After a torrid week, Bitcoin’s (BTC) price settled at around $62,000, with traders bracing for a continuous rally that could send asset prices to $100,000.
Only last week, prices dipped below $60K for the first time in two months, fuelling grim speculation for a sustained selloff that could drive prices even lower. However, things began to look promising for the largest cryptocurrency as May rolled on, with BTC climbing as high as $64K before settling at $63,000.
Right out of the bat, BTC’s upswing can be traced to a wave of positives, including a disappointing macroeconomic outlook in the US. According to reports, the US added only 175,000 jobs in April – a far cry from the 315,000 reached in March, fuelling a hawkish stance by the Feds.
Following the FOMC meeting at the start of April, pundits observed a reluctance by policymakers to cut interest rates while hinting toward quantitative tightening.
“We believe that the FOMC’s more dovish-than-expected statement has signaled the peak in the USD’s upward momentum against both foreign currencies and crypto pairs,” wrote one analyst.
Despite the promising outlook, the ex-CEO of BitMEX Arthur Hayes warned investors to brace for a dip in the near future before an uphill climb to higher prices. However, Hayes remained cautious in his prediction, eyeing prices to hover around $60K and $70K before breaking the resistance to post higher figures.
Traders are already rippling with enthusiasm for higher prices as evidenced by rising numbers of active bitcoin call contracts, placing the asset on the path to the least resistance. According to QCP Capital, the buildup of call options has seen investors anticipating prices as high as $100K before the end of the year.
“We are seeing some bullish follow-through in volatility and rates following the reversal bounce from Friday and into the weekend,” read a note from QCP Capital. “BTC risk reversals have gone positive (calls more expensive than puts), and there has been a renewed demand for BTC Sep expiring $75,000 and $100,000 calls.”
Other factors in favor of a BTC rally include the US election cycle and a weaker dollar index, which has fallen by 1.2% since the last FOMC meeting. For Ledn CIO John Glover, BTC’s price could climb as high as $92,000, but first investors should brace for a pullback as low as $52K.
