Bitcoin Price Forecast - BTC-USD Breaks $95K Wall as Spot Demand Drives Fresh Squeeze

Bitcoin Price Forecast - BTC-USD Breaks $95K Wall as Spot Demand Drives Fresh Squeeze

BTC-USD trades around $95K–$96.5K after a spot-led rally, $849M ETF inflows and $269M–$591M in short liquidations; bulls eye the $100K magnet while supports cluster at $93K, $90K and deeper at $82K–$74K | That's TradingNEWS

TradingNEWS Archive 1/14/2026 5:03:43 PM
Crypto BTC/USD BTC USD

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) Between 90K Support And 100K Magnet

Price Snapshot And Immediate Trading Range For BTC-USD

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) trades in the mid-$90,000s after a sharp rebound from the $90,000 area. Recent prints include $95,190 and $95,210.60 on spot markets, with a spike to around $96,500, before a slight pullback toward roughly $95,120. The tape has shifted from a soft consolidation in the high-$80,000s and low-$90,000s into a direct test of the upper band near $94,000–$96,000. The move is strong in both percentage and structure: a single-day gain of about 4.6–4.7 percent from the $90,000–$92,000 base brought BTC-USD back to levels last seen in late November. The market is now sitting in a zone where the next decisive move will either validate a breakout toward $100,000 or confirm that this is still a sideways range.

Major Resistance Bands From 94,000 To 107,461.75 In BTC-USD

The first critical barrier for BTC-USD has been the resistance area between approximately $94,095.33 and $94,766.54, formed by the mid-November low and the December–early January highs. For weeks, every attempt to reclaim that corridor failed, keeping Bitcoin pinned below it. The latest rally finally carried price through that band, with spot trading as high as $96,500, placing BTC-USD decisively inside the broader $94,000–$96,000 resistance zone. Above that band, the psychological $100,000 level is the next obvious magnet, followed by the 11 November peak at $107,461.75, which still marks the all-time high. As long as price remains under that $107,461.75 cap and under longer-term moving averages, the market is in a recovery phase, not yet in open blue sky.

Support Ladder From 93,104.72 Down To 80,619.71 In BTC-USD

Underneath spot, BTC-USD now has a stacked set of supports that define the downside if the current breakout fails. The nearest structural level is the late-November high at $93,104.72, which has flipped from resistance into a short-term support pivot. Below that, the 55-day simple moving average stands near $89,596.11, almost aligned with the 8 January low around $89,226 and the wider $89,000–$90,000 region where buyers stepped in during this latest selloff. If that entire $89,596–$89,226 zone is lost, the market opens deeper levels: the round $88,000 area, the early-December low around $83,871.20 and finally the November trough near $80,619.71. From the current $95,000 region, a move back to $83,871 implies roughly 12 percent downside, and a full retest of $80,619.71 implies around 15 percent.

Consolidation Framework And The 74,000–68,000 Risk Window For BTC-USD

On a higher timeframe, BTC-USD is still operating inside a broad consolidation corridor. The upper band sits at $94,000–$96,000, just tested and temporarily pierced. The lower band is anchored in the $82,000–$85,000 range, defined by the cluster of lows from late 2025. Overlaying moving averages gives additional context: the 50-day moving average is around $89,735 and has just been reclaimed, while the 200-day simple moving average near $106,120 still hangs overhead and continues to mark a bearish primary trend. That structural tension explains why some technical roadmaps still carry medium-term downside targets around $74,000 and $68,000. Those levels correspond to last April’s low and a weekly chart extension. If the breakout above $94,000–$96,000 fades and the 200-day at $106,120 remains firm resistance, a slide back through $89,596 and $89,226 opens the way toward the $82,000–$85,000 band and, if selling accelerates, deeper tests at $74,000 or even $68,000.

Spot Buying Short Liquidations And Futures Positioning In BTC-USD

The most important feature of the latest move is the driver: spot demand rather than pure leverage. One dataset shows BTC-USD jumping 4.65 percent to about $95,190, with analyst commentary explicitly tying the move to spot accumulation rather than futures. Short liquidations then followed with roughly $269 million wiped out as price broke higher. A broader view across major coins shows about $591 million in shorts being forced out over the same window. That sequence matters. Spot buying started the rally, futures shorts added momentum as they were squeezed, but derivatives did not pull the market up on their own. Historically, spot-led moves supported by forced covering have better odds of persisting than rallies that are sparked solely by levered long build-up. At the same time, futures data show open interest rising and funding turning more positive, which confirms that leverage is now layering on top of the base established by real capital.

ETF Flows Into BTC-USD ETH-USD And SOL-USD

Exchange-traded products remain a major institutional channel for BTC-USD. Across one session, ten Bitcoin ETFs together recorded a net inflow of about 8,933 BTC, worth roughly $849.92 million at prevailing prices. On the same day, nine Ethereum funds drew in about 54,952 ETH, around $181.51 million, and a Solana vehicle received around 42,888 SOL, approximately $6.2 million. A separate reading shows spot Bitcoin ETF flows of around $753.7 million in a single day, almost seven times higher than the previous session. The weekly picture is more mixed: in the week ending 9 January, aggregate Bitcoin ETF flows showed net outflows of about $681.01 million, while Ethereum ETFs saw $68.57 million in redemptions. The combination tells you that institutional money is highly responsive to price and macro: it can swing from heavy buying to net selling within days, but the plumbing and demand base are firmly in place and can be activated whenever the macro tape and technicals align.

On-Chain Positioning And Short-Term Holder Stress In BTC-USD

On-chain metrics underline a divergence between larger and smaller players. Average spot order sizes near $90,000 have been noticeably larger, consistent with institutional desks or high-net-worth wallets quietly accumulating into weakness. At the same time, short-term holders have shifted into net selling, with the 30-day Short-Term Holder Net Position Change turning negative. BTC-USD is trading below the Short-Term Holder Realized Price around $98,450, which means many recent entrants are sitting on unrealized losses. This configuration typically leads to a washout of impatient buyers as volatility increases. Weak hands tend to exit near resistance, while well-capitalized buyers accumulate in size closer to $90,000–$95,000. That transfer of coins from newer to seasoned holders can be constructive even if headlines highlight selling pressure, because it indicates a rotation toward stronger balance sheets and longer time horizons.

Sentiment Fear Index At 26 And The 19 Billion October Flush

Sentiment remains far from euphoric despite the breakout. A widely watched crypto Fear and Greed gauge has sat in “fear” territory for more than two months and recently printed a reading near 26. That gloomy tone is anchored in the memory of a violent liquidation on 10 October, when around $19 billion was flushed out of the crypto market in a single episode. Since that shock, subsequent rallies have not fully restored confidence, and retail traders have been quick to cut risk on negative headlines. For BTC-USD, this means the market is climbing with a sentiment cushion rather than at peak optimism. There is room for positioning and mood to normalize before the environment becomes crowded or overextended. Rallies born out of fear, with major participants still skeptical, often have more durability than late-cycle squeezes occurring at greed extremes.

Macro Backdrop CPI At 2.6 Percent Nikkei 225 At 53,814.79 And Risk Appetite

The macro setting has turned more supportive for BTC-USD. Recent U.S. inflation data showed core CPI easing to around 2.6 percent from 2.7 percent, reinforcing the narrative that the most aggressive phase of monetary tightening is behind the market. That figure, combined with expectations of future cuts, has improved risk appetite and helped fuel flows into Bitcoin ETFs. Global equities confirm this risk-on tone. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index has jumped as much as 3.6 percent to a record 53,814.79, while the broader Topix index has climbed about 2.4 percent to a record 3,599.31. A weaker yen, expectations of ongoing fiscal support and strong performance from exporters such as chipmakers and automakers have all contributed. BTC-USD holding above $92,000 while such equity benchmarks print fresh highs shows that Bitcoin is trading firmly as part of the global risk complex. It behaves less like a pure crisis hedge and more like high-beta macro exposure with its own specific flow drivers.

Regulatory Shift Market Structure Bill And Digital Asset Clarity For BTC-USD

Regulation is moving from unclear to codified frameworks that integrate BTC-USD into the existing financial system. A 278-page Senate Banking Committee market structure bill is set to define how digital assets are split between commodities and securities, how oversight responsibilities are allocated, and which entities must register. A separate initiative, often referenced as a Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, aims to carve out developers and validators so they are not automatically treated as regulated intermediaries. Under that structure, exchanges, custodians and other service providers carry registration and disclosure obligations, while base-layer participants are not blanket-regulated. For Bitcoin (BTC-USD), these changes formalize what markets already price: spot Bitcoin ETFs, major networks such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, and key stablecoins are being progressively woven into mainstream capital markets infrastructure rather than left in regulatory limbo. Clarity lowers tail-risk of arbitrary bans and supports the willingness of larger pools of capital to treat BTC-USD as a strategic asset.

Comparison With ETH-USD XRP-USD And DOGE-USD Around Current Levels

The behavior of other large coins helps benchmark BTC-USD’s position. Ethereum (ETH-USD) trades near $3,296–$3,341.38 after a strong daily gain, but it is still facing heavy resistance at the 200-day exponential moving average around $3,637. Two previous attempts to reclaim that line in the past two months resulted in corrections to about $2,600 and $2,780. ETH-USD remains stuck in a consolidation shaped since November, bounded above by the 200-day EMA and below by a support zone between roughly $2,600 and $2,730. As long as price stays under $3,637, the downtrend from late 2025 remains technically valid. XRP (XRP-USD) trades around $2.13–$2.1551. It posted two-month highs near $2.36 on 5 and 6 January before being rejected at a 200-day moving average around $2.57, marking the fourth failure at that line since November. From that rejection, the structure points toward a return below $2.00 and a test of $1.77, the low from 19 December. That makes XRP-USD’s chart more immediately bearish than Bitcoin’s or Ethereum’s. Dogecoin (DOGE-USD) recently printed a sharp 8 percent rally, testing about $0.1497 above the 15-cent psychological level, and now sits near $0.1467. The upper boundary of a two-month consolidation and the round $0.15 barrier continue to cap upside. The 200-day moving average, around $0.1930, remains well above spot, while the 50-day moving average near $0.1379 has just been reclaimed. If the pattern repeats, a renewed correction towards approximately $0.12, the early-January 2026 low and the weakest level since October 2024 (excluding an October 2025 flash crash below $0.10), is plausible. In that peer context, BTC-USD is leading the complex but is still subject to many of the same constraints that hold its neighbors below long-term averages.

Digital Gold Angle Tokenized Gold Around 4,612.39 Against BTC-USD

The digital gold narrative remains visible through tokenized bullion. One proxy, PAXG, trades near $4,612.39, down roughly 0.37 percent in one snapshot. That level implies spot gold above $4,600 per ounce and lines up with broader commentary about gold’s advance and silver trading around the low-90s. The fact that tokenized gold and BTC-USD can both trade near their upper historical ranges while global real yields stabilize or drift lower supports the thesis that major hard assets are being repriced upward. For BTC-USD, the coexistence of firm gold and strong Bitcoin argues more for a shared response to the macro regime than a direct either-or substitution. Both serve different segments of the store-of-value demand curve, with Bitcoin offering higher volatility and higher potential upside in response to the same macro inputs.

Daily And Four-Hour Technical Patterns Around 95,000 In BTC-USD

On the daily chart, BTC-USD remains in what can be described as an orderly corrective regime rather than a collapse. After the drop from the October 2025 all-time high at $107,461.75, price oscillated mainly between the high-$80,000s and mid-$90,000s. That consolidation phase has now transitioned into a test of the $94,000–$96,000 resistance belt, with closes clustering just above the old cap. The pair has traded at times below both the 100-day and 200-day moving averages, turning them into a resistance zone, and is now trying to reclaim that region from below. On the four-hour timeframe, the pattern is a rising wedge or ascending corrective channel pushing into supply. BTC-USD has just tagged local resistance, with momentum oscillators such as RSI entering overbought territory and then slipping lower, signaling that upward impulse is slowing even as the trend stays positive. A sustained break above the wedge’s upper boundary and the horizontal resistance near $95,000–$96,500 would open the path toward the next daily supply zone above $100,000. Failure to hold that breakout and a return below $93,104.72 would likely send price back through the wedge toward lower supports around $90,000 and the $82,000–$85,000 band.

Institutional Accumulation Versus Retail Activity At Highs In BTC-USD

The current structure reflects a familiar split between professional and retail flows. Larger orders around $90,000 indicate that institutional or high-net-worth buyers prefer to add exposure on pullbacks rather than chase late-stage green candles. Bitcoin ETF inflows of 8,933 BTC, about $849.92 million, and daily net flows near $753.7 million on breakout sessions confirm that regulated vehicles remain a primary channel for such money. In parallel, futures and smaller ticket data show that retail participation has intensified near resistance in the $94,000–$96,000 zone, often entering the market only after the move is well underway. With BTC-USD trading below the short-term holder cost basis at about $98,450 and the 30-day Short-Term Holder Net Position Change in negative territory, many new entrants are under pressure and likely to sell into volatility. That mix typically produces choppy price action: local breakouts that struggle to extend without fresh institutional flows, rapid but contained pullbacks as weak hands are shaken out and a slow rebuilding of positions by patient buyers at lower levels.

 

Seasonality 4.18 Percent January Versus 13.12 Percent February For BTC-USD

Seasonal statistics add another layer. Since 2013, average January returns for Bitcoin have been around 4.18 percent, while February has historically delivered closer to 13.12 percent. In the current month, BTC-USD already logged a single-day gain near 4.6 percent and is up roughly 3–4 percent in some daily snapshots, effectively using a large part of its typical January performance in just one session. That does not cap further upside, but it does mean that additional extension higher without a consolidation or fresh catalyst becomes increasingly stretched. The stronger February seasonality suggests that the next meaningful expansion in volatility, especially toward or through $100,000, may coincide with macro or regulatory developments that hit as the market moves into that statistically stronger month.

Integrated Bullish Scenario For BTC-USD From 95,000 Toward 100,000

The constructive case for BTC-USD combines the level map, flows and macro drivers. Price has cleared the $94,095.33–$94,766.54 resistance band and is holding around $95,000–$96,500. The move was led by spot demand, backed by about $269 million to $591 million in short liquidations and single-day ETF inflows as high as 8,933 BTC, worth roughly $849.92 million, plus around $753.7 million in separate net Bitcoin ETF buying. On-chain data show larger buyers accumulating near $90,000, while sentiment remains depressed with a Fear and Greed index around 26 and the memory of a $19 billion October washout still fresh. Macro conditions are turning friendlier with core CPI slipping to 2.6 percent from 2.7 percent, major equity indices such as the Nikkei 225 at 53,814.79 and Topix at 3,599.31 making record highs, and a visible pipeline of regulatory clarity through a 278-page market structure bill and dedicated digital asset legislation. Under this alignment, a sustained hold above $94,000–$95,000 and further success in defending $93,104.72 and $89,596.11 would keep the path open for a test of the psychological $100,000 level. Crowd-odds markets are already pricing roughly a 51 percent chance that BTC-USD touches $100,000 by 1 February and about a 23 percent probability of hitting $105,000 in the same window, signaling cautious but real optimism.

Integrated Bearish Scenario For BTC-USD Back Toward 82,000–68,000

The negative case centers on unresolved trend and crowded technical overhead. BTC-USD remains below the 200-day moving average at about $106,120, which still caps the larger structure. Other majors such as ETH-USD, XRP-USD and DOGE-USD are also trading under their respective 200-day averages, with recent tests at those lines producing sharp corrections to $2,600–$2,780 in ETH-USD, $1.77 in XRP-USD and $0.12 in DOGE-USD. Short-term holders are sitting on unrealized losses below the $98,450 realized price and are net sellers, while retail flows are clustered near resistance in the $94,000–$96,000 zone. In that setting, a failure to hold above $94,000, a break back through $93,104.72 and a slide under the $89,596.11–$89,226 band would strongly suggest that the breakout has failed. Once that happens, the market reopens the $82,000–$85,000 consolidation floor, and, if selling persists, extends risk toward $74,000 and $68,000 as flagged by weekly chart projections. Together with the possibility of weaker ETF flows, renewed macro shocks or adverse regulatory news, this path would turn the current move into a classic rally-within-a-downtrend rather than the start of a new leg to record highs.

Final Stance On BTC-USD Buy Sell Or Hold From Current Levels

Taking all the data together, BTC-USD around $95,000–$96,500 ranks as a Buy for investors with a multi-year horizon and tolerance for large drawdowns, and as a tactical Buy with strict risk limits for shorter-term traders. Long-term, the combination of spot-driven demand, developing regulation, solid ETF infrastructure, deeply negative sentiment and improving macro argues that pullbacks toward $90,000, $88,000, $83,871.20 or even $80,619.71 are temporary opportunities inside a broader uptrend that still targets a full retest of $100,000 and then $107,461.75. Over a swing horizon of weeks to a few months, the position is riskier. Anyone buying BTC-USD here has to accept that a drop from the mid-$90,000s back toward $89,596, $85,000 or even the $74,000–$68,000 zone remains a live scenario if the $94,000–$96,000 breakout fails and the 200-day at $106,120 is not reclaimed. For capital that can tolerate that path and size exposure accordingly, the risk-reward profile justifies a Buy rather than a Hold. For capital that cannot absorb such volatility without forced selling, waiting for either a breakout above $100,000–$106,120 or a deeper reset closer to $89,000–$85,000 is more prudent than entering at current levels.

That's TradingNEWS