Bitcoin traders are bracing for a decisive move as BTC slips below the key $90,000 level, ending days of tight consolidation and reigniting downside risk scenarios.Bitcoin lost the $90,000 support zone ahead of the weekly close, reinforcing expectations that the current period of extreme low volatility is nearing an end.Key points:Bitcoin’s multi-day sideways range has broken to the downside as volatility hits “extreme” lows.Traders are watching for a decisive breakout or breakdown following the weekly close.Bear-market models are resurfacing $50,000 as a potential macro bottom.Bitcoin breakout move “around the corner”Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows BTC price action compressing sharply through the week before failing to reclaim $90,000, with price now trading below former range support.Repeated upside attempts were rejected near resistance, while downside pressure finally pushed BTC out of its tight consolidation band — a classic precursor to a volatility expansion.“Extreme low volatility setup. This usually means a directional move is around the corner,” trader and analyst Aksel Kibar wrote in a recent post on X.Kibar outlined two primary scenarios following the breakdown:A continuation lower from a bear flag structure on the daily chartOr a recovery only if BTC decisively reclaims the $94,600–$95,000 region“If this resolves as a bear flag, one last drop toward the $73.7K–$76.5K zone could unfold, where we would look for a medium-term bottom,” Kibar said.“However, if BTC manages to reclaim $94.6K, it could quickly test $100K, which marks the lower boundary of the broader expansion pattern.”Traders flag $89K breakdown as key inflection pointOther market participants also highlighted the loss of $90,000 as a critical short-term shift.“$90,600 and $89,800 was the range — and now we’ve broken it,” trader Crypto Tony told followers.“Trade the breakout only.”The failure to hold $90,000 has turned the former support into immediate resistance, increasing the risk of acceleration if buyers fail to respond.$50,000 BTC target re-enters the conversationOn-chain analytics firm CryptoQuant warned that Bitcoin may already be operating within a broader bear-market structure.Contributor Pelin Ay pointed to multiple bearish signals:Downward-sloping simple moving averages acting as dynamic resistanceWeak buying volume during relief ralliesStronger selling pressure on red candles“Price reactions are being sold at declining moving averages,” Ay wrote.“Attempts to break higher occur on low volume, showing buyers lack conviction.”According to the analysis, Bitcoin is now in a reaction phase within a bear market, with structure still tilted to the downside.While Ether has shown relative strength, Ay cautioned that it does little to alter Bitcoin’s broader outlook.“For now, the Bitcoin rally appears to be over,” she concluded.“A deeper bear-market phase — potentially toward the $50K region — may be needed before the next major upside cycle begins.”What to watch nextWith BTC now below $90,000, traders are closely monitoring:Whether price can reclaim the broken range quicklyVolume expansion confirming either continuation or reversalWeekly close positioning relative to the former support zoneAs December progresses, calls for deeper BTC retracements continue to grow, suggesting that the coming volatility expansion could be decisive for Bitcoin’s medium-term trend, according to Cointelegraph.
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