Things is also calmer than expected as 2021 ends, however the possibilities for “face-melting” green candles are still there, say analysts. 



Bitcoin (BTC) starts a replacement week close to $51,000 because the finish of 2021 attracts close to and traders down tools for the vacations. 

After a $50,000 Christmas, Bitcoin continues to require stock of a year within which it's gone from $29,000 to $69,000 and halfway back once more. 

Expectations were certainly not for such eerie calm to spherical out December — a blow-off top, the bulk argued, ought to have already taken the market to $100,000 and beyond. 

Instead, when dipping to $41,800, a slow grind through acquainted territory is however Bitcoin seems to be finishing off what has been a post-halving year choked with surprises. 

With mixed emotions characterizing the top of this fall, Cointelegraph takes a glance at what might form BTC value action for the remaining few days of 2021. 

Bitcoin on shorter timeframes: “Gently does it”

Despite issues that thin liquidity may spark increased damage volatility throughout the holiday season, so far, the opposite is true — Bitcoin is quiet, presumably too quiet. 

The weekend saw very little by approach of unusual worth moves, with a brief dip below $50,000 subsequently returning to the top. 

At the time of writing, $51,000 is forming a spotlight yet again, with restricted action up or down, information from Cointelegraph Markets professional and TradingView shows. 

BTC/USD 1-hour candle chart (Bitstamp). Source: TradingView

For popular Twitter trader Pentoshi, this was reason enough to lie in stay up for the more important $53,000 zone to return before acting. 

“Eyes still on 49.2 and 53-55k range per prev charts (contested territories),” he confirmed late on Sunday. 

He noted the “clean” nature of BTC/USD on weekly timeframes, with the pair just above the centre during a multi-month vary with $58,000 as its boundary and $32,000 as its edge. 

He added in comments that $58,000 can be the “most shaping spot” for chartists in 2022. 

Cautious within the short term, meanwhile, was Filbfilb, co-founder of commerce platform Decentrader, who, despite drooping multiple optimistic signals on Dec 25, warned that current BTC/USD levels could also be one thing of a bull lure. For him, the 50-day moving average, presently at $54,700, would be a optimistic trigger purpose for the year. 

Stock-to-flow lives to fight another year

They may be facing a barrage of criticism, however the perennial stock-to-flow Bitcoin value models — and their creator, PlanB — refuse to offer up. 

According to following account S2F Multiple, BTC/USD ought to ideally be trading at above $97,000 this week, however reality has different ideas. 

With the latest drawdown from all-time highs, Bitcoin is difficult the capabilities of a model series that has to date never been invalidated. 

This has provided for competition — stock-to-flow uses 2 standard deviation bands around a key trajectory to watch value, and Bitcoin presently sits between them. whereas in truth obscurity close to invalid, the model has courted claims that its vary of acceptable value action is simply too wide to be helpful. 

These were exacerbated once PlanB gave the impression to say that he would abandon the models ought to BTC/USD not trade at $100,000 by the tip of 2021. 

“To be clear: I actually have little question some that bitcoin S2FX is correct and #bitcoin can faucet $100K-288K before Dec2021,” he wrote partly of comments in early November. 

He afterward backward those claims, stressing that the quality deviation bands would dictate any technical dissolution. As such, stock-to-flow (S2F) and its by-product stock-to-flow cross-asset (S2FX), each stay live. 

“Imagine thinking a model that has stayed at intervals one variance band for 3yrs has unsuccessful,” he countered. 

“IMO we are in the exact same spot as March 2019 when I published S2F model: at the low end of the 1sd band. DYOR. Look at the chart. Your choice.”
Bitcoin stock-to-flow chart as of Dec. 27. Source: Buy Bitcoin Worldwide

S2F requires an average $100,000 price tag for Bitcoin this halving cycle, while S2FX ups that to $288,000.

PlanB’s floor model, also accurate throughout Bitcoin’s history, failed to track the monthly close for the first time in November.

Beware the open interest time bomb

Bitcoin price action could give everyone a headache on thin holiday volumes, however a key space to look at is derivatives. 

After the clearout earlier this month, open interest in Bitcoin futures has been creeping back up. This in and of itself is unremarkable, however ought to increasing open interest mix with a conversely declining price, the stage is set for pain, Filbfilb warns. 


He reasoned, however, that nuances mean the connection between worth and open interest moves isn't as easy however would “save” traders’ positions in volatile periods. 

Concerns have subsided, meanwhile, following the flushing out of excessive leverage across derivatives markets within the $42,000 rout. 

Despite leverage since returning, funding rates are neutral at $50,000, a conspicuous change from simply many weeks ago, and confidence is building that sustained price upside can now continue as a result. 

On-chain indicators governing customer and vendor behavior, meanwhile, are showing signs of a possible turnaround. 

“Big factor I keep my eyes on is for once the trend for each web completed profit and loss decrease to low levels,” Twitter account On-Chain faculty noted Sunday, highlight information from on-chain analytics firm Glassnode. 

“Tells me that sellers may be exhausted, and we potentially could have more drastic price movement if buyers step in.”
Bitcoin net realized profit/loss annotated chart. Source: On-Chain College/Twitter

Liquidity caution spills over to macro

Macro markets conferred a currently customary vary of risk problems for the holiday break, these all the same also apt to cause greater-than-average moves thanks to reduced liquidity. 

The prognosis for the coming days was therefore “either the headline reel can spur ugly intraday moves on holiday-thinned liquidity, or volatility can stay thus flatline, that if it were an ECG, the doctors and nurses would be yelling code blue,” Bloomberg quoted Jeffrey halley, senior analyst at forex broker Oanda, as saying. 

Such headlines might revolve around COVID-19 or China, with Asian stocks down Monday and European indexes trying high at the open. 

United States equities hit contemporary incomparable highs within the run-up to the Christmas break, capping a important year within which the S&P five hundred alone saw sixty eight new records. 

The U.S. dollar, however, is nonetheless to recover its previous intense uptrend, with the U.S. dollar currency index (DXY) treading water into the top of the year. this might offer a minimum of some respite for Bitcoin traders ought to stocks also profit. 

DXY remains close to its highest since June 2020. 

U.S. dollar currency index (DXY) 1-week candle chart. Source: TradingView

Bitcoin “melts faces when people least expect it”

Bitcoin traders are getting additional, not less, fearful as 2021 fades.

( William Suberg, Cointelegraph, 2021)