Bitcoin price fights for $26K as US dollar strength hits 10-month high

Bitcoin (BTC) hugged $26,000 at the Sep. 24 Wall Street open as a weekly close โ€œnosediveโ€ brought lasting consequences.

BTC/USD 1-hour chart. Source: TradingView

Bitcoin must preserve support now, analysis says

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC price trajectory uncertain after briefly piercing $26,000 support.

Sideways weekend trading soon turned sour into the new week, and upset overnight meant that bulls were unable to recoup lost ground.

โ€œBitcoin failed to break through local resistance in the form of a descending trend line, and it looks like a little bearish right shoulder may form,โ€ analyst BaroVirtual, an ambassador for on-chain data platform Whalemap, summarized.

BaroVirtual uploaded a daily chart snapshot to X, showing a potential head and shoulders formation about to conclude.

โ€œIf true, BTC risks falling into the $22,000-$20,000 range,โ€ it added.

BTC/USD annotated chart. Source: BaroVirtual/X

That perspective chimed with others already expecting a return toward the $20,000 mark โ€” something absent from the BTC price charts for six months.

Popular trader and analyst Rekt Capital, who previously envisaged the possible reappearance of the low $20,000sย as part of a breakdown from a double top structure, now placed emphasis on holding current levels as support.

โ€œBitcoin could downside wick into the ~$25000-$26000 area on this current move down,โ€ he wrote in part of fresh X analysis on the day.

โ€œBut if ~$26000 begins to act as resistance then that could be a bearish contributing sign that the ~$25000-$26000 area is weakening as support. If BTC turns the ~$25000-$26000 area into new resistance, price would collapse somewhere into the ~$22000-$24000 region to find a Local Bottom โ€˜C.โ€™โ€

An accompanying chart laid out the key levels.

DXY surges to new 2023 highs

Macro markets meanwhile opened to another potential headwind for Bitcoin and crypto โ€” an unrelentingly strong U.S. dollar.

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The U.S. dollar index (DXY) continued its march higher, hitting 106.1 โ€” its highest since November 2022.

U.S. dollar index (DXY) 1-day chart. Source: TradingView

Since hitting 15-month lows in July, DXY has climbed 6.5%, displaying strength which historically has hampered risk asset and crypto market performance.

โ€œDXY rocketing higher – to the detriment of BTC Crypto and other risk assets,โ€ Matthew Dixon, CEO of crypto rating platform Evai, wrote in part of a reaction.

Dixon had previously eyed a potential cooling off in DXY strength, giving Bitcoin and altcoins room for a relief bounce.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.