After several weeks of strong gains, cryptocurrency markets are taking a pause to consolidate.

Notable Statistics:

• IntoTheBlock data shows large transaction volume increasing by 5.4% and daily active addresses falling by 6.3%. Transactions greater than $100,000 are up from 11,304 to 11,517 in a single day. Exchanges netflows are down by 466.7%.
• Coinglass data reports 90,592 traders were liquidated in the past 24 hours for $233.13 million.

Notable Developments:

• Donald Trump’s Crypto Ties Could Be A Banana Skin For The Industry: Report
• 14 US State Pension Funds Now Hold $632 Million In Strategy Stock
• Basel Medical Eyes $1 Billion Bitcoin Bet To Fuel Asia Healthcare Expansion
• Bitcoin Up 1.46% as JP Morgan Predicts It Will Outperform Gold, Public Companies Add Digital Assets
• Coinbase Under SEC Investigation For Overstatement Of User Numbers
• Wisconsin Pension Fund Exits $300M Bitcoin ETF Position

Top Losers:

Trader Notes: According to Santiment, Bitcoin is encountering stiff resistance in the $104,000–$105,000 zone, sparking short-term bearish sentiment across the market.

However, history suggests that when traders become fearful, it often sets the stage for a surprise rally.

A balanced 1:1 bullish-to-bearish social sentiment ratio is currently in play, which analysts say could be an early signal of a shift in market psychology, potentially preceding a breakout.

Crypto chart analyst Ali Martinez highlighted $98,732 as a critical demand zone, where over 1.19 million BTC were accumulated by 1.19 million wallets.

He noted that a daily close above $107,000 would be a bullish confirmation that "will take Bitcoin places."

The Cryptomist added that if Bitcoin can clear $104,400, the next targets lie between $108,000 and $110,000, likely dragging altcoins higher with it.

Meanwhile, Michael van de Poppe believes that as long as BTC holds above $98,000, it's in the final consolidation phase before a push to new all-time highs.

Trader Tim cautioned that Bitcoin and Ethereum are showing mixed signals heading into the weekend:

• Ethereum is trading between its Monday range and last week's high, a potential deviation setup that could favor short positions.
• Bitcoin hasn’t yet reclaimed its Monday high, but a push above it could spark stop runs in ETH, potentially propelling it toward $3,000.

Tim advised traders to remain nimble in what he described as a choppy, tricky environment where it’s easy to get caught offside. “Tough conditions to trade lately. Hang in there. Stick and move.”

Read Next: 

• Bitcoin’s Dominance Hits Resistance: Is The ETH, XRP, DOGE Rally Coming?

Image: Shutterstock