A crypto analyst says Bitcoin may be lining up for a dramatic breakout after forming a long-term Cup and Handle pattern that echoes the setup Silver showed ahead of its iconic 2017 run. Merlijn the Trader published a video chart comparison arguing that BTC’s multi-year base, which began forming in the 2021 bull cycle and stretched through 2025, closely mirrors the rounded “cup” and follow-up “handle” Silver built before its violent reprice nearly a decade ago. In Silver’s case, the metal spent years building a broad base and frustrating investors before finally clearing a key $54 resistance, which preceded a rapid surge. Merlijn recalls a 2017 debate in which some forecasted a move to $80, while he saw a more measured extension toward $70–$75 after the $54 breakout. On Bitcoin’s chart, the analyst points to a similar sequence: a 2022 bear-market low followed by a gradual climb that formed a rounded cup, repeated rejections around a resistance zone near $70,000, and then a rising handle after finally clearing that zone. According to Merlijn, this pattern reflects sellers being worn down by a long period of sideways trading—once the final sellers exit, price is free to reprice sharply, as Silver did. Using classical technical analysis, traders often project the breakout target by measuring the cup’s height and adding it to the breakout point. Applying that method to Bitcoin, Merlijn suggests a potential target range in the $120,000–$140,000 area if the handle resolves like Silver’s did. With BTC trading around $92,000 at the time of the analysis, that would imply a gain of more than 30%. Bottom line: Merlijn the Trader sees Bitcoin’s long base, rounded cup, and rising handle as a bullish structural setup that could precede an explosive move—if classical Cup and Handle dynamics play out the same way they did for Silver in 2017. As always, technical patterns are probabilistic, not guaranteed. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news