Bitcoin Price Analysis: BTC Slips Below $93,000 Amid US-EU Tensions, $600M In Bullish Bets Liquidated, Gold Surges

Bitcoin (BTC) and the broader cryptocurrency market registered a substantial decline over the past 24 hours as selling pressure intensified across the board. While crypto declined, gold prices surged as tensions between the EU and the US escalated, with the EU announcing retaliatory measures to new Trump tariffs. 

The flagship cryptocurrency traded above $95,000 over the weekend but plunged to a low of $92,285 as Asian markets opened on Monday. BTC is down nearly 3%, trading around $92,590 as momentum faded after last week’s rally beyond $97,000. 

CLARITY Act Delay Could Be Good For Crypto: Analyst 

Market analyst Michael van de Poppe believes the delay in advancing the CLARITY crypto market structure bill could be a positive development in the long term. The analyst highlighted the list of concerns echoed by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, which includes a ban on tokenized stocks, government access to user records on DeFi platforms, and strengthening the prohibition on yield-bearing stablecoins. Van de Poppe stated during an interview, 

The CLARITY Act is one of the most important crypto legislations in the US, alongside the GENIUS Act, a regulatory framework for stablecoins. 

Most Hacked Crypto Projects Never Fully Recover 

Mitchell Amador, CEO of Web3 security platform Immunefi, believes four out of five crypto platforms never fully recover after suffering a major hack. Amador stated that most protocols enter a state of paralysis after discovering an exploit, hampering their response to the situation. 

Amador stated that the first few hours after an exploit are the most damaging, as most teams don’t have a pre-determined incident plan or response. This leads to hesitation as teams question the steps they must take and never fully understand the scale of the exploit. 

Strategy Teases Another Bitcoin Buy 

Strategy Chairman Michael Saylor has teased another Bitcoin buy after the company purchased $1.25 billion worth of the asset last week. Saylor shared a screenshot of a graph from StrategyTracker in an X post on Saturday. The graph showed the price of Bitcoin and the number of times the company has added the flagship cryptocurrency to its holdings, with the caption “Bigger Orange.” Saylor has teased previous Bitcoin buys in a similar fashion and has continued its buying spree in the new year. 

Strategy started the year with a $115 million purchase of 1,283 BTC on January 4, following it up with a $1.25 billion purchase of 13,627 BTC on January 11. The latest acquisition takes Strategy’s Bitcoin holdings to 687,410 BTC, bought at an average cost of $75,353 per coin. However, Strategy’s stock price has plummeted over the past few months. Strategy’s stock has fallen over 52% to $173 as of January 16. Strategy has used several avenues to raise capital and finance its Bitcoin purchases, including selling short-term debt via convertible notes. 

However, debt holders will be able to convert billions of dollars worth of notes starting late 2027, which will put substantial pressure on Strategy to find a significant amount of capital. Strategy has reiterated that it has enough capital to meet its obligations and even suggested that selling some of its Bitcoin was an option. 

Bitcoin (BTC) Price Analysis 

Bitcoin (BTC) has started the new week in bearish territory as selling pressure dragged the price below $93,000. The flagship cryptocurrency traded above $95,000 over the weekend but plunged 3% as Asian markets opened on Monday, falling to an intraday low of $92,234 before reclaiming $92,000 and moving to $93,185. 

Bitcoin’s (BTC) sharp decline dragged the broader crypto market down as its derivatives-fueled rally lost momentum. According to data from CoinGlass, over $680 million in crypto positions were liquidated over the past 24 hours, of which roughly $600 million came from long positions. The decline also hit altcoins, with Ethereum (ETH) down nearly 4%, while Solana (SOL) is down almost 7%. Meanwhile, gold continued pushing higher amid a new 10% tariff against Denmark and several other European countries as President Donald Trump continues to pressure Europe for the complete and total purchase of Greenland.

According to Glassnode, Bitcoin’s climb to $97,000 was driven by derivatives flows, including short liquidations, rather than sustained spot accumulations. Glassnode also noted that on-chain liquidity remains thin, leaving price action prone to a sharp reversal when buying pressure subsides. The analytics platform also highlighted a crowded supply zone near cycle highs, which has repeatedly capped recent rallies.

Meanwhile, CryptoQuant called Bitcoin’s price action since late November a potential bear market rally rather than the beginning of a new uptrend. CryptoQuant noted that Bitcoin remains below its 365-day moving average. The platform noted that there are signs of stabilization, observing that the long-term holder distribution has slowed down substantially compared to late 2025. 

Bitcoin (BTC) ended the previous weekend in positive territory at $90,872. The price faced volatility on Monday, reaching an intraday high of $92,406 before settling at $91,188. Bullish sentiment intensified on Tuesday as BTC rallied, rising nearly 4% to $95,384. Buyers retained control on Wednesday as the flagship cryptocurrency crossed $97,000, reaching an intraday high of $97,963 before settling at $96,955.

Source: TradingView

Selling pressure returned on Thursday as BTC fell 1.41% and registered a marginal decline on Friday, settling at $95,504. Price action remained bearish over the weekend, with BTC dropping 0.41% on Saturday and 1.55% on Sunday to $93,633. The price is down 0.65% during the ongoing session, trading around $93,034 after dropping to a low of $91,935.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.