Is Chainlink Heading To $18? Analyst Points Out A Range-Bound Pattern Suggesting 36.3% LINK Rally Amid Growing Buying Pressure

Chainlink (LINK) has been recently trading in a tight band between $11.9 and $14.5, with price action indicating little decision movement, according to the latest market findings from renowned crypto analyst Ali Martinez. The price compression around the $11.9-$14.5 region shows momentum fading due to weak investor demand and slow trading activity. A major catalyst behind this decreased momentum is the recent move by crypto whales to sell over 2 million LINK tokens over the past seven days, as per data reported yesterday by the analyst.

LINK’s renewed consolidation is a reflection of the increased volatility in the larger cryptocurrency market as major digital assets, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and multiple altcoins, appear to be struggling due to the persistence of market cautiousness amid slowing demand. After surging their prices to a high of $94,764 and $3,303 last week (on Tuesday, January 6) amid the new year, increased profit-taking and heightened market correction prompted BTC and ETH to currently hold their prices around $90,587 and $3,091, respectively.

What Chainlink’s Consolidation Means

Of late, Chainlink price action has flattened in the current sessions, as the asset oscillates within a narrow band between $11.9 and $14.5 and failing to print out clear breakouts or breakdowns. This slowed movement has raised scrutiny regarding whether market sentiment is becoming more cautious or just losing strength in the short term. 

According to data released today by Ali, Chainlink has been trading inside a parallel pattern for several weeks now. This pattern shows that LINK prices have been fluctuating between two well-defined levels, with $14.5 acting as the upper resistance level while $11.9 serves as the lower support level, forming a channel.

LINK’s move to repeatedly test these levels shows some sense of stability and predictability in the market. This range-bound behavior reflects that customers are keenly looking at these boundaries, watching for indicators of a breakout or breakdown.

As shown in the data, Chainlink pumped its price within the range following the beginning of 2026. However, after the first week of the new year, LINK has been seeing a downturn, clearly showing that it’s in a decline phase currently. Based on the past market movements in the previous cycles (as per the data), it’s possible that the asset could soon begin to experience a rally that would see its price climb to the top of the channel. This means that Chainlink is potentially preparing for a 9.84% rally to reach the $14.5 resistance level soon.

LINK Price Prediction

Today, January 11, 2026, Chainlink is currently floating around $13.20, up 0.7% in the past 24 hours, but down 1.1% over the past seven days. By holding its price around the $13 floor, LINK appears to be preparing for a looming breakout rally.

Sustained higher lows (as indicated by its latest price movements) show rising buyer momentum. This coincides with historical patterns as consolidation phases typically give room for token accumulations at a discount, and as a result, push prices up, in this case towards the $14.5 resistance zone, and possibly to the next $18.1 resistance level.