Bitcoin Price Hits Five-Week High Above $10,000

Bitcoin's price jumped above $10,000 in the Asian trading hours, but the breakout into five digits was short-lived.

AccessTimeIconOct 26, 2019 at 10:34 a.m. UTC
Updated Sep 14, 2021 at 1:51 p.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

Bitcoin's price was quoted in five digits across cryptocurrency exchanges earlier today, but the breakout into $10,000 was short-lived.

The number one cryptocurrency by market value jumped to $10,350 at 01:45 UTC – the highest level since Sept. 24 – according to Bitstamp data. Meanwhile, the global average price, as calculated by CoinDesk's Bitcoin Price Index, clocked a high of $10,332.

Just 24 hours ago, the cryptocurrency was reeling under bearish pressures below $7,500 and prominent chart analysts were calling a deeper drop, courtesy of the so-called "death cross" – a bearish cross of long-term moving averages.

BTC, however, picked up a bid around $7,500 in the early U.S. trading hours on Friday and rose to $8,800 at 17:20 UTC. Prices then consolidated in the narrow range of $8,500 to $8,700 for a few hours, before printing highs above $10,000 earlier today. Essentially, the death cross trapped sellers on the wrong side for the fourth time since 2014.

Biggest single-day gain since April

Bitcoin closed (UTC) at $8,662 on Friday, representing a 16.51 percent gain on the day, as per Bitstamp data. That is the biggest single-day rise since April 2. Back then, BTC had rallied 18.45 percent from $4,133 to $5,080.

Further, the rise from lows below $7,400 to highs above $10,300 is reportedly the third-largest 24-hour price gain in bitcoin's history, as pointed out by crypto-asset analyst Yassine  Elmandjra.

yssin

Experts have associated the latest double-digit surge with Chinese President Xi Jinping's comments that the world's second-largest economy should accelerate its adoption of the blockchain technology. After all, China was one of the biggest sources of demand for cryptocurrencies during the 2017 bull run.

Prominent observers like Anthony Pompliano are of the opinion that the Chinese president's public support of the blockchain technology will force the U.S. and other major nations to embrace the technology, perhaps boosting bitcoin.

pomp-3

The investor community, therefore, is expecting the rally to continue. Some observers, however, are worried that the market optimism is premature, as China is developing a digital version of its own currency and is unlikely to lift its ban on bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

It remains to be seen whether Xi's comments power further gains in BTC. The cryptocurrency is losing altitude at press time.

As of writing, BTC is changing hands at $9,320 on Bitstamp, representing a $1,000-plus drop from the Asian session high of $10,350. Technical charts indicate a bullish breakout would be confirmed if prices find acceptance above $9,750.

Daily chart

download-6-37

The daily chart shows early signs of a bullish reversal. For instance, bitcoin's convincing move above $8,352 (Oct. 21 high) has invalidated the bearish lower highs setup. The cryptocurrency has also violated resistance at $8,820 (horizontal line).

However, the cryptocurrency is yet to exit the falling channel, represented by trendlines connecting June 26 and Aug. 6 highs and July 17 and Sept. 26 lows.

A UTC close above the upper edge of the bearish channel, currently at $9,750, would imply a resumption of the rally from lows near $4,100 seen on April 2 and put the cryptocurrency on the path to re-test of the high of $13,880 hit in June.

Put simply, a channel breakout is needed to confirm a bearish-to-bullish trend change.

Disclosure: The author holds no cryptocurrency assets at the time of writing.

Hot air balloons image via Shutterstock; charts by Trading View

Disclosure

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.


Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.