At first glance, the Bitcoin price seems to be stuck. In the past 24 hours, the price has remained almost unchanged, with only a decline of 0.2%. Even on a weekly basis, there is hardly any movement; Bitcoin rose about 0.7%. The market feels calm, and many traders refer to this as a period where the price is moving sideways.
But beneath the surface, various signals indicate that Bitcoin (BTC) is not as weak as it seems. The momentum is slowly shifting, sellers are losing conviction, and large holders are quietly maintaining their positions. Together, these factors show why bullish Bitcoin price predictions from experts like Tom Lee are still present, even without a breakout.
Momentum and volume signals are quietly improving.
On the daily chart, the Bitcoin price is holding the level of $90,100 well. This area has served as a solid foundation recently, preventing deeper declines, even when the price could not rise further.
One of the clearest early signals comes from the On-Balance Volume (OBV). OBV looks at whether volume is flowing into or out of an asset and helps to notice hidden buying or selling pressure.
Between December 9 and December 11, the Bitcoin price formed a lower high, while OBV showed a higher high. This divergence means that despite the price struggling, buyers were more active beneath the surface.
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The signal became stronger between December 10 and December 12. During this period, the Bitcoin price formed a lower low, while OBV showed a higher low. This confirms the previous signal: sellers pushed the price lower, but with less volume as support.
These two OBV divergences reinforce each other. Together, they indicate that selling pressure is decreasing, not actually increasing. This does not confirm a breakout yet, but such signals often appear before a breakout.
Holders and whales are positioning themselves despite the flat price.
Momentum signals alone are not enough. On-chain data provides additional confirmation. Holder Net Position Change shows whether long-term holders are expanding or reducing their Bitcoin positions. Negative values indicate selling. Less negative values therefore indicate less selling pressure.
On December 10, long-term holders sold about 155,999 BTC. By December 13, that had decreased to around 150,614 BTC. That is a decrease of about 3.4% in selling pressure.
The change is not large, but it is significant. There is no panic selling in Bitcoin, despite the sideways trading. Instead, holders are actually selling less now that the price remains stable. This behavior is usually seen in consolidation phases, not during major declines.
The strongest signal comes from whales. The number of entities holding at least 1,000 BTC remains close to the 6-month high. This metric often provides insight into large, long-term investors.
Since the end of October, the Bitcoin price has declined and is moving sideways. During the same time, whale entities have continued to buy. This has created a clear divergence. The price fell, but large holders continued to accumulate. And they usually do not buy without good reasons.
This behavior helps explain why bullish Bitcoin price predictions from analysts like Tom Lee are still relevant.
These predictions are not based on short-term price movements. They assume less selling, a better volume structure, and continued whale accumulation. Still, the Bitcoin price has yet to confirm this expectation.
Bitcoin price levels that determine whether bulls take control.
To turn these signals into real action, price confirmation is needed.
The key level remains $94,600. A daily close above this zone means an increase of about 5% from the current level and a breakout above the top of the current consolidation pattern. This shows that buyers are regaining short-term control.
If it breaks $94,600, the next resistance is around $99,800. If the price stays above that, the path towards $107,500 may open up, provided the overall market conditions are favorable. This could be the first real catalyst for Tom Lee's ambitious expectation of $180,000, as previously mentioned.
Downwards, support lies around $89,200 if the Bitcoin price loses $90,000. Below that, $87,500 is the next significant level. A breakthrough below these zones would invalidate the bullish scenario, at least in the short term.
