Bitcoin between 80,000 and 140,000: "Torturous"! Institutions are pretending to sleep, Ethereum is holding on for dear life, and there's only one sign to break the deadlock in 2026

Folks! At the start of 2026, Bitcoin is once again stuck between $80,000 and $140,000! Neither up nor down, neither dead nor alive, like an elevator with no power—you know it will move eventually, but you don’t know whether it will go up or down.

This isn't a bear market or a bull market; it's a "volatility market" that makes 90% of traders want to change careers. But seasoned veterans tell you: the more painful the range, the more violent the breakout. Now, it's not about courage but about who can survive until the end—who can eat the entire wave of dividends.

Bitcoin's "Range Trap": 80K-140K is not the bottom, but a slaughterhouse

Currently, Bitcoin is being pulled by three forces simultaneously, like a tug-of-war:

• ETF Funds: like a cushion on the floor, falling doesn't hurt (but don’t expect it to lift you to the sky)

• Federal Reserve: only a 14.9% chance of rate cuts in January 2026; liquidity tap is still closed

• Market Sentiment: Fear Index at 20 (extreme fear), but institutional holdings have risen to 24%

Main battlefield locked between $90K-$120K:

• Below $90K: institutions quietly accumulating, whales siphoning

• Above $120K: concentrated trapped positions, each rise is a fate of being smashed

• $80K floor: less than 15% chance of breaking down, because Tether holds 96,185 BTC, with a floating profit of $3.5 billion, they won't let the floor collapse

Extreme scenario analysis:

• Pessimistic: if US stocks crash + Yen hikes, it could dip to $50K (2020 level 312)

• Optimistic: if Fed cuts rates in March + ETF funds flow back, it could surge to $140K (new all-time high)

But most likely: repeated friction between $80K-$140K for 2-3 months, grinding until you sell at a loss, making you doubt life, then suddenly a big bullish candle pushes to $120K, and you miss the chance to get on board.

Institutions are "pretending to sleep": trading volume plummeted 75%, what are they waiting for?

Recently, the 7-day average trading volume for institutions is only $36 million, down 75% from the peak of $140 million in November! It’s not a lack of funds; it’s "pretending to sleep."

Why are institutions pretending?

1. "Let retail traders go first": you panic and sell, they quietly buy at $80K

2. "Waiting for the Fed’s signal": no rate cuts in January, February, or March, then they’ll get truly anxious

3. "Rebalancing": retreating from altcoins, focusing on accumulating BTC/ETH

Data doesn’t lie:

• Spot ETF holdings continue to increase, with net inflow of $25 billion in November

• Exchange BTC balances hit a 5-year low, indicating big players are withdrawing and hoarding

• Futures long-short ratio at 0.87, with shorts dominating, but prices aren’t falling; spot market is quietly absorbing

Summary: institutions aren’t not playing; they’re playing a bigger game. They’re waiting for a signal—the Fed’s QE 5.0.

Ethereum’s "Stubbornness": Futures can’t smash it, spot is holding on

Right now, Ethereum is like being beaten down by ten strong men on the ground, but refusing to lie down.

Data speaks:

• 30-day net Taker Volume remains negative: futures market is dominated by bears

• Price stubbornly holding at $3,000: spot market participants are buying at all costs

Who is buying?

1. DeFi protocols: treasury funds of Uniswap, Aave, Lido are increasing ETH holdings

2. Whales: addresses holding 1000+ ETH increased by 12% in December

3. Staking army: ETH staked surpasses 25 million, with locked-in volume continuously rising

What signals does this send?

• Futures reflect sentiment: bears are creating panic, trying to force stop-loss sales

• Spot reflects faith: true holders are bottom-fishing, believing $3,000 is a solid floor

• Time for space: as long as spot can withstand selling pressure, bears will eventually cover, and when a bullish candle hits $3,500, the bears turn into bulls

Yibo’s judgment: ETH at $3,000 is equivalent to BTC at $80,000. "Sentiment is falling, price isn’t," this is the most hardcore bottom signal.

2026 Breakthrough Signals: Watch for these three "singularities"

Fooling around in the range will only get you slapped. Real experts are waiting for these three signals:

Signal 1: ETF funds have net inflow exceeding $1 billion for 7 consecutive days

• Trigger probability: Q2 2026 (March-June)

• Significance: institutions complete their positions and start a rally phase

• Your move: go all-in, leverage up to 3x

Signal 2: Fed cuts rates at the March FOMC meeting

• Trigger probability: 51.7%

• Significance: liquidity gate opens, global risk assets celebrate

• Your move: allocate 80% to BTC/ETH, 20% to altcoins

Signal 3: Ethereum spot ETF approval

• Trigger probability: Q3 2026 (July-September)

• Significance: ETH will replicate BTC’s 2024 bull market, targeting $5,000

• Your move: pre-position ETH, once news hits, double your position

What should you do now?

• Stay still: 30% position before signals appear

• Don’t guess: don’t predict direction, just wait for confirmation

• Don’t panic: the biggest risk in volatility is frequent trading, fees can kill you

Veteran’s 2026 Volatility Survival Manual

Position management (max leverage no more than 3x):

• BTC 40%: build position at 80K-85K, add at 75K

• ETH 30%: build at around $3,000, add at $2,800

• USDT 30%: wait for fear index to drop below 15, then go all-in

Trading discipline:

1. Check the market only once a day: at 10 am, turn off other times

2. Set price alerts: buy if BTC drops below 78K, sell if breaks above 85K

3. Review monthly: check logic, avoid emotional trading

Mindset building:

• Volatility isn’t hell, it’s heaven: gives you time to research, buy low

• Institutions aren’t enemies, they’re allies: they absorb supply, you follow, they push up, you collect

• Patience is the only moat: surviving longer in crypto is 100 times more important than making quick gains

Interaction time: in this torturous market, how do you operate?

Faced with the range between 80K-140K, your strategy is:

A. Buy high, sell low: sell at 85K, buy at 78K, swing trading

B. Hold tight: go all-in and wait for 120K to sell

C. Stay on the sidelines: wait for 75K or fear index below 15 before entering

D. Short at the top: open short at range top, profit from volatility

Comment your choice and explain your logic.

Like, watch, share—let more crypto friends see this hardcore analysis! Follow my channel, and when the market turns, I’ll be the first to call you to get on board!

Remember: only those who survive volatility can make big money in trends. In 2026, Yibo will be here all along, guiding you through the fog, catching every opportunity to get rich!

Disclaimer: This article’s data comes from public sources and does not constitute investment advice. Cryptocurrency markets are highly volatile; do your own research, risk is yours to bear.