Share this article

Bitcoin Bulls Seek Stronger Move After Bounce to $8.8K Loses Momentum

Bitcoin continues to defend key support, but a sustained move above $8,750 is needed to revive the short-term bull case.

Updated Sep 14, 2021, 1:51 p.m. Published Jan 22, 2020, 10:29 a.m.
btc chart

View

  • Bitcoin needs to see a sustained move above $8,750 to confirm an end of the price pullback from Sunday's high near $9,200.
  • A strong move past that level will likely fuel a re-test of $9,200. That looks likely, with the longer duration charts flashing bullish signals.
  • A break below key support near $8,460 would open the door for a drop back to $8,200-$8,000.

Bitcoin's bounce from key price support is struggling to gather traction.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters

The top cryptocurrency by market value made a reversal from levels near $8,461 (Sunday's low) during Tuesday's U.S. trading hours, rising to a high of $8,793 earlier today, according to CoinDesk's Bitcoin Price Index.

The bulls have defended the $8,460 level multiple times since late on Sunday. Tuesday's bounce was the third successful defense of the former resistance-turned-support of the last 72 hours (bitcoin had dropped back at the same level on Jan. 8).

This morning's spike to $8,793 in the Asian trading hours was short-lived, and the cryptocurrency is currently trading near $8,630. Similar price action has been seen in the last 48 hours.

Essentially, bitcoin is generally trapped in the $8,460-$8,750 trading range and only a sustained break above $8,750 would imply bull revival.

Hourly chart
btcusd-hourly-12

The range-bound trading is taking place following a convincing downside breach of the ascending trendline over the weekend.

An hourly close below $8,461 would confirm range breakdown and signal a continuation of the pullback from $9,188, opening the door to support at $8,200 (horizontal line) and possibly to $8,000.

On the other hand, an hourly close above $8,750 would confirm an end of the pullback and could fuel a rise to recent highs near $9,200.

An upwards move looks the more likely path ahead, as the longer duration charts are reporting bullish conditions.

Daily and 4-hour charts
daily-and-4h-chart

Bitcoin created a bullish outside-day candle on Tuesday, which occurs when prices close the day on a positive note, engulfing preceding day's trading range. The candle is widely considered as an early warning of an impending bullish move.

Further, the higher lows on the 4-hour chart's MACD are signaling a weakening of bearish momentum.

The weekly chart, too, is indicating the path of least resistance is to the higher side.

Disclosure: The author holds no cryptocurrency assets at the time of writing.

More For You

Protocol Research: GoPlus Security

GP Basic Image

What to know:

  • As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
  • GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
  • Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.

More For You

Why bitcoin ETFs look like they’re falling short, even as their role grows: Asia Morning Briefing

Bitcoin Logo (Midjourney/modified by CoinDesk)

What looks like underperformance reflects a structural shift: ETF flows now smooth volatility rather than amplify crypto rallies.

What to know:

  • Bitcoin ETFs are unlikely to surpass last year's inflow record, with traders assigning only a 2% chance of beating it in 2025.
  • Despite a gap in ETF inflows, they continue to play a stabilizing role in the market, absorbing risk rather than amplifying price swings.
  • Bitcoin has been consolidating around $87,000 to $88,000, performing better than the broader crypto market, while Ether has underperformed.