Bitcoin’s Price Action: A Masterclass in Market Manipulation?

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So, I’m sitting here, minding my own business, when I hear that Bitcoin’s price action is raising some eyebrows. It’s like the crypto version of a magician’s trick—only instead of pulling a rabbit out of a hat, someone’s pulling a coin out of a tight range. 🪙

Bitcoin (BTC) has been stuck in a holding pattern for over two months, trading between $92,400 and $106,500 since December 18, 2024. According to CryptoMoon Markets Pro, it’s like BTC is on a leash, and someone’s got a firm grip on the other end.

There was a brief moment of excitement on January 20, when the price of Bitcoin briefly spiked to $109,000 after Donald Trump’s inauguration. But it was short-lived, and BTC quickly returned to its cozy little range. 🎉

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Samson Mow, CEO of Jan3 and founder of Pixelmatic, thinks there’s more to this story than meets the eye. “It seems like it’s some sort of price suppression,” he said during a panel discussion at Consensus Hong Kong 2025. “If you look at the price movement, we peak, and then we stay steady and chop sideways. And it’s good, you can say it’s consolidation, but it just looks very manufactured.”

“The very tight range in which you’re trading just doesn’t look natural at all,” Mow added.

Despite this temporary lack of upward momentum, industry insiders remain bullish on Bitcoin’s future. Predictions for 2025 range from $160,000 to over $180,000. But hey, who needs a crystal ball when you’ve got a tight range to watch? 🕵️‍♂️

Bitcoin Stagnates Despite ETF Inflows and Institutional Buying

The US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and companies like Michael Saylor’s Strategy are buying up “a multiple of the Bitcoin mined every day,” Mow noted. “If Bitcoin’s price isn’t moving despite all this institutional and retail buying, then someone must be selling,” he explained.

“And you’ve got retail buyers who are dollar-cost averaging and buying. Because the price is set at the margin, so that means somebody has to be selling.”

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While last year saw “structural sellers” offloading Bitcoin due to bankruptcies and restructuring, that period is largely behind us, Mow said. But the crypto market isn’t done surprising us yet. FTX began repaying creditors this week, distributing over $1.2 billion to claimants. 🤑

However, these repayments are based on Bitcoin’s price from November 2022, when it was trading near $20,000. Some analysts believe this could create additional selling pressure as recipients of these repayments seek to cash in. “FTX is starting to pay out their dollars from selling Bitcoin, ill-advisedly, in the mid 20k range, so clearly, somebody is selling to match this, otherwise, the price would already be moving upwards again,” Mow said.

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2025-02-19 13:32