Bitcoin Faces a Macro Gauntlet as Gold Hits Fresh All-time Highs
“Never trust a weekend pump” — as the popular saying goes among Bitcoin traders, a Sunday breakout is anything but reliable.
This week has already proven no exception. BTC/USD is back at $90,000 and still firmly stuck in a narrow range, with moves up and down ending up as simple liquidity grabs.
That’s no good for those hoping for a new BTC price trend to take hold, and traders are still expecting a test of long-term lows to result from all the sideways action.
This week has plenty in store to sway price trajectory, though. A potent mix of geopolitics, inflation data and a spat between Washington and the Fed could easily steer crypto and risk assets one way or another.
As the debacle between the government and the Fed over interest rates becomes noticeably more public (and sends gold to new all-time highs), the next FOMC meeting is just two weeks away.
By then, there may already be signs as to where Bitcoin is going to spend the first chunk of the new year.
Whales are pivoting from their 73,000 BTC worth of Bitfinex longs — something that, since 2023, has signaled the start of price gains.
Will history repeat itself? While not everyone thinks that 2026 will end up as a Bitcoin bear market, analysis stresses that bearish cycles are still part of the process, and this year could well fit the mold.
As January looks increasingly rocky for risk-asset holders, Cointelegraph dives deeper into the main risk factors for BTC price action going forward.
Continue reading to discover five key topics of debate among traders this week.
Another week, another fakeout
I spy a Sunday night BTC price pump, but there’s no fooling traders this time.
Bitcoin may have tapped $92,400, but market veterans know better than to trust low-liquidity price moves.
With that, predictions of new local lows remain firmly in place.
#liquidity hunts are here to stay
It’s all about liquidity — if you’re willing to bet on short-term price moves.
Currently, Bitcoin markets are being all but driven by liquidity hunts up and down, making it impossible to gauge where a new trend is coming from.
Bollinger Bands data, however, shows no end to the squeezes in sight.
#Fed interest rates get personal
US CPI, PPI, Fed speakers and more — it’s all on the menu between now and Friday.
Add to that the criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, and the stage is set for snap market volatility.
In the background, geopolitics continues, while US trade tariffs may even be ruled illegal in the coming days.
#whales start shelving longs
Bitfinex whales are in pivot mode after their BTC longs reached their highest levels since early 2024.
When that happens, price gains have come quickly as a result.
Does the smart money of the Bitcoin investor space still know something the rest don’t?
Beware the bear in #2026
Bitcoin power law analysis is calling for the price to redress a crude imbalance and shoot higher.
Despite that, 2026 could well end up a year of struggle between bulls and bears — even including a trip to $65,000.
Bitcoin, the mature asset, can easily have a year of crab action, analysis warns.
Source: Binance News / Bitdegree / Coindesk / Coinmarketcap / #Cointelegraph / Decrypt
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