Bitcoin concluded its first full trading week of 2026 in a state of relative calm, with its price showing minimal movement and hovering close to the $90,000 mark. The world's first cryptocurrency has struggled to surpass a significant resistance level, remaining approximately 2% lower than its value from a year ago.
The $95,000 Ceiling and Market Stasis
The digital asset has been unable to decisively break above the $95,000 threshold, a level that has acted as a stubborn price ceiling since a sharp selloff in October wiped away nearly one-third of its value. While Bitcoin participated in a broader New Year market rally earlier in the week, its momentum peaked below $94,800 on Monday. By Friday afternoon in New York, it was trading at approximately $90,200.
According to market experts, this stagnation is largely due to investors awaiting a series of critical policy decisions from Washington. These include rulings on tariffs, leadership at the Federal Reserve, and potential cryptocurrency legislation. Jake Ostrovskis, head of over-the-counter trading at Wintermute, noted that the expected Supreme Court ruling on former President Donald Trump's tariffs did not materialize on Friday, contributing to the market's holding pattern alongside other factors like ETF inflows and geopolitical tensions.
"We're seeing classic post-rally consolidation after Bitcoin's strong start to 2026," Ostrovskis stated.
Economic Data and Exhausted Selling Pressure
The cryptocurrency's push towards its all-time high of over $126,000, reached in October, has also been hampered by stronger-than-anticipated economic indicators. This robust data has tempered expectations for additional interest-rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. James Butterfill, head of research at CoinShares, explained, "Macroeconomic data have generally come in stronger than expected, modestly reducing the probability of a March rate cut and likely adding further near-term pressure on prices."
However, some analysts view the current price consolidation as a healthy and constructive phase. Brian Vieten, a senior research analyst at Siebert Financial covering digital assets, pointed out that selling pressure linked to year-end tax strategies and fears about index provider MSCI has largely subsided. "Bitcoin is consolidating around $90,000 after a prolonged selloff tied to tax-loss harvesting and fears MSCI would exclude digital-asset treasury companies from major indices," Vieten said. "With that risk now resolved, selling pressure has largely been exhausted." MSCI indeed shelved its plan this week to remove digital-asset treasuries from its indices.
Long-Term Bullish Outlook Remains Intact
Despite the short-term stall, optimism for Bitcoin's future trajectory persists among many traders. James Butterfill from CoinShares believes a price target of around $200,000 by the end of the year is achievable. The key to unlocking the next major rally, according to Jake Ostrovskis, lies in breaking the psychological barrier at $95,000.
"A sustained break above $95,000 likely becomes reflexive," Ostrovskis predicted. He added that such a breakthrough would reopen a clear path toward six-figure prices by triggering renewed systemic buying interest in the market.
