By Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies experienced minimal price movements on Monday, following a weekend in which digital assets reached their highest levels in two weeks. Despite the improved sentiment, prices are currently vulnerable at these levels as a potentially volatile week approaches.
Bitcoin Stabilizes Near Two-Week High
Over the past 24 hours, the price of Bitcoin has seen a marginal decline of less than 1%, settling at $42,250—the highest point it has reached in two weeks. After surpassing the psychologically significant $40,000 mark last Friday, Bitcoin continued to climb over the weekend. However, it still remains distant from its recent peak above $48,000, which was achieved during the frenzied trading around the approval of U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) earlier this year.
Alex Kuptsikevich, an analyst at broker FxPro, noted that Bitcoin has maintained stability near the $42,000 range for the past three days. The 50-day moving average at $42,800 has emerged as a short-term resistance level, hindering further gains. Kuptsikevich also highlighted that the curve of the moving average shifted from an upward trajectory to a downward one last week, representing an additional negative factor for short-term prospects.
Potential Vulnerability at Current Levels
Although sentiment has improved—with the Crypto Fear and Greed Index rising to 55 on Monday compared to levels below 50 the previous week—a degree of vulnerability exists for Bitcoin at its current price point.
Kuptsikevich expressed a belief that the existing calmness in the market might mislead bullish investors and instead lead to a decline after a brief pause. He identified potential triggers for this decline as volatility in equities prior to corporate earnings announcements, the outcomes of the Federal Reserve meeting, and the release of the U.S. employment report.
Indeed, the week ahead holds significant non-crypto catalysts that may heavily influence digital assets, potentially in parallel with movements in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500. These catalysts include quarterly results from major tech companies such as Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple, as well as the latest monetary policy decision by the Federal Reserve and the U.S. jobs report.
Other Cryptocurrencies Display Mixed Performance
In addition to Bitcoin, Ether—the second-largest cryptocurrency—experienced a minor decrease of less than 1%, settling at $2,270. Meanwhile, smaller tokens, known as altcoins, demonstrated overall declines, with Cardano and Polygon both experiencing a 2% decrease. Among the meme-inspired coins, Dogecoin recorded a 1% increase, while Shiba Inu saw a 1% decline.
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