This week has been bullish for Bitcoin, with the asset retesting and breaking through tough resistance zones, and bullish volumes consistently growing. Crypto investors are filled with enthusiasm in anticipation of the possible imminent approval of the first spot BTC-ETF. According to investors, this event will radically change the balance of power and bring large volumes of liquidity to the cryptocurrency market.

The peak of positive sentiment came on January 3rd, when the price of Bitcoin nearly reached the $46k level. However, the same day's events showed that the Bitcoin market remains extremely unstable and volatile. In the second half of the day, on January 3rd, amid troubling news about the BTC-ETF, Bitcoin quotes experienced a sharp collapse to the key support area near the $40.8k mark. This swift and painful drop for the bulls significantly reduced BTC's upward potential in the coming days.

Will the BTC-ETF not happen?

Yesterday, we noted that Matrixport was confident that Bitcoin would renew its local high above $50k during this trading week. The latest statements from representatives of one of the largest crypto companies in Asia completely contradict the aforementioned position. Matrixport is certain that the SEC will deny all BTC-ETF issuers in January 2024. Consequently, the company's analysts expect cascading liquidations down to the $37k-$38k level.

These statements have nothing to do with reality and are personal insiders of Matrixport, so they should not be taken as truth. Despite this, the market reacted instantly with a powerful collapse of Bitcoin quotes to the $40.8k level. The bulls managed to partially recover from the fall, but overall, the manipulation on negative rumors and the collection of liquidity of more than $600 million in less than an hour was successful.

The publication of data on the U.S. labor market also added a negative context to the situation, as the main indicators increased, demonstrating employment growth, especially in the non-agricultural sector. Against such news, the U.S. dollar index strengthened while investment assets, such as cryptocurrencies, began to decline. Analysts also increasingly began to talk about the growing chances of another rate hike from the Fed, which further diluted the positive sentiment in the crypto market.

BTC/USD Analysis

Yesterday's trading session was one of the most volatile in recent months. According to Coinglass data, a total of long positions worth $579 million and short positions worth $120 million were liquidated on January 3rd. After a prolonged dive to the support level of $40.8k, Bitcoin made a local reversal and recovered to the $42.8k mark. At the same time, trading volumes skyrocketed above $30 billion, and the number of unique addresses in the network of the asset exceeded 1 million.

Bitcoin began the current trading day with the expected growth during the Asian trading session and recovered above $43k. The volatility in the BTC market remains high, although the SEC officially stated they are negotiating with the NYSE and NASDAQ regarding the placement of spot BTC-ETFs. Considering this fact, trading Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies looks unsafe due to powerful price movements and a high probability of margin calls.

Conclusions

Returning to Matrixport's forecast, it will be extremely problematic for Bitcoin to reach the $50k level by the end of this week. As we have seen, local anarchy has reigned in the market, and resolving its consequences (redistribution of BTC) will take some time. Considering this fact, we should expect Bitcoin to consolidate within the range of $40.8k-$43.4k, after which it is highly likely that the asset will continue to grow, as there is no doubt that spot BTC-ETFs will be approved.