After several weeks of a sustained upward movement, Bitcoin paused last week. The cryptocurrency traded within the fluctuation range of $35.5k–$38k, testing the upper and lower boundaries of the channel several times. Given the rise in BTC sales associated with profit-taking, the bulls' main target was to maintain the price within the $35.5k–$38k range.
Thanks to holding this mark, there was a local shift in investor sentiment, increasing cryptocurrency buying volumes. As a result, Bitcoin made an upward surge on Sunday and recovered above $37k. The consolidation above this level can be considered the first signal for a possible retest of the $38k level and further movement towards $40k in the new trading week.
Fundamental Factors
The main fundamental driver for the rise in Bitcoin quotes last week was the news of BlackRock filing an application for a spot ETF for ETH. Investors were also hopeful that the SEC would approve one of the 12 applications for a spot BTC ETF launch, but this did not happen. The regulator also postponed the consideration of Grayscale's application for an ETH futures ETF.
As for the fundamental macroeconomic background, it remained positive last week due to the continued downward movement in oil prices and a decrease in the inflation rate in the United States. More than 95% of investors do not believe in a Federal Reserve rate hike at the mid-December meeting, according to CME Fedwatch survey data. No publication of key economic indicators is expected this week, so another stage of growth in high-risk assets can be anticipated.
Whales are selling, shrimps are accumulating
Despite the prevailing optimism in the cryptocurrency market, there is a significant increase in the sale of BTC coins for profit-taking. Glassnode reports that the activity of "whale" transactions in the cryptocurrency market accounts for more than 30% of total volumes. Analysts note that, over the past week, large investors have sold more than 30,000 BTC.
At the same time, the number of wallets with balances from 1 to 100 BTC has decreased by 118 units. The number of wallets with 100+ BTC has also shown a decrease of 19 units. Meanwhile, in the last month, 1.5 million new addresses with less than 1 BTC each have appeared in the Bitcoin network. In other words, there is a gradual capital redistribution and profit-taking by large investors, increasing pressure on the BTC price but not critically so far.
BTC/USD Analysis
Bitcoin spent the weekend in relative calm, thanks to a drop in trading activity from sellers. The cryptocurrency consolidated on Saturday to make a local upward surge on Sunday and solidify above $37k. As of November 20th, BTC/USD is trading at $37.1k, with daily trading volumes around $14 billion. The Fear and Greed Index stands at 72, indicating significant demand for purchasing BTC.
Simultaneously, there is a trend of decreasing buyer activity in the BTC network. The MACD indicator, a lagging indicator, signals a substantial increase in bearish volumes in the cryptocurrency market. The stochastic oscillator is also forming a bearish crossover, which may indicate readiness for another stage of decline. Summing up the technical aspects, there is a divergence where Bitcoin prices are rising amid prevailing sales and weakness in those metrics.
The current rise in BTC is likely of an inertial nature, and the main stage of growth may already be completed. However, nominally, Bitcoin still has a chance to realize a retest of $38k as long as it holds the base of the local upward channel at $35.5k. The chances of such a retest significantly increase as the $37k level is maintained.
Conclusions
Globally, Bitcoin remains extremely overbought, and daily sales volumes are increasing. However, the positive macroeconomic background, the maintenance of key support levels, and the "greed" in the market prevent the cryptocurrency from entering the long-awaited correction. The main events of the current week will revolve around the $37k level—if maintained, the BTC price is likely to retest $38k. Also, attention will be on the $35.5k level, a breach of which would initiate a full-fledged corrective movement.
