Bitcoin’s New Year rally falters near critical price support
BTC is on the cusp of plunging below the $90,000 level as bullish enthusiasm fades.
- Failed rally. Bitcoin has failed to hold above $90,000 three separate times since November 2025.
Bitcoin bulls started the year on a high note, pushing the flagship cryptocurrency to nearly $95,000. However, the rally quickly faded.
The flagship coin is now on the cusp of losing the make-it-or-break-it $90,000 level once again. Bitcoin has failed to hold above the critical $90,000 level three distinct times since November 2025.
- Bearish sentiment. Traders increasingly view the New Year rally as a bull trap rather than a true trend reversal.
The current despair among bulls is driven by the realization that the New Year’s rally was likely a “bull trap” rather than a structural reversal.
The current despair among bulls is driven by the realization that the New Year’s rally was likely a “bull trap” rather than a structural reversal. If the breakout does not immediately confirm with strong momentum, the bullish structure is invalidated.
Morgan Stanley files for Solana ETF, signals deeper push into crypto products
The leading investment bank plans to engage third-party providers to stake SOL and reflect those rewards in the fund’s NAV.
- Solana ETF. American investment bank Morgan Stanley has filed for a Solana exchange-traded fund.
American multinational investment bank Morgan Stanley has filed for a Solana exchange-traded fund.
The fund seeks to track the performance of SOL, the native digital asset of the Solana blockchain, as measured by a specific Pricing Benchmark, adjusted for expenses and liabilities. The Trust will utilize third-party SOL custodians to hold the Trust’s SOL.
- Bitcoin ETF. Alongside the Solana filing, Morgan Stanley has also submitted paperwork for a Bitcoin ETF, joining established issuers like BlackRock.
The trust will engage in staking to earn rewards, which are expected to accrete to the product’s net asset value (NAV). On top of that, Morgan Stanley has also filed for a Bitcoin ETF, joining BlackRock and a slew of other issuers.
This is yet another development that shows how mainstream crypto has become. Until now, Morgan Stanley has only allowed its clients to invest in other crypto ETFs instead of creating its own products and actively managing them.
A sudden increase in buying pressure propelled SHIB above its 100-day exponential moving average (EMA), which in turn drove the rally. For weeks, this level had served as a strong dynamic barrier that limited attempts at upside and strengthened the overall downward trend.
SHIB briefly erases a zero, but breakout fails to hold
Shiba Inu removed zero from its price, but it is not a guarantee of success for the asset.
- Price surge. Shiba Inu briefly surged to the $0.00001 level, momentarily removing another zero from its price before quickly reversing.
For a brief period, Shiba Inu provided what many investors had been anticipating: the elimination of yet another zero from its price. SHIB surged to the $0.00001 level during a strong intraday move, trading above it briefly before swiftly reversing.
Although the milestone was technically reached, the market’s response showed that there was not enough support for the move to become a sustained breakout.
- 100-day EMA. The move was driven by a short-term spike in buying pressure that pushed price above the 100-day exponential moving average (EMA).
A sudden increase in buying pressure propelled SHIB above its 100-day exponential moving average (EMA), which in turn drove the rally. For weeks, this level had served as a strong dynamic barrier that limited attempts at upside and strengthened the overall downward trend.
A sudden increase in buying pressure propelled SHIB above its 100-day exponential moving average (EMA), which in turn drove the rally. For weeks, this level had served as a strong dynamic barrier that limited attempts at upside and strengthened the overall downward trend.
John Bollinger urges caution on XRP despite sharp January rally
John Bollinger is warning traders not to mistake verticality for structural strength.
- Bearish setup. Legendary market technician John Bollinger has tempered expectations for XRP in a recent social media post, urging technical caution despite the token’s strong price surge.
Legendary market technician John Bollinger has tempered expectations for XRP in his latest social media post.
The prominent technical analyst has urged technical caution on the popular altcoin despite its recent price surge. He has concluded that the market hierarchy remains “BTC > ETH > XRP for now”.
- XRP vs. BTC. While acknowledging XRP’s “strong lift,” Bollinger argued that its underlying technical pattern is weaker than that of Bitcoin and Ethereum.
XRP has managed to soar by rougly 32% since Jan. 1. The Ripple-affiliated token has outstripped other major cryptocurrencies so far. The move was violent enough to bypass typical resistance checks. “$XRP bulls blasted through the immediate resistance 5% higher and pushed all the way to range high,” pseudonymous analyst “Dom” noted in a recent social media post.
Bollinger has acknowledged the asset’s recent “strong lift,” but he argued that the underlying technical formation is inferior to its peers. “Ripple, strong lift, but the pattern is weaker,” Bollinger stated.
Bitcoin prints first post-halving red year
BTC reached an intraday high of $91,764, with traders now watching for what comes next in the markets.
- BTC past $91K. Bitcoin has recorded its first red candle in a post-halving year, breaking the historical four-year cycle pattern.
Bitcoin surpassed $91,000 for the first time in 2026 and since Dec. 12. Bitcoin reached a high of $91,764 on Sunday as traders extended the early 2026 rebound across major cryptocurrencies as risk appetite improved.
At the time of writing, Bitcoin was up 1.72% in the last 24 hours to $91,192 and up 3.8% in the last seven days. While traders are watching for what comes next in the markets, community analyst at on-chain analytics platform CryptoQuant Maartunn hints that the next few hours till Sunday’s close might be crucial to watch.
- ETFs breaking cycles. ETF-driven demand pulled forward liquidity into 2024, meaning the expected post-halving surge never materialized in 2025.
According to Maartunn, Sunday nights can bring volatility. Some instances have seen prices rise on Sundays only for the markets to reverse, plunging most assets into losses.
Maartunn noted an exception to last two Sundays, which were relatively flat with not much to trade on. It will be watched to see if Sunday’s volatility trend as highlighted will play out, with the next few hours being watched.
Bitcoin has traded in a tight range between $85,000 and $90,000 in recent weeks. As a result, the gap between its Bollinger Bands, volatility bands placed two standard deviations above and below the 20-day MA, has narrowed.
Source: https://u.today/legendary-trader-bollinger-issues-xrp-warning-morgan-stanley-bets-on-bitcoin-and-solana-shiba-inu
