Autor Cointelegraph By William Suberg

Bitcoin (BTC) stayed glued to $78,000 on Friday with markets “awaiting clarity” from the US-Iran war.Key points:Bitcoin stalls in its bid to recapture $80,000, as US stocks tread water.Strong earnings are needed to sustain the equities push, says analysis.BTC price support is at risk of giving way next.Bitcoin joins risk assets “chopping sideways”Data from TradingView tracked flat BTC price action into the week’s last Wall Street trading session. BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewAmid a lack of fresh geopolitical cues, risk-asset catalysts presented a mixed picture, leading to sideways movements for US stocks. WTI crude oil, after nearing a rematch with the $100 mark, cooled to $95.CFDs on WTI crude oil one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView“$BTC & Stocks started the week off strong as metals have sold off. But as $OIL has been starting to move again the past few days, risk assets have stalled and are now chopping sideways,” trader Daan Crypto Trades responded in a post on X. “Market is eagerly awaiting clarity from the conflict in the middle east. The longer it drags on and oil keeps moving higher, the more pressure will be put on these.”Macro asset price comparison. Source: Daan Crypto Trades/XThe day prior, trading resource Mosaic Asset Company said that positive earnings figures would be essential to sustain continued upside for stocks, with the S&P 500 already hitting new record highs.“With the first quarter reporting season about to pick up, it will be crucial to monitor forward earnings estimates for any changes in trend since the start of the year,” it wrote in its latest analysis.S&P 500 one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewAnalyst “surprised” that BTC price support holdingFocusing on BTC/USD, trading resource Material Indicators hinted at early signs of a deeper retracement next.Related: Bitcoin price set for best gains since Q4 2024 with $77.5K monthly close“Bid liquidity at $76.5k already rugged, as predicted yesterday, and LTF order flow is trending down,” it wrote on X, referring to data from one of its proprietary trading tools.Material Indicators added that it was “surprised” that bid liquidity below spot price had not been pulled.BTC/USDT order-book liquidity data with whale orders. Source: Material Indicators/XTrading account JDK Analysis referenced a “news-driven pump” as further evidence that the low-time frame rally was overextended.“The profile shows $BTC at the upper value extreme of the past two days,” an X thread read, analyzing exchange order-book data.BTC/USDT order-book data (Bybit). Source: JDK Analysis/XThis article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and is intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice or recommendations. All investments and trades carry risk; readers are encouraged to conduct independent research.

Bitcoin (BTC) slipped from near three-month highs on Thursday as attention turned to the weekly close.Key points:Bitcoin retraces after its latest trip to its highest levels in several months.The upcoming weekly candle close is of particular interest as price eyes its bull market support band.A macro lull comes ahead of a deluge of US inflation data next week.Bitcoin bull market support band returns after six monthsData from TradingView showed BTC/USD dropping to $77,200 prior to the Wall Street open.The pair hit $79,500 the day prior, marking its highest levels since the last day of January as the $80,000 mark remained narrowly out of reach.BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView“$BTC just keeps taking out the highs, taking out short stops without following through,” trader Jelle commented on the latest price action in a post on X. “Been a while since we saw PA like that; usually means liquidity is being generated for a larger position. The question is, when will they step on the gas?”BTC/USD four-hour chart. Source: Jelle/XAs Cointelegraph reported, multiple resistance levels remain in play in the current spot price zone, with the 21-week exponential moving average (EMA) proving hard to flip to support. Bitcoin last traded above that trend line in October 2025.With that, another chart feature finally making a comeback after a six-month absence is Bitcoin’s bull market support band.Formed by the 21-week EMA and the 20-week simple moving average (SMA), the support band was lost as support soon after Bitcoin’s latest all-time highs.“$BTC Attempting to break back above the bull market support band,” trader Daan Crypto Trades confirmed. “Eyes on the weekly close this weekend, as it will be an important one. Bitcoin has not traded above its bull market support band since October 2025.”BTC/USD one-week chart. Source: Daan Crypto Trades/XFed policy, oil seen as next crypto catalystsMacro markets provided little volatility on the day, with few cues from the US-Iran war.Related: Bitcoin Bull Score hits six-month high as 2022 bear-market fears lingerThe coming week was due to see key US macroeconomic data prints released, along with the latest interest-rate announcement from the Federal Reserve.As Cointelegraph previously noted, markets saw little chance of Fed easing policy until the end of 2027 as geopolitical uncertainty raised the odds of inflation making a comeback.The latest data from CME Group’s FedWatch Tool put the chances of the Fed changing rates at next week’s meeting at practically zero.“The cleanest tells from here are still oil and policy. Oil below $100 would support the relief case, while clearer Fed signalling would help compress the policy premium,” trading company QCP Capital wrote in its latest “Market Color” analysis on Wednesday. “Until then, the broader message remains the same: risk has stepped back from the brink, but the underlying macro and geopolitical overhang has not been cleared.”Fed target rate probabilities (screenshot). Source: CME GroupThis article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and is intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice or recommendations. All investments and trades carry risk; readers are encouraged to conduct independent research.

Bitcoin (BTC) price metrics are showing relief this month, but the risk of repeating the 2022 bear market remains.Key points:Bitcoin’s Bull Score Index combined price metric reaches its highest levels since October last year.The relief may be short-lived, analysis warns, pointing to the 2022 bear market.Crypto sentiment reaches its most bullish since January, per the Crypto Fear & Greed Index.Bitcoin Bull Score Index ditches “bearish” zoneNew data from onchain analytics platform CryptoQuant place the spotlight on the Bitcoin Bull Score Index (BSI).Bitcoin has finally entered “neutral” territory with its push to $78,000, the latest BSI data confirms, with the Index climbing to its highest since October 2025.BSI incorporates nine price metrics to give an overall impression of performance. Since the bear market began, it has been sharply bearish — just as in the early stages of the previous bear market four years ago.“First time in this bear market that the Bull Score Index enters neutral zone (50),” CryptoQuant contributor Julio Moreno noted in an X post on Wednesday.Bitcoin Bull Score Index. Source: CryptoQuantMoreno cautioned that despite the pressure being off for now, BSI also had a brief cooling-off period before the 2022 bear market continued.“In March 2022, the Bull Score entered neutral territory for about a week, and then the price resumed its decline,” he added.Should history repeat, attention will be on the Index’s performance into the April monthly close, as BTC/USD attempts to break out of a multi-month range.Examining BSI readings last week, with price around $74,000, CryptoQuant contributor Arab Chain described a “balance between supply and demand forces.”“On the other hand, the current BSI reading shows that the market is still far from the area of strong optimism (above 60), which typically indicates strong bullish conditions, while also remaining above the zone of extreme pessimism (clearly below 40),” they wrote in a “QuickTake” blog post. “This places the market in a transitional phase, as investors await new catalysts to determine the next direction.”Sentiment edges to most bullish since JanuaryOther signs of a broader market recovery come from crypto trader sentiment.Related: BTC price due new highs: Five things to know in Bitcoin this week🚨 UPDATE: Crypto Fear & Greed Index sits at 32 (Fear) today, a notable recovery from Extreme Fear at 23 last week. pic.twitter.com/lmjfjh0Ui3— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) April 22, 2026

According to the Crypto Fear & Greed Index, a classic lagging indicator that uses a basket of factors to reflect the mood among investors, conditions are at their least negative since mid-January.Fear & Greed measured 32/100 on Wednesday — still within its “fear” zone while like BSI also approaching the “neutral” bracket.The Index value has nearly tripled in a little over a week.Crypto Fear & Greed Index (screenshot). Source: Alternative.me

Bitcoin (BTC) sought to match ten-week highs on Tuesday as market participants bet on a new short squeeze.Key points:Bitcoin is due a fresh short squeeze as funding rates uniquely stay negative as price grinds higher, say market pundits.Short-term targets include a trip to $85,000 in the coming weeks.Bitcoin bulls still need to clear the nearby 21-week trend line keeping price pinned since October 2025.“Cannon is loaded” for Bitcoin short squeezeData from TradingView showed BTC/USD approaching $77,000 for the first time this weekly candle.BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewA slight comedown into the Wall Street open meant that price continued to coil below a large area of resistance.Mixed signals over the US-Iran war continued on the day, with Iran denying that its delegations had arrived in Pakistan for a new round of negotiations with the US. As Cointelegraph reported, markets offered only a muted reaction to the latest closure of the Strait of Hormuz oil route.Among Bitcoin traders, a sense of cautious optimism was slowly growing.“A period of consolidation, but clearly upwards pattern,” crypto trader Michaël van de Poppe wrote in an X post. “This means that there’s likely more upside to come for Bitcoin towards the $85,000 area.”Van de Poppe gave a time frame of “two to three weeks” for that level to come into focus, reiterating earlier comments about Bitcoin’s correlation with the Nasdaq.BTC/USDT 1-day chart. Source: Michaël van de Poppe/XOthers focused on ongoing negative funding rates on exchanges, despite price rising.“We’ve never actually gotten one when the chart was grinding up. NEVER. It only occurred during the local BOTTOMS,” trader Osemka noted on X alongside charts showing past negative funding periods.Osemka suggested that “something is brewing beneath” the surface, just as BTC/USD eyed a reclaim of lost support.Binance BTC/USDT futures 1-day chart. Source: Osemka/XResponding, crypto market intelligence platform Decode agreed, seeing the potential for another short squeeze.“What this tells you is that the market is heavily short and bearish, and Bitcoin is setting up for a short squeeze. The cannon is loaded, bulls just need to light the fuse…,” it told X followers.CME gap thins with BTC up against resistanceMultiple lines in the sand for bulls lie immediately above the spot price.Related: Bitcoin can grow ‘probably a lot bigger’ than $30T+ gold market — AnalysisThese include the 21-week exponential moving average (EMA), true market mean, and average buy-in price for investors of the US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs).BTC/USD one-day chart with 21-week EMA. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewTrader Daan Crypto Trades observed that price had also filled the latest weekend “gap” in CME Group’s Bitcoin futures market.“$BTC Closed a big part of the gap from this weekend but still not everything. Market still just following the headlines and no $STRC raises for now. So we will just patiently wait and see,” he commented.CME Bitcoin futures one-hour chart. Source: Daan Crypto Trades/X