Bitcoin Regains $16K, But Analysts Are Still Bearish

The cryptocurrency has rebounded after it hit a two-year low in the past 24 hours, although one analyst said $12,500 is possible by year end.

AccessTimeIconNov 22, 2022 at 7:24 p.m. UTC
Updated Nov 22, 2022 at 8:06 p.m. UTC
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Bitcoin turned green Tuesday, coinciding with the news that noted investor Cathie Wood's Ark Investment Management bought $1.5 million in Grayscale's Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) shares.

Bitcoin (BTC) was recently trading at about $16,100, up 0.9% in the past 24 hours. The largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization hit a two-year low of $15,480 Monday as jitters over trading firm Genesis' future loomed over the market.

“It seems crypto traders are already pricing in a bankruptcy for crypto lender Genesis,” Edward Moya, an analyst at foreign-exchange broker Oanda, wrote in a note on Tuesday.

On Monday, Genesis said it had “no plans to file bankruptcy imminently.” The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar, reported that Genesis sought funding from Binance and Apollo Global Management, and that Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange by volume, declined to invest, citing potential conflicts of interest. (Genesis' owner, Digital Currency Group, is also the parent company of CoinDesk.)

Ether (ETH) has followed a similar trajectory to bitcoin, rising roughly 2.5% to $1,120. The CoinDesk Market Index (CMI) was recently up 1.7%.

And yet analysts are giving bearish warnings with crypto markets still digesting the collapse of the FTX exchange that shook the industry.

Julius de Kempenaer, senior technical analyst at StockCharts.com, told CoinDesk that as the market is “in digestion,” it’s possible to see BTC drop further – possibly to $12,500 before the end of the year.

According to Kempenaer, big events in markets can go two ways for prices: “It can go to a very rapid decline, market resets as the market digests what’s going on. Or it goes, 'Market needs time and moves sideways,' maybe slightly lower.”

The technical chart projects bitcoin’s price could drop further, trading between $12,500 and $18,000. (Julius de Kempenaer, StockCharts.com)
The technical chart projects bitcoin’s price could drop further, trading between $12,500 and $18,000. (Julius de Kempenaer, StockCharts.com)

Moya noted that a rebound on Wall Street might provide the support for bitcoin to remain stable but that the scenario “seems unlikely” because the bear market in stocks “has yet to bottom out.”

The S&P 500 index was up 0.7% Tuesday, an is up 3% in the past month after the release of better-than-expected inflation data for October. Goldman Sachs strategists, however, warned that the near-term path for stocks is “likely to be volatile and down.”

Meanwhile, Moya wrote, “Bitcoin has support ahead of the $15,500 level, but if that does not hold, technical selling could send prices toward the $13,500 region."

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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.

Jocelyn Yang

Jocelyn Yang is a markets reporter at CoinDesk. She is a recent graduate of Emerson College's journalism program.


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