Experts Unravel Bitcoins Stagnation Below $87,500

Potential growth for Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrency, is being inhibited by market manipulations from one or a few key players. This conclusion was drawn by the authors of the online platform Material Indicators.

They stated, «If you’re curious why Bitcoin hasn’t surpassed $87,500 yet, it’s due to price suppression from Spoofy the Whale.»

This manipulation involves placing large limit orders for buying or selling that the malicious actor has no intention of executing. These orders are canceled after the price reaches the desired target.

In a discussion, the experts at Material Indicators agreed that the multi-month support level at $76,000 wasn’t strong enough to trigger a significant rebound. Moreover, the market momentum resulting from the latest Federal Reserve meeting was inadequate to spark a substantial increase.

Trader Daan Crypto Trades believes that Bitcoin is consolidating, and for the bulls to maintain momentum, they need to keep the price in the $84,000-$85,000 range.

«$BTC has eliminated local liquidity above and is now undergoing consolidation.

It’s crucial for the bulls to maintain the $84K-$85K area to sustain momentum.

Otherwise, you risk dipping into lower liquidity clusters, which could lead to a complete retracement since the price remains volatile,» he warned.

CryptoQuant analysts highlighted that the Bitcoin Bull Score has fallen to a two-year low of 20. Historically, significant rallies only occur when the score exceeds 60.

«Currently, Bitcoin is down 23% from its peak, and history indicates that robust rallies happen when the score is above 60. Extended periods of low scores are typically associated with bear markets,» they noted.

The founder and CEO of CryptoQuant, Ki Young Ju, previously stated that the bullish phase for Bitcoin has concluded. He suggested that in the next six months to a year, prices would either decrease or remain flat.

YouTube influencer Crypto Rover opined that Bitcoin has finished consolidating before the upcoming price rise. However, he cautioned that the market is currently experiencing manipulation that traders should be wary of.

«Bitcoin is manipulating you.

Don’t get caught now,» he advised.

Earlier, Matrixport speculated that Bitcoin’s correction might last until March or April, after which an attempt to rally towards previous highs could occur.

A group of analysts from Wall Street firms also predicted a price increase for Bitcoin after March.

In the past two days, 360,000 ETH have been withdrawn from exchanges, noted technical analyst Ali Martinez.

According to data from Santiment, the supply of Ethereum available on trading platforms has dropped to 8.97 million ETH, the lowest figure since November 2015.

«Thanks to numerous DeFi and staking options, Ethereum holders have reduced the available supply on exchanges to 8.97 million ETH, the lowest amount in nearly a decade (November 2015). There is 16.4% less $ETH on exchanges compared to just seven weeks ago,» it was reported.

Trader Crypto General claimed that whales are «cheaply» accumulating the asset on cold wallets in anticipation of a rise to $6,000.

«It’s just a matter of time before a significant supply shock occurs,» he emphasized.

Investor NaBer set an even higher target for growth at $8,000-$10,000, believing that once the current «massive accumulation of ETH» concludes, the cryptocurrency will hit those levels «instantly.»

However, Daan Crypto Trades offered a more pessimistic outlook for Ethereum. He noted that the ETH/BTC ratio is at levels not seen since late 2020.

«$ETH is now trading at levels not seen since late 2020 relative to $BTC.

This has been a harsh downtrend, and I doubt we will see it approaching its highs anytime soon.

Yet even a ‘small’ bounce to previous levels from two to three months ago could…» he warned.

«This has been a brutal downward trend, and I think it’s unlikely to return near its peaks,» he stated.

In any case, the turnaround will likely only be temporary, the expert suggested.

«$ETH / $BTC

Either Ethereum bounces here and this marks a generational bottom, or it’s game over,» commented podcaster Scott Melker on the ETH/BTC chart.

Lastly, analysts from Standard Chartered have revised their price forecast for the second-largest cryptocurrency for 2025, decreasing it from $10,000 to $4,000.