Crypto Price Levels That Matter: Bitcoin's $81,000 Line and the Path to $97,000

Video: Bitcoin Came THIS Close to Breaking Down: $97K Next?
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· based on the channel Gareth Soloway
Key takeaways
- Bitcoin flushed to roughly $79,750 before closing back above the $81,000 support line.
- Above $87,200, three factors converge near $95,000–$97,000: a rising trend line, a measured move and prior pivot highs.
- A daily close below $81,000 opens $75,500, where only a 25% position is planned, with the rest of the buy at $67,000.
- Ethereum's heavy buy zone sits just below $2,000, with a $2,800 retest on a breakout.
- HBAR swing trade targets near $0.10 on a retrace to the scene of the crime.
Crypto traders watching Bitcoin got a clear answer this week: the bullish structure survived a flush to about $79,750, and the $81,000 support held on a closing basis. Gareth Soloway's read of the charts puts the decision line at $81,000 on the downside and $87,200 on the upside, with a confluence zone near $95,000–$97,000 if buyers reclaim the higher level. He also notes a practical detail for anyone paying fees: Coinbase tier-one pricing through his link is available to new sign-ups, accounts idle for 30 days and viewers who originally joined under someone else's link.
The flush to $79,750 and why $81,000 still matters
Bitcoin hammered the $81,000 line again and briefly traded near $79,750 before closing back above it, which keeps the bullish structure intact for now. That is the single most important fact in the current setup: a wick below support is noise, a daily close below it is information. Until the close happens, the range holds and the upside scenario stays alive.
Soloway's framing is deliberately unemotional. He holds no swing position in Bitcoin, long or short, while price sits inside a range of roughly $6,000. That is not a bearish call — it is a statement that the risk-to-reward is poor in the middle of the range and improves dramatically at the edges.
Why Bitcoin is holding up while the AI trade slides
Relative strength is the story underneath the price chart. Bitcoin has been hanging in there even as the AI trade and the Nasdaq slid, and that divergence is what keeps the bullish case credible. When an asset refuses to break while its high-beta neighbours sell off, sellers are usually exhausted rather than absent.
That said, relative strength is a supporting argument, not a trigger. The trigger remains a daily close above $87,200, which is why Soloway stays flat in the middle of the range instead of anticipating the break.
Upside: three factors lining up at $95,000–$97,000
Above $87,200, three separate technical factors converge in the $95,000 to $97,000 area, which is why that zone carries weight rather than being a round-number guess.
- Rising trend line near $91,000. A trend line drawn off the higher lows currently projects into the low $90,000s, and because it rises over time it could carry the target into late November without price doing anything unusual.
- Measured move off the consolidation. The height of the recent range, projected upward from a breakout, lands at $96,000 to $97,000.
- Prior pivot highs. Previous swing highs sit in the same neighbourhood, confirming the confluence rather than contradicting it.
When a trend line, a measured move and old pivot highs point at the same zone, traders get a defined area to take profit or reassess instead of a vague hope. The upside scenario only counts above $87,200 — below that level, the confluence is theory.
Downside: $75,500 first, then the $67,000 load zone
A daily close below $81,000 opens $75,500, and the plan there is deliberately partial: buy only 25% of the intended position. The remaining 75% is reserved for the $67,000 zone. This is position sizing as risk management — if support fails, the first buy is small enough to survive a deeper flush to the second level.
Soloway has said he still believes the cycle low is in until proven otherwise, and the staged buying plan is consistent with that view: he expects higher prices eventually but refuses to bet the whole allocation on one line holding. A close below $81,000 would not invalidate the cycle thesis, it would simply move the entry points lower.
Ethereum and HBAR: the altcoin setups in the same plan
Ethereum is trading in a range with a heavy buy zone just below $2,000 and a $2,800 retest on a breakout. The structure mirrors Bitcoin's: accumulate near the bottom of the range, reassess at the top, and treat the middle as a no-trade area.
HBAR offered a swing trade setup shared with Smart Money Crypto members: a retrace to the scene of the crime — the level where price previously broke down — with a target near $0.10. The pattern is a classic retest of a broken level from the other side, and it is the kind of setup that only works if the entry is planned before the move starts.
The questions traders keep asking about this setup
Viewers repeatedly raise the same practical issues, and they are worth addressing directly because they decide whether a plan survives contact with the market.
- "No Bitcoin position at all?" Being flat inside a $6,000 range is a decision, not indecision. The edge comes from acting at $81,000 or $87,200, not in between.
- "How do I short on Coinbase?" Spot platforms do not offer straightforward shorting; traders who want downside exposure typically use derivatives elsewhere or simply wait for the buy zones with cash ready.
- "Can I use the fee link if I already have an account?" Accounts that have been idle for 30 days qualify, and so do users who originally signed up under someone else's referral link.
- "Isn't emotional trading the real problem?" Yes — and the fix is a written game plan with entry, size and invalidation defined before the trade, which is exactly what the 25%/75% split at $75,500 and $67,000 represents.
- "Aren't exchange fees and spreads too high?" That is the reason the tier-one pricing offer exists; fees are a permanent drag on returns and worth renegotiating once rather than complaining about every trade.
Useful links
Bottom line
Bitcoin is a two-level market right now: $81,000 decides whether the pullback extends toward $75,500 and $67,000, and $87,200 decides whether the confluence at $95,000–$97,000 comes into play. The bullish structure survived a flush to $79,750, relative strength against the AI trade and the Nasdaq supports the constructive case, and the staged buy plan keeps emotion out of a range that punishes impatience. Ethereum's sub-$2,000 zone and the HBAR retest toward $0.10 follow the same logic of waiting for defined levels. The analysis comes from Gareth Soloway, whose chart breakdown on his channel is the source for these levels — and if you want tier-one fees before the next trade, sign up through the Coinbase link.
Questions & answers
What are the key Bitcoin levels to watch right now?
The two decision levels are $81,000 on the downside and $87,200 on the upside. A daily close below $81,000 opens $75,500 and then the $67,000 zone, while a close above $87,200 activates a confluence of targets near $95,000 to $97,000.
Why is Gareth Soloway not holding a Bitcoin position?
Because price is sitting in the middle of a roughly $6,000 range, where risk-to-reward is poor in both directions. He prefers to act at the edges — buying the $75,500 and $67,000 zones or trading a confirmed break above $87,200.
What makes the $95,000–$97,000 target credible?
Three independent factors converge there: a rising trend line currently near $91,000 that climbs over time, a measured move off the consolidation projecting to $96,000–$97,000, and prior pivot highs in the same area. Confluence from separate methods is stronger than any single indicator.
Does the Coinbase fee offer apply to existing accounts?
Yes, in two cases: accounts that have been idle for 30 days and viewers who originally signed up under someone else's referral link. The offer provides tier-one fee pricing, which matters because fees and spreads compound against returns over time.
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