Autor Cointelegraph By Yashu Gola

Bitcoin (BTC) may head into next week’s US inflation report with less support than it had during the last two CPI releases, raising the risk of a pullback toward $70,000. Key takeaways:Cleveland Federal Reserve nowcast projects April headline CPI to rise to 3.56% year over year.BTC’s rising wedge pattern could trigger a decline toward $70,000Fed estimates 0.26% rise in headline inflationThe Cleveland Fed’s latest inflation nowcast estimates April CPI at 3.56% year over year, up from 3.3% in March. Year-over-year inflation expectations for April and May. Source: Cleveland Fed It expects monthly CPI at 0.45%, down from 0.9%, while core CPI is projected at 2.56% year over year and 0.21% month over month, compared with 2.6% and 0.2% previously. The official April CPI report is due on May 12.That keeps the inflation picture mixed. Headline CPI is expected to reaccelerate, even if the monthly pace slows and core inflation stays mostly stable. For risk assets, that is not an ideal setup. A firmer annual CPI reading can still reinforce the view that the Fed has little room to cut rates quickly, which tends to pressure speculative trades such as Bitcoin.Target rate probabilities for the December Fed meeting. Source: CMENonetheless, Bitcoin has avoided deeper declines despite the recent hot CPI prints. For instance, BTC price rallied by over 15% after the March CPI report showed headline inflation rising to 3.3% from 2.4% in February.One reason is that institutional buyers absorbed more than 500% of the newly mined Bitcoin supply, with Strategy accounting for a large share of that buying.BTC/USD daily chart vs. institutional buying market cap. Source: Capriole InvestmentsThat support looks weaker now. Strategy has paused its BTC purchases, while its STRC preferred stock continues to trade below its $100 par value. When STRC trades below par, issuing new shares becomes less efficient, limiting Strategy’s ability to raise fresh capital for more Bitcoin buys.Strategy’s weekly Bitcoin buying estimates. Source: STRC.LIVEThat weakening support may leave Bitcoin more exposed to a different CPI reaction pattern this time.In a Sunday post, analyst Killa said larger players may start de-risking around the inflation release, pointing to a similar pattern of caution around CPI events in 2025.BTC/USD performance after CPI releases. Source: TradingView/Killa”Key level to hold is the 78.6K weekly open, if lost, 74–75K is the next downside target,” he said, adding: “I would watch for liquidity sweeps around this pivot to signal the next move.”BTC wedge hints at deeper decline toward $70,000From a technical standpoint, Bitcoin is printing a classic rising wedge pattern on its daily charts.A rising wedge is considered a bearish reversal setup that typically resolves when the price breaks below its lower trend line and falls by as much as the structure’s maximum height. BTC/USD daily chart. Source: TradingViewAs of Sunday, BTC was rising toward the wedge’s apex point, where its two trendlines converge, at around $84,000. A breakdown from that level may result in a decline toward the wedge’s measured downside target near $70,000.Related: Bitcoin profit-taking may ‘accelerate’ as price hits 3-month high: AnalystConversely, a break above the apex point, which also coincides with the 200-day exponential moving average (200-day EMA, the blue line), may invalidate the bearish setup altogether. In that scenario, the next potential upside target sits in the $90,000–$95,000 range.

Strategy’s MSTR stock may rally by over 80% in the coming months despite suffering a $12.54 billion net loss in Q1 2026.Key takeaways:Strategy’s MSTR is forming an ascending triangle pattern, pointing to a potential move toward the $350 level.Canaccord raised its MSTR price target to $224 from $185, citing Bitcoin’s rebound and Strategy’s financing structure.MSTR’s textbook bullish reversal setup targets $350As of Friday, MSTR was trading inside what appeared to be an ascending triangle, a technical pattern formed when the price prints higher lows beneath a flat resistance zone.Those higher lows are a sign that buyers are getting more confident. Each time MSTR pulls back, it stops falling sooner than before, showing that buyers are stepping in earlier without waiting for a deeper drop. MSTR weekly chart. Source: TradingViewAscending triangles typically resolve when the price breaks above the upper trend line and rises by as much as the structure’s maximum height. Applying this technical rule to MSTR’s chart brings its upside target to around $350 in 2026. The upside target, up about 80% from the current price level, aligns with the 0.236 Fibonacci retracement line.Analyst Kevin Fx said that MSTR may rally to the $250–$300 range, citing an inverse-head-and-shoulders (IH&S) pattern.MSTR weekly chart. Source: TradingView/Kevin FxConversely, a pullback from the ascending triangle’s upper trendline may push MSTR into a multi-week downtrend toward its lower trend line at around $150. A breakdown below $150 risks invalidating the bullish setups altogether.Canaccord raises its MSTR price target to $224Earlier this week, Canaccord, a Canada-based investment banking giant, also raised its MSTR price target to $224 from $185, reiterating its Buy rating.The investment bank pointed to MSTR’s 80% rebound since February, saying the company had weathered another storm as Bitcoin recovered above $80,000 from near $60,000 lows over the same period.Source: XCanaccord also highlighted Strategy’s preferred-share financing model, such as STRC, as an important part of that resilience. The product allows the company to raise fresh capital for Bitcoin purchases without relying as heavily on new common-stock issuance.Issuing more common MSTR shares can dilute existing shareholders. On the other hand, preferred stock gives Strategy another way to fund its Bitcoin accumulation strategy with less pressure on its core equity.Related: Samson Mow defends Strategy selling portions of its Bitcoin treasuryMeanwhile, Strategy has increased its Bitcoin exposure for each shareholder. Despite posting a $12.54 billion Q1 loss, it bought 89,599 BTC in the first three months of 2026, bringing its total holdings to 818,334 BTC at an average cost of $75,537. Source: XIts BTC-per-share metric also rose 18% year-over-year, showing the company is adding value to each MSTR share in addition to growing its BTC balance sheet.

XRP (XRP) is testing a key long-term support level that has historically preceded major rebounds, according to a monthly chart shared by analyst MikybullCrypto.Key takeaways:XRP has jumped by roughly 30% from its February lows.Multiple fractals suggest the price is bottoming out, supported by strong XRP ETF inflows.XRP chart hints at rebound toward $12Milkybull’s chart shows XRP trading inside a rising channel that has guided price action since 2014. XRP is now near the channel’s lower trendline around $1.30–$1.40, a zone that previously acted as a launchpad for large upside moves.XRP/USD monthly chart. Source: TradingView/MilkybullCryptoThe analyst says XRP is “probably going to $12,” a level that roughly aligns with the channel’s midpoint. Momentum indicators support the rebound thesis. XRP’s monthly relative strength index (RSI) has cooled toward a historical support area near 40–45, similar to levels that appeared before past rallies.In a Thursday post, analyst JD pointed to the same RSI support zone as a potential “cycle bottom” signal for XRP. His two-week chart shows XRP breaking out of a multi-year symmetrical triangle, then pulling back toward the breakout area. XRP/USD two-week chart. Source: TradingView/JDThe chart’s projected green target zone aligns with the $8–$14 range, implying strong upside if XRP holds the retest zone.The bullish outlooks follow XRP’s sharp rebound in recent weeks, up by about 30% from its February lows at around $1.11. Related: XRP price copies 2025 chart fractal that last time sparked 66% gainsIn the period, XRP has largely benefited from renewed risk sentiment led by the US–Iran ceasefire, as well as market-specific fundamentals. These include Rakuten Wallet’s XRP integration, which expanded the token’s reach in Japan, and $81.6 million in April inflows into US spot XRP ETFs, their strongest monthly total of 2026. In the first week of May, XRP ETFs have attracted $28.17 million in inflows already.US XRP ETF net flows. Source: SoSoValueXRP still risks 2022-style bear market repeatHowever, the bullish XRP setup is not guaranteed. The bears will try to pull the price down below the channel support. This would invalidate the bullish structure and put XRP at risk of deeper losses.XRP/USD monthly chart. Source: TradingViewThe support overlaps closely with XRP’s 50-month exponential moving average (50-month EMA, the red line) near $1.33. Losing this support cluster shifts focus toward the 100-month EMA (the purple line) near $0.93, implying a roughly 30% drop from current levels. A similar plunge occurred during the 2022 bear market.This 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.

Zcash (ZEC) has outperformed the broader crypto market over the past month, rising by over 125% compared to an average 15% gain for most coins.ZEC/USD versus TOTAL crypto market cap 3o-day performance chart. Source: TradingViewThe privacy-focused cryptocurrency may rally further in the coming weeks as a mix of bullish technical and fundamental catalysts converges.Key takeaways:US crypto hedge fund Multicoin Capital revealed it has been buying ZEC since February.Robinhood will list ZEC as Zcash’s network activity has been booming in the past weeks.ZEC technicals are painting a 40% rally setup.Multicoin disclosure boosts ZEC momentumOn Tuesday, Multicoin Capital, a US-based crypto hedge fund managing $2.687 billion in assets, revealed a “significant position” in ZEC, fueling speculation that institutional investors are warming up to privacy-focused digital assets again.Its co-founder, Tushar Jain, revealed that the firm had been accumulating ZEC since February.Jain described Zcash as “the most direct public market vehicle” for exposure to private, censorship-resistant and seizure-resistant money, framing the investment as a bet on rising demand for financial sovereignty and cypherpunk-style privacy tools.Source: XZEC has rallied by over 43% in the past 24 hours, showing that traders have interpreted the Multicoin announcement as institutional validation of the privacy coin narrative.ZEC’s flag breakout hints at further gainsFrom a technical perspective, Zcash has entered the breakout phase of a prevailing bull flag pattern on the weekly chart.A bull flag forms when the price consolidates lower within a descending parallel channel after a strong uptrend. It resolves when the price breaks above the channel’s upper trendline and rises by as much as the previous uptrend’s height.ZEC/USDT weekly chart. Source: TradingViewApplying that rule to ZEC’s chart puts its breakout target near $800. As of Wednesday, Zcash traded as high as $607, leaving the token on track to test the bull flag’s measured upside target located roughly 40% above. Zcash’s weekly relative strength index (RSI), a momentum indicator that measures whether an asset is overbought or oversold, also suggests the rally may continue. The RSI currently remains just below 70, a level traders typically associate with overheated market conditions, indicating ZEC may still have room to climb before buyers show signs of exhaustion.BitMEX Co-Founder Arthur Hayes said ZEC’s target is 10% of Bitcoin’s market capitalization, a scenario that would imply a multi-trillion-dollar valuation for ZEC and prices potentially ranging between $8,000 and $10,000 per coin based on current supply levels.Source: XRobinhood listing, tightening ZEC supply adds tailwindsZcash’s breakout also has fundamental support.ZEC has rallied alongside the broader crypto market as US–Iran peace-deal hopes improve risk appetite, mirroring patterns in early April. Its Robinhood listing on April 23 added another tailwind by opening spot access to 25.9 million funded users, including those in stricter jurisdictions like New York.Meanwhile, more than 30% of circulating ZEC now sits in shielded addresses, according to data resource ZecHub.WIKI. This tightening supply shows a big jump in demand for private on-chain transactions over the past year.Zcash shielded supply weekly chart. Source: ZecHub.WIKIThis 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) climbed 3.5% this week to hit $81,325 on Tuesday, its highest level since January. But is Bitcoin’s multi-month highs just a bear-market rally, or has it already bottomed to resume the so-called “supercycle,” as some traders suggest?Key takeaways:Bitcoin may rally to $180,000–$200,000 as institutional accumulation offsets bear-market pressureSelling pressure remains firm near the $80,000–$82,000 area.BTC/USD daily price chart. Source: TradingViewBitcoin “supercycle” thesis targets $250,000 nextBitcoin’s rebound now stands at 35.70% from its February low of $59,930. Still, BTC remains roughly 36% below its October 2025 record high near $126,200. This has sparked debate among traders, with some analysts predicting a return to new all-time highs this year.Bitcoin is not in a typical boom-bust cycle but transitioning into its first “supercycle,” according to analyst PlanC. In a Tuesday post, he projected a move to above $250,000 by 2027–2028 from the $16,000 bear-market low in November 2022.His framework splits the current cycle into three phases: an initial rally to $126,000 (already achieved), a mid-cycle correction toward $60,000 (done, as well), and a final expansion phase targeting new highs above $250,000. Bitcoin supercycle illustration. Source: PlanCThe key distinction, he noted, is that the recent ~50% drawdown resembles prior mid-cycle resets, such as 2020 and 2021, rather than the deeper 70%–90% bear markets seen in 2014, 2018, and 2022.In the current scenario, institutional demand is absorbing over 500% of the new daily BTC supply, turning sharp crashes into softer corrections.Still, the thesis hinges on Bitcoin holding above its mid-cycle floor near $60,000. A breakdown below that level would invalidate the supercycle theory and reopen the case for a prolonged bear phase.”I think once BTC clears the mid 80’s and holds the chances of seeing new highs are quite high,” analyst Pentoshi said in a Tuesday post, citing the ongoing supply squeeze.He added:”In terms of probabilities, I think the lows are in and we could see BTC trade as high as $180k between this year and next.”Elliott Wave setup hints that Bitcoin’s bottom is inBitcoin’s latest rebound has strengthened the case that its correction from the January 2025 high has ended, according to trader Decode’s Elliott Wave analysis.The chart shows BTC likely completing a three-part A-B-C correction, with the final “C” wave bottoming near $60,000. In Elliott Wave terms, that usually marks the end of a corrective phase and can precede a new five-wave advance.BTC/USD weekly chart. Source: TradingView/DecodeDecode notes that Bitcoin has now moved back above its November low, even if only slightly. That overlap invalidates bearish wave counts that expected “one more low” within the same downward impulse.As a result, the bearish case has narrowed. BTC could still be inside a larger correction, but the cleaner setup now suggests the recent $60,000 area was likely a cycle low.A decisive reclaim of the $78,000–$80,000 range as support would further boost the odds of a BTC price rally toward $90,000–$100,000 next.Sellers step in near a key resistance confluenceBitcoin’s rebound is running into a familiar resistance cluster, raising the risk of a short-term pullback.As of Tuesday, BTC is testing the confluence of its 200-day exponential moving average (200-day EMA, the blue line) and the upper boundary of a bear flag channel near the $80,000–$82,000 region.BTC/USD daily chart. Source: TradingViewThis resistance confluence increases the odds of a Bitcoin pullback in the coming days, with the downside target sitting around the flag’s lower trendline near the $70,000–$72,000 area.A breakdown below the bear flag’s lower trendline risks pushing the price under $50,000.A similar setup played out in January, when Bitcoin rallied into its 200-day EMA after a prolonged downtrend but failed to break higher. The rejection triggered another leg down before a more durable bottom eventually formed.Also, the 200-day EMA served as strong resistance to Bitcoin’s bear market rallies in the past, particularly in 2018 and 2022, as highlighted in the chart shared by analyst Jason Pizzino. Source: XBTC’s price dropped by an average of 40% after testing the 200-day EMA as resistance during the 2018 bear market. In 2022, the average drawdown was around 35.5%.Related: Bitcoin short-term cost basis approaches profitability, but $80K must flip to support firstBTC price may decline to the $48,000–$52,000 range if the fractal repeats, aligning with the bear flag downside target.This 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.