Bitcoin Gets the Macro Bug as $87,000 Comes Into Play

Bitcoin (BTC) saw multiday lows into Sundayโ€™s weekly close as bulls faced a week of macro uncertainty.

Key points:

  • Bitcoin heads lower as market nerves about upcoming macroeconomic volatility catalysts boil over.

  • Downside risks firmly outweigh the odds of upside, BTC price analysis says.

  • A potential bullish divergence against silver offers a glimmer of hope.

Bitcoin sags into big macro week

Data from TradingView tracked 1.6% losses for BTC/USD, which reached $87,471 on Bitstamp.

BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

Long positions made up the majority of 24-hour crypto liquidations, which passed $250 million, per data from CoinGlass.

Crypto liquidations (screenshot). Source: CoinGlass

Trading resource The Kobeissi Letter attributed market weakness to the prospect of another US government shutdown in the coming days.

โ€œBuckle up for a huge week ahead,โ€ it told X followers, further highlighting President Donald Trumpโ€™s tariff threats on Canada, macroeconomic data releases and the Federal Reserveโ€™s decision on interest rates.

The latter, due Jan. 28, was seen as yielding no change to current rates despite pressure from Trump to cut them further.

The latest estimates from CME Groupโ€™s FedWatch Tool put the odds of a minimum 0.25% cut at just % at the time of writing.

โ€œEarnings season has arrived and headwinds are mounting on multiple fronts,โ€ Kobeissi added.

Fed target rate probabilities for Jan. 28 FOMC meeting (screenshot). Source: CME Group

BTC price pumps โ€œpotential short opportunityโ€

Among traders, the low time frame BTC price trading range was first on the list of issues to deal with.

Related: Bitcoin diamond hand BTC selling not โ€˜repeat of 2017, 2021,โ€™ research warns

โ€œNow, price is currently losing the mid-range which is a bearish sign for continuation to the downside, to the range lows,โ€ trader CrypNuevo wrote in his latest X analysis.

Eyeing exchange order-book liquidity, CrypNuevo put bullsโ€™ line in the sand at $86,300.

โ€œBased on Bitcoin losing the mid-range; HTF liquidations to the downside; and the possible US Gov. shutdown, we still think that the most likely scenario is that Bitcoin drops back to low $80s in the coming weeks,โ€ he concluded.ย 

โ€œAny short-lived pump this week is a potential short opportunity.โ€

BTC liquidation heatmap. Soruce: CrypNuevo/X

Others drew attention to a marked increase in open interest into the weekly close.

A note of optimism, meanwhile, came from crypto trader, analyst and entrepreneur Michaรซl van de Poppe.

After both gold and silver printed record highs, Van de Poppe eyed a potential bullish divergence on BTC/XAG.

โ€œFor the first time in the history, $BTC might print a bullish divergence against Silver on the 3-Day Timeframe,โ€ he announced on the day.

โ€œWhat does this say? This does say that the coming week is going to be extremely volatile and could indicate a bottom on this metric and therefore, Silver is likely to peak and money is likely rotating towards other assets.โ€

BTC/XAG three-day chart with RSI, volume data. Source: Michaรซl van de Poppe/X