Bitcoin Risks Return to December Lows After Price Drop to $3.5K
After breaching key support on Sunday, emboldened bears could soon push bitcoin prices back towards $3,100.
![Bitcoin](https://www.coindesk.com/resizer/o4WpTzgparMdtKKyTJZc2YmbS0I=/567x346/filters:quality(80):format(jpg)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/coindesk/YSOEAX5LRVFHZEIS5JTMH6S3SE.jpg)
After breaching key support on Sunday, emboldened bears could soon push bitcoin (BTC) prices back towards $3,100.
Following a drop to a 3.5-week low of $3,476 at 16:00 UTC yesterday, the cryptocurrency closed at $3,516, effectively invalidating the bullish view put forward by the higher low of $3,566 carved out on Dec. 27.
That move also added credence to the bearish reversal signaled by the 9 percent price drop witnessed last Thursday.
Put simply, the bears have strengthened their control of the market, after the bulls failed to penetrate the head-and-shoulders neckline resistance of $4,130 and build a stronger rally last week.
As of writing, BTC is changing hands at $3,530 on Bitstamp, representing a 2 percent drop on a 24-hour basis.
Daily chart
As seen above, BTC found acceptance below $3,566 (Dec. 27 low) yesterday, validating the bearish doji reversal confirmed on Jan. 10.
The 14-day relative strength index (RSI) is reporting bearish conditions at 42.00, having breached the ascending trendline last week. Further, the 5- and 10-day moving averages (MAs) are trending south, indicating bearish setup.
So, it could be argued that the recovery rally from the December low of $3,122 has only ended up recharging the engines for a fresh sell-off.
3-day chart
![btcusd-3-day-2](https://www.coindesk.com/resizer/GXH2XTFiLeA8vmpiQ0OQ_GY4XwY=/560x240/filters:quality(80):format(jpg)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/coindesk/C3MAETTSPNDUDJPS7GUPU2H2VY.png)
BTC's fall back to $3,500 has invalidated the positive view put forward by the three-day bullish outside-reversal candle of Dec. 20.
Moreover, the cryptocurrency's failure to produce a significant price rally despite the positive divergence of the RSI, confirmed on Dec. 14, indicates that the bearish sentiment is still quite strong.
Weekly chart
![btc-weekly-chart-4](https://www.coindesk.com/resizer/jRUcCiIFZbX0oubIZShulgSgj5A=/560x240/filters:quality(80):format(jpg)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/coindesk/J4J37XKHBVELVGMOXT6AAYQTNE.png)
On the weekly chart, BTC has created a bearish outside-reversal candle (last week’s price action engulfed the previous week’s high and low) signaling a resumption of the primary bearish trend, as represented by the downward sloping 10-week moving average (MA).
View
- BTC could re-test the 200-week MA of $3,266 in the next few days and could extend the decline to the December low of $3,122.
- A weekly close (Sunday as per UTC) below the 200-week MA of $3,266 would open the doors for a deeper drop below $3,000.
- Acceptance above the downward sloping 10-week MA, currently at $3,919, would abort the bearish view.
Disclosure: The author holds no cryptocurrency assets at the time of writing.
Bitcoin image via Shutterstock; Charts by Trading View