Veteran chart analyst and investor Peter Brandt has issued a cautious assessment for Bitcoin, suggesting that the correction in the world’s largest cryptocurrency may not be over yet and that the price could drop even further. According to Brandt, we may not see a lasting market bottom until as late as October.
Technical breakdown raises red flags
Brandt’s analysis highlighted a significant development in Bitcoin’s price chart: the rising channel that had carried Bitcoin upward from late February to May has now been breached. The price slipped beneath the channel’s lower support line, and this break is seen as strong evidence that the prevailing trend has reversed.
With the latest decline, Bitcoin has, for the first time since October 2023, fallen to its 200 week moving average. In technical analysis, this level serves as a key indicator, closely watched to gauge long term market direction.
Mini glossary: The 200 week moving average is a long term technical indicator that shows the average closing price of an asset over the previous 200 weeks. This level is widely used in markets to assess potential support or trend reversals.
Peter Brandt warned that the downturn in Bitcoin could persist, with the true market bottom possibly not forming until October. For investors hoping for a quick bounce, this scenario could be a harsh blow.
On chain data signals persistent selling pressure
CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju has echoed these concerns, pointing to on chain data that suggest the market is undergoing a large scale transfer of ownership. According to Ju, the average cost for Bitcoin investors currently sits around $53,000, raising questions about who is absorbing the ongoing losses.
Analysts observe that bear market cycles typically reach their final stages when prices fall below realized value. Ju noted that while robust institutional flows this cycle might prevent a retest of these deep lows, recent figures show an unbroken wave of selling pressure weighing on Bitcoin.
Ju explained that even developments like spot BTC ETF purchases and major corporations adding Bitcoin to their balance sheets have not kept prices from dropping back to early 2024 levels. For CryptoQuant, a company renowned for on chain analytics, this retreat underscores powerful selling from longer term holders.
In a post on X, Ki Young Ju remarked that institutional investors from traditional finance may actually create stronger demand grounds for Bitcoin than its early community did, even if some cypherpunk values are fading. He added that this shift makes him nostalgic for the past.
Divergent views converge on selling pressure
Meanwhile, gold advocate Peter Schiff stressed that Bitcoin is now trading below its previous macro peak set in April 2021, reopening debate about its long term performance and value retention as an asset class.
On the other hand, bull voices such as Michael Saylor argue that Bitcoin could produce annual compounded returns of over 30 percent in the next five years. However, the last five year record does not favor those who bought at the 2021 highs, as their overall returns have turned negative.
