• Bitcoin price shows a strong surge in buying pressure that has triggered a 22% upswing in the last three days.
  • This uptick is now facing a question, retrace and rebuild momentum or continue the ascent and tag $30,000.
  • Investors need to watch out for signs emerging on a lower timeframe to determine where BTC is headed next.

Bitcoin (BTC) price has recovered the losses it experienced by the end of last week. The sell-off was caused mainly due to failing banks in the United States which in turn triggered a depeg in major US-based stablecoins. However, by the end of the week, there were assurances that the Federal Reserve would make affected investors whole, which instilled confidence and catalyzed this recovery rally. 

Also read: USDC mayhem catalyzes recovery rally in Uniswap and Curve DAO

Bitcoin price at an inflection point 

Bitcoin price slipped below its ascending parallel channel on March 2 and what followed next was four long days of tight consolidation. The sell-off that began in the 2nd week of March accelerated, leading to 10% losses by March 9. 

As the US banks started collapsing consecutively, the stablecoin de-peg caused panic in the markets, pushing holders to swap their affected stables into other safer alternatives like unaffected stablecoins, including USDT, BUSD and TUSD. Others had a more creative approach and swapped their USDC to BTC. Some market participants purchased USDC at a discount, hoping that USDC would go back to the peg. 

Additionally, assurances from the concerned authorities were the key that initiated the rally. Following this was Biannce CEO openly stating that he would convert the $1 billion of the Industry Recovery Fund into Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and Binance coin (BNB)

So far, Bitcoin price has managed to overcome the $23,000 hurdle and is currently hovering around $24,290 after collecting the buy-stop liquidity (BSL) resting above $24,000. There is another set of BSL above the $25,000 psychological level.

If Bitcoin price manages to flip this resistance barrier into a support floor, it would trigger a rally to the next major hurdle at $28,000 and the next psychological level at $30,000.

BTC/USDT 12-hour chart

BTC/USDT 12-hour chart

Exploring BTC’s bearish case and factoring in US CPI

While the bullish outlook for Bitcoin price is mainly driven due to panic and frenzy, investors need to be cautious of jumping on the bull train at the wrong time. The upcoming US Consumer Price Index (CPI) announcement on March 14 at 12:30 GMT is a key event that will potentially turn the tide.

Typically, a higher-than-anticipated CPI number would be bad news for investors since it would warrant tighter interest rates from the Fed. A tighter interest rate, especially a 50 basis point (BPS) hike in the decision, will be better for the US Dollar and not so much for the risk-on assets like cryptos or the stock market. 

To summarize, a higher CPI would be bearish for Bitcoin price in the short-term, i.e., BTC could plummet in the short-term, causing bulls that hopped on the long-only trade late to likely get liquidated.

However, the chart attached below shows a different outlook, an opposing one over longer durations. Specifically, Bitcoin price shows a steady decline over the course of when CPI comes in hotter-than-expected

There were two non-events where BTC rallied instead of dropping when the CPI number came in higher than the consensus. 

BTC/USDT 1-day chart vs. CPI reaction

BTC/USDT 1-day chart vs. CPI reaction

So, all-in-all, investors who are confident in their bullish positions need to rethink their stance as CPI is more than likely going to come in hotter. The reason for this can be found in Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s testimony on March 8, where he described that the inflation was growing and their efforts so far were not enough. This hawkish stance suggests the possibility of the CPI coming in hotter-than-anticipated, which could cause the markets to drop, catching the bulls off-guard. 

A daily candlestick close below the $22,419 level will invalidate the bullish thesis for Bitcoin price. A breakdown of a critical support floor could potentially plunge BTC into the weekly Fair Value Gap’s (FVG) midpoint at $18,783.

More crypto news


Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page.

If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has not received compensation for writing this article, other than from FXStreet.

FXStreet and the author do not provide personalized recommendations. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this information. FXStreet and the author will not be liable for any errors, omissions or any losses, injuries or damages arising from this information and its display or use. Errors and omissions excepted.

The author and FXStreet are not registered investment advisors and nothing in this article is intended to be investment advice.

Join Telegram

Recommended content


Recommended Content

Editors’ Picks

Celebrity meme coins controversy continues amid Pump.fun revenue dominance

Celebrity meme coins controversy continues amid Pump.fun revenue dominance

Pump.fun outperformed the Ethereum blockchain on Tuesday after raking in $1.99 million. Following this achievement, a meme coin based on actress Sydney Sweeney was the subject of controversy after its developers dumped their bags on investors.

More Meme Coins News

PEPE's on-chain metrics indicate potential rally after weeks of silence

PEPE's on-chain metrics indicate potential rally after weeks of silence

PEPE has struggled to see any significant price move after reaching an all-time high in May. Increased adoption rate and low MVRV ratio indicate a bullish run may be on the horizon. A single PEPE outflow from Binance worth $14.7 million gives credence to signs of bullish expectation.

More Pepe News

Ethereum has failed to overcome key resistance despite bullish sentiment surrounding ETH ETF

Ethereum has failed to overcome key resistance despite bullish sentiment surrounding ETH ETF

Ethereum (ETH) is down more than 1.4% on Tuesday following another ETH sale from the Ethereum Foundation. Meanwhile, crypto exchange Gemini's recent report reveals that ETH ETF could see about $5 billion in net inflows within six months of launch.

More Ethereum News

Crypto community blasts Polkadot following report of treasury spending

Crypto community blasts Polkadot following report of treasury spending

Polkadot reports $87 million of treasury spending during H1. Crypto community members expressed harsh feelings toward the DOT team's high spending. DOT is up more than 2% in the past 24 hours but risks correction following the report.

More Polkadot News

Bitcoin: BTC price correction could end in July, according to seasonal data

Bitcoin: BTC price correction could end in July, according to seasonal data

Bitcoin (BTC) price appears poised for a decline this week, influenced by slight outflows in US spot ETFs, selling activity among BTC miners, and a combined transfer of 4,690.28 BTC to centralized exchanges by the US and German governments.

Read full analysis

BTC

ETH

XRP