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Bitcoin mining powers network transactions and BTC price. During the 2021 bull run, some mining operations raised funds against their Bitcoin ASICs and BTC reserves.

Miners also preordered ASICs at a hefty premium and some raised funds by conducting IPOs. 

As the crypto market turned bearish and liquidity seized within the sector, miners found themselves in a bad situation and those who were unable to meet their debt obligations were forced to sell the BTC reserves near the market bottom or declare bankruptcy

Notable Bitcoin mining bankruptcies in 2022 came from Core Scientific, filing for bankruptcy, but BTC’s early 2023 performance is beginning to suggest that the largest portion of capitulation has passed.

Despite the strength of the current bear market, a few miners were able to increase production throughout 2022 and on-chain data shows Bitcoin miner accumulation began to increase in December 2022 and momentum appears to be continuing into 2023.

The United States equities markets are on track to finish the week in the red but that has not resulted in a deeper loss for Bitcoin (BTC). The news of cryptocurrency lender Genesis filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy also did not have any meaningful impact on Bitcoin’s price. This shows that the selling pressure could be reducing.

However, trading firm QCP Capital warned in the latest edition of its regular markets newsletter that the current recovery in Bitcoin was only a bear market relief rally. They anticipate this recovery to be followed by another bout of selling which could sink the price of Bitcoin and Ether (ETH) below their 2022 low. QCP used the Elliott Wave analysis to arrive at this conclusion.

After an extended bear phase, the price action always climbs a wall of worry during the initial days of a new bull market. At that time, several analysts remain in disbelief as they keep expecting the price to move lower but traders could catch a change in trend if they keep an eye on the formation of higher highs and higher lows.

Are Bitcoin and select altcoins showing signs of a bottom formation? Let’s study the charts of the top-10 cryptocurrencies to find out.

BTC/USDT

Bitcoin’s price has been trading in a tight range between $20,400 and $21,650 for the past few days. Usually, a tight consolidation near a stiff resistance is a positive sign as it shows that traders are not rushing to book profits.

Bitcoin (BTC) rose toward new multi-month highs on Jan. 20 as analysis predicted a new trading range above $18,000.

Bitcoin price range "well defined"

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD testing but preserving support at $21,000.

The pair edged higher at the Wall Street open, in line with United States equities as the third trading week of an explosive January drew to an end.

Despite misgivings over the rally’s fundamental strength, Bitcoin continued to avoid significant corrections, with exchange order book analysis revealing $23,000 as the next big resistance zone to crack.

“I view the lack of BTC liquidity below $18k and above $23k as a lack of sentiment for those levels at this time,” on-chain monitoring resource Material Indicators wrote in part of commentary about the Binance order book setup.