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Bitcoin (BTC) briefly extended its recovery above $24,000 and the altcoins continued to make smart gains on July 20, but the bullish momentum of the week experienced a brief setback after Tesla's earnings report showed the company had sold 75% of its BTC position.

Although the sharp breakout of this week is a positive sign, analysts were quick to point out that a sustained recovery depends on a strong performance from Wall Street. Analyst Venturefounder pointed out that the rally was largely macro-driven and Bitcoin’s correlation with NASDAQ remained at a historical high of 91%.

Bitcoin’s sharp rally in the past few days has awakened hibernating bulls who are dishing out lofty targets. Analyst TechDev projected a target of $120,000 in 2023, while Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz told a Bloomberg conference on July 19 that Bitcoin could soar above $500,000 within the next five years.

Nevertheless, analysts remain divided in their near-term expectations and some are unconvinced that the trend has turned. These traders believe that the current rise is a bear market rally. On the other hand, some analysts expect the up-move to continue in the short term. On-chain data firm Whalemap suggests that the rally could extend to $27,100.

Could Bitcoin and major altcoins continue their rise or will bears trap the bulls and sink the price lower? Let’s study the charts of the top 10 cryptocurrencies to find out.

The market capitalization of Tether (USDT), a United States dollar-pegged stablecoin, is currently over $65 billion. USD Coin (USDC), another stablecoin backed by the U.S. dollar, clocks in near $55 billion. Some reports estimate that the total market cap of dollar-backed stablecoins is over $160 billion.

Despite this success of dollar-based stablecoins, there has not been a euro stablecoin that is even remotely comparable in size. By the end of June, the U.S.-based company Circle announced that it will launch its own euro stablecoin, Euro Coin (EUROC), on the Ethereum blockchain. With a euro-based stablecoin, uncomplicated euro transfers will be possible worldwide in the future, as is currently the case with the U.S. dollar.

Instead of the eurozone-based business, Circle has opted to issue the planned euro stablecoin via the U.S. bank Silvergate. But, is it permissible for a digital coin tied to the euro to be issued outside the eurozone? How will European regulators react? Can Circle simply ignore the upcoming Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) and operate the stablecoin from outside the European Union? And, why is there still no major euro stablecoin?

Cointelegraph auf Deutsch asked these questions to Patrick Hansen. The former head of blockchain at the German digital association Bitkom was, until recently, head of strategy and business development at wallet provider Unstoppable Finance. Now Hansen advises companies such as Presight Capital and the Blockchain Founders Group and has a hotline to the European Parliament.

Euro stablecoin issued outside the EU

The European Central Bank (ECB) is keeping its options open on whether and when to launch a digital euro. However, it’s still not really clear to Patrick Hansen what exactly the ECB wants to achieve with a central bank-issued digital euro. “Whether it is to become a kind of digital cash or rather a new payment option. That’s why it's so difficult to evaluate the project,” he said. 

Solana (SOL) ticked modestly lower on July 20 after testing a critical technical resistance, suggesting further pullback moves in the coming weeks.

SOL price eyes 50% wipeout

SOL's price decreased by over 4% to $44 after failing to breach a multi-week ascending trendline resistance. Interestingly, this resistance level comes as a part of what appears to be a bearish continuation pattern dubbed the "bear flag."

A previous test of the same resistance trendline in late June had preceded a 30%-plus price drop, illustrating a higher distribution sentiment among SOL traders near the level. Therefore, the latest pullback from the same range could lead to an extended downside retracement. 

Meanwhile, the bear flag's lower trendline has been capping SOL's sharp pullback moves. As a result, SOL's extended correction scenario could have its price hit the support level, now near $35.40 — a 20% drop from current price levels.

Additionally, a decisive close below the lower trendline would risk triggering the bear flag breakdown setup, wherein the price falls by as much as the height of the downtrend (called "flagpole") that preceded the flag's formation.

Bitcoin (BTC) hugged $22,000 on July 19 as macro conditions slowly turned to favor risk assets. 

Stocks, crypto rise as dollar weakens

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD cooling volatility immediately below the crucial 200-week moving average (WMA).

The Wall Street open saw further gains for United States equities in the face of a declining U.S. dollar, which extended its retracement after hitting its latest two-decade peak.

The U.S. dollar index (DXY) stood at around 106.5 at the time of writing, down 2.6% from the high seen July 14.

For Bitcoin analysts, it was thus a case of wait and see as markets bided their time between buy and sell levels.

ApeCoin (APE) rallied to start the week as traders considered Yuga Labs' decision to open its Otherside metaverse for selected users. In doing so, the token broke out of a technical pattern that hints at another 45% price rally by September 2022.

Otherside metaverse euphoria

APE's price surged by almost 23.5% week-to-date to reach $6.12 a token on July 19.

The weekly gains came as a part of a rally that started on July 16. Interestingly, Yuga Labs invited 4,300 players of its Otherside gaming metaverse for a demo—and the tour of its Bored Ape avatar online platform—on the day of APE's rally.

That suggests traders purchased APE after taking cues from the Otherside update, given it serves as a governance token at ApeCoin DAO. This "decentralized autonomous organization," or DAO, powers the ecosystem of apps and services deployed by Yuga Labs and third-party brands, including Otherside.

APE price eyes 45% rally

The Otherside euphoria has also prompted APE to exit a technical setup called the "ascending triangle."

Crypto traders found cause for celebration on July 18 as the total market capitalization climbed back above the $1 trillion mark following weeks of widespread selling after Bitcoin (BTC) price swept yearly lows below $18,000.

The green day for cryptocurrencies largely tracks a positive day in the traditional markets, which are up modestly despite analyst estimates that the Federal Reserve intends to raise interest rates by at least 75 basis points at the Federal Open Market Committee meeting on July 27.

While traders will welcome July 18's positive price action, many analysts caution that the upswing is nothing more than a bear market pump. Let's take a look at the current top performers.

Bitcoin holds a 16% gain

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that over the past week, Bitcoin has rallied significantly and at the time of writing BTC holds a 16% weekly gain from its recent low at $18,907.

The top cryptocurrency now finds itself running square into the resistance found at its 200-week moving average, which also happens to be the upper bound of the trading range BTC has been trapped in since the middle of June.

Bitcoin (BTC) hovered at $22,000 at the July 18 Wall Street open as analysts warned that bulls would not break resistance in one go.

Can Bitcoin win back bear market support?

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD returning to consolidate after hitting highs of $22,500 on Bitstamp.

That level represented the start of sell-side positions on exchanges clustered around the 200-week moving average (WMA), a key area which commentators argued would be hard to crack.

"Not expecting continuation on Bitcoin, at this point, as we're facing 200-Week MA & range resistance," Cointelegraph contributor Michaël van de Poppe told Twitter followers in his latest update.

Fellow trader and analyst Rekt Capital, as others, was also skeptical about the potential for Bitcoin to continue upward momentum immediately.

Bitcoin (BTC) starts a new week nearing key resistance as the shock of the latest United States inflation data passes — can the strength continue?

The July 17 weekly close may have been practically identical to the last, but BTC/USD is showing some much needed strength prior to the July 18 Wall Street open.

Last week was a testing time for crypto hodlers everywhere, with inflation dictating the mood across risk assets and the U.S. dollar capping the gloomy atmosphere. With those pressures now easing — at least temporarily — the mood has room to relax.

At the same time, on-chain data suggests that now is a make or break moment for Bitcoin miners, and capitulation across the market feels close.

As talk over where Bitcoin’s macro bottom could lie continues, Cointelegraph takes a look at several factors primed to shape BTC price performance in the coming days.

The year 2022 saw not only drastic dips in leading cryptocurrencies and financial markets in general but also major legislative frameworks for crypto in prominent jurisdictions. And while the “crypto bill,” co-sponsored by United States senators Cynthia Lummis and Kirsten Gillibrand, still has a long way to go, its European counterpart, the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA), had finally made it through Tripartite negotiations. 

On June 30, Stefan Berger, European Parliament member and rapporteur for the MiCA regulation, revealed that a “balanced” deal had been struck, which has made the European Union the first continent with crypto-asset regulation. Is the deal really that “balanced,” and how could it affect crypto at large and some of its most important sectors in particular?

No direct ban, but tighter scrutiny

The industry met the latest MiCA draft with a mixed response — the cautious optimism of some experts was counterweighted by the diagnosis of “unworkability” on Twitter. While the package dropped one of its most alarming sections, a de facto prohibition of the proof-of-work (PoW) mining, it still contains a number of controversial guidelines, especially regarding stablecoins. 

Ironically, in its assessment of the risks posed by stablecoins to the economic system, the European Commission has chosen a combination of “moderate” options, reserving from the outright ban, which is labeled in the document as Option 3:

“Option 3 would not be consistent with the objectives set at the EU level to promote innovation in the financial sector. Furthermore, Option 3 could leave some financial stability risks unaddressed, should EU consumers widely use ‘stablecoins’ issued in third countries.”

The United States equities markets recovered from their intra-week lows last week, suggesting demand exists at lower levels. On similar lines, Bitcoin (BTC) also recovered from $18,910 last week, indicating that traders may be getting back into risky assets. 

However, analysts remain divided in their opinion on the recovery in Bitcoin. While some believe that the relief rally is a bull trap, others expect the up-move to retest the crucial resistance at the 200-week moving average ($22,626).

The current bear phase has damaged sentiment as seen from the Crypto Fear and Greed Index, which has remained in the “extreme fear” zone since May 6. According to Philip Swift, creator of on-chain analytics platform LookIntoBitcoin, the time spent in the “extreme fear” category is longer than during the 2018 Bitcoin bear market.

Could the sentiment stage a turn around boosting crypto prices higher? Let’s study the charts of the top-5 cryptocurrencies to identify potential breakout assests.

BTC/USDT

Bitcoin rose above the 20-day exponential moving average ($20,894) on July 15, but the bulls have not been able to build upon this advantage. The bears are likely to defend the resistance line of the symmetrical triangle with vigor.