary of its established range, pushing into the critical $73,000 and $75,000 zone. This movement follows several weeks of directionless sideways consolidation, marking a significant moment of volatility. 

This price range is technically significant because it marks a flip zone where former support levels have become formidable resistance. Price action suggests some hesitation as Bitcoin enters this territory, showing that sellers are active and defending the top of the range.

If the price faces a firm rejection at this resistance, Cryptorphic warns of a potential rotation back toward the mid-to-low range, specifically targeting the $65,000 to $63,000 support area. Such a pullback would maintain the ongoing range-bound environment.

Conversely, a successful breakout and sustained hold above the $75,000 mark would signal a fundamental shift in market structure, paving the way for a new leg of the bull cycle. For now, the strategy remains simple: closely monitor the reaction at resistance to determine the next major trend.

Bitcoin Still Stuck In The Same Range Structure

Crypto Patel noted that Bitcoin remains locked within the same broader trading range, with price action still struggling to break above a key structural barrier. At the moment, Bitcoin is trading below Bearish Order Block 1, which sits between $76,000 and $79,000, a zone that has repeatedly acted as strong resistance and continues to cap upward momentum.

Each approach toward this zone has shown signs of hesitation, indicating that sellers are still actively defending it and preventing a clean breakout. If buyers manage to push Bitcoin above this range, the next major upside target is the Bearish Order Block 2, located between $86,000 and $90,000. A move like this would suggest strengthening bullish momentum and could mark the beginning of a broader structural shift in market direction.

However, if BTC fails to break and hold above $76,000–$79,000, the risk remains tilted to the downside. In that scenario, the market could lose key support and open up the possibility of a deeper correction, potentially extending below $50,000. For now, all eyes remain on Order Block 1, as this zone is expected to decide Bitcoin’s next major move.

Bitcoin’s weekly chart is showing an uncomfortable comparison to one of the most brutal sell-offs in its history, and at least one analyst believes the worst may still be ahead. 

This technical outlook is looking at the current price action as a mirror of the 2022 macro fractal sequence that sent Bitcoin from $69,000 to a cycle low near $15,500, implying that the current cycle could see a similar drop.

A 2022 Repeat? The Fractal That Raises Concerns

Crypto analyst philarekt posted a warning on X this week, identifying what he described as “the most dangerous macro fractal” currently playing out in Bitcoin’s price structure. The technical case rests on a side-by-side comparison of two weekly Bitcoin charts: the 2021 to 2023 cycle on the left and the current cycle on the right.

In the 2021 chart, Bitcoin reached a peak price above $69,000 and proceeded to form a 3-tap structure, which are three distinct lower highs arranged within a descending channel, each bounce rejected before a final capitulation leg lower. The price ultimately fell 34% from the final tap to the absolute cycle bottom in a move that caught many market participants off-guard.

The current chart, with a cycle peak at $126,000 in October 2025, shows the same architecture forming in almost identical proportion. Both the 2022 and 2026 panels show Bitcoin respecting a slanted resistance line at the top while gradually falling within a downward channel. Each bounce fails to break out, and eventually the price has created successive lower lows.

Bitcoin Price Chart. Source: @philarekt On X

What Happens If The Fractal Completes?

The weekly RSI, which tracks momentum, is following the same pattern observed in 2022. Lastly, there’s a moving average death cross on the Bitcoin price chart, where the short-term average has crossed below a long-term average. 

This death cross appeared in early March when the 50 Simple Moving Average (SMA) crossed below the 200 Simple Moving Average (SMA). An equivalent 50/200 SMA death cross appeared in 2022 after Bitcoin was already down 58% from its high, and the cryptocurrency then declined a further 46% before finding a bottom.

If the sequence continues to play out as outlined, Bitcoin could be heading to a final capitulation move into the range between $40,000 and $50,000. At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading at $72,756, up by 1.7% in the past 24 hours. The projected decline is taken directly from the 2022 template: a 34% decline from the current price zone would place the Bitcoin price within that range.

However, the outlook is not entirely bearish after that scenario. The same fractal that points to a breakdown also points to what comes next. The capitulation in 2022 led the transition into accumulation that built the foundation for the next bull cycle.

Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView