A Big Pump or a Painful Decline: What’s Next for BTC?
The leading cryptocurrency appears to be at a crossroads, with a major indicator signaling that it could be on the verge of a major move.
Many analysts believe that an upward trend is the most likely scenario, while renewed interest from institutional investors supports this outlook.
A big action on the way?
Earlier this week, analyst Cantonese Cat noted that Bitcoin’s monthly Bollinger bands saw their biggest squeeze on record. The indicator, created by John Bollinger, consists of a moving average with upper and lower bands that increase and contract depending on market turbulence.
When these channels tighten, it means that volatility has fallen to unusually low levels – a pattern that often precedes a major move, even if the direction (up or down) remains unknown.
It is important to note that in previous cases, band tightening was indeed followed by large price swings. Such a development was observed in early October last year, when BTC was trading at around $120,000. Shortly after, the valuation hit a new all-time high above $126,000 and then experienced a massive correction.
Many analysts believe that the leading cryptocurrency, which currently trades around $78,400, is more likely to head north in the near term. User X CRYPTOWZRD, for example, was eyeing a substantial upside in the event of a break above $79,200.
For his part, Ted made a rather conservative prediction, saying that the asset could see a sharp decline if it breaks the key support level of $76,000.
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The entirely bullish factors
While the tightening of Bollinger bands cannot automatically be called an optimistic sign for the asset, recent inflows into spot BTC ETFs entirely favor the bulls.
Data shows that these products have experienced a consecutive 8-day green streak: a phenomenon last seen in October 2025. Such consistent demand signals strong institutional appetite, reducing the supply available in the market as it requires ETF issuers to collateralize their clients’ shares with real BTC.
The decrease in the amount of coins stored on crypto exchanges is also worth monitoring. Just hours ago, that figure fell to a seven-year low of around 2.6 million, suggesting that investors are continuing to abandon centralized platforms and turn to self-custody methods. This, in turn, reduces immediate selling pressure.
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