Bitcoin Range-Bound Under Pressure as Analysts Eye $55,000

The longer Bitcoin stays rangebound, the extra probably it’s to fall additional because the bear market deepens. 

Bitcoin is “range-bound beneath stress,” having damaged beneath the “True Market Imply,” slipping right into a “defensive vary towards the Realized Worth,” of round $55,000, reported Glassnode on Wednesday. The on-chain analytics supplier remained bearish, noting that demand throughout spot and spinoff markets was weak.

“Spot flows and ETF demand stay weak, accumulation is fragile, and choices positioning exhibits panic hedging fading, however not renewed bullish conviction.”

Glassnode famous that traditionally, deeper bear market phases have discovered their decrease structural boundary across the Realized Worth. This can be a measure of the typical acquisition value of all circulating cash, which now stands close to $54,900.

This stage is nearly 18% decrease than present costs and would put the autumn from peak to 56.4%, which is way shallower than the final two bear markets.

Market in Managed Consolidation

The analysts additionally famous that the Accumulation Pattern Rating sits close to 0.43, effectively in need of the 1.0 stage that might sign severe large-entity shopping for.

Spot Cumulative Quantity Delta (CVD), which tracks the distinction between market purchase orders and market promote orders over time, has turned firmly adverse throughout main exchanges similar to Binance and Coinbase, which means sellers are in management.

Glassnode concluded that the market is “transitioning from reactive liquidation to managed consolidation.”

“For a sturdy restoration to emerge, renewed spot demand, sustained accumulation, and enhancing liquidity situations will likely be required.”

Vary-Certain Underneath Stress

Bitcoin has damaged beneath the True Market Imply, slipping right into a defensive vary towards the Realized Worth (~$54.9k). Spot and ETF demand stay weak, and panic hedging has eased.

Learn the total Week On-Chain👇 https://t.co/XAp8OQr65i pic.twitter.com/iLuDT8o50v

— glassnode (@glassnode) February 18, 2026

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Bitcoin community exercise has additionally collapsed, in response to Santiment, which reported on Wednesday that there have been massive declines in new and distinctive addresses as Bitcoin’s utility declined in 2025.

“A justification for crypto starting to see a real long-term reduction rally will likely be when metrics like lively addresses and community progress start to rise.”

“BTC remains to be strengthening its bear pattern,” noticed analyst Willy Woo, who mentioned that volatility is a key metric to detect traits. Bitcoin entered its bear market when volatility spiked upwards shortly, he mentioned, earlier than including:

“Volatility then continues to climb, which means the bear pattern is strengthening. Then volatility finds a peak within the mid to late part bear market… that’s when the bear pattern begins to weaken.”

BTC Worth Outlook

Bitcoin continues to weaken, dropping beneath $66,000 briefly in late buying and selling on Wednesday. It got here simply shy of $67,000 in the course of the Thursday morning Asian buying and selling session, however had not reclaimed it on the time of writing.

The asset has been buying and selling sideways for the previous two weeks, and the trail of least resistance seems to be downwards.