Share this article
Looming ‘Death Cross’ Could Signal Bitcoin Bear Market
A death cross occurs when the 50-day moving average crosses below the 200-day moving average.
Updated Sep 14, 2021, 1:09 p.m. Published Jun 9, 2021, 7:29 p.m.
The "death cross," a bearish technical signal biw looming in price charts, could point to trouble ahead for bitcoin (BTC) amid regulatory crackdowns and environmental concerns.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
A death cross occurs when the 50-day moving average crosses below the 200-day moving average. If that happens, bitcoin could enter bear market territory similar to what happened in 2018.
Previous death crosses resulted in additional price declines of 70% in 2018 and 47% in 2019. The death cross in 2020 occurred shortly after the coronavirus pandemic-induced market crash in March, which proved to be a lagging signal at that time.
“Speculative reports suggest that bitcoin could soon drop to $20,000 referencing the looming bearish cross of the 50 and 200 daily moving averages,” Stephen Kelso, head of markets at brokerage firm ITI Capital, wrote in an email to CoinDesk.
Bitcoin appears oversold on the daily chart and is up about 13% over the past 24 hours, marking the biggest gain in two weeks. Wednesday's price bounce occurred despite a slew of negative headlines from China including crackdowns on money laundering and mining shutdowns.
The looming death cross could limit upside moves. Resistance is seen around $40,000, which has capped short-term price rises over the past week. Although the sell-off from May is stabilizing, the longer-term technical outlook appears less bullish.
For now, buyers are defending short-term support above $30,000. A relief rally is typical after the price crosses below the 50-day moving average. Afterwards, a series of lower price highs typically confirms a shift from a bullish to bearish trend.
More For You
KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
More For You
Strategy shares register first six-month losing streak since adoption of bitcoin strategy in 2020
Crypto analyst Chris Millas has highlighted an unusually persistent slump in Strategy shares, breaking with past drawdown patterns even as the firm continued accumulating bitcoin.
What to know:
- Strategy shares fell in each of the final six months of 2025, marking the first time since the firm adopted bitcoin in August 2020 as a treasury reserve asset.
- The decline stands out for its persistence, as past selloffs were often followed by sharp rebounds.
- The stock sharply underperformed both bitcoin and the Nasdaq 100 despite the firm's continued BTC purchases.
Top Stories
