Bitcoin pushed into the low $90,000s on Monday, a momentum swing that has traders scanning for confirmation of a move back into six-figure territory. Seeing this, renowned market analyst Michaël van de Poppe tweeted, “There we go! Final hurdle before $100K: that’s where Bitcoin is currently at. I wouldn’t expect a clear-cut, immediate breakout; however, I do expect to see it happen in the coming week. The year started bullish.”
Bitcoin traded around $92–93k in early trading on Jan. 5, continuing a string of positive sessions that have lifted the market off late-December lows and left momentum indicators looking constructive. Price feeds showed BTC volumes picking up as investors digested fresh flows into spot products and a crowded calendar of macro prints.
Is the Breakout Real?
Van de Poppe’s comment came as more than a few technicalists identified a clear resistance band in the low-to-mid $90k area, a “final hurdle,” in his phrasing, where order-book congestion and sell liquidity have previously capped rallies. Some experts are cautiously optimistic: a handful of short-term indicators and momentum readings point to room for continuation, but veterans warn that the run-up is happening against a backdrop of sizable futures gaps and institutional flows that can whip price around quickly.
That institutional story matters. Spot Bitcoin ETFs have been net buyers to start the year, with several funds reporting healthy inflows that analysts say are lifting the bid under the market. Early January saw positive ETF contributions, a factor many attribute to the buoyant start to 2026 for crypto risk assets and to renewed appetite from some large allocators. Those flows, when they arrive in aggregate, can help sustain rallies toward round-number targets like $100,000, but they can also reverse, making any breakout fragile until it’s cemented by sustained on-chain or fund-flow confirmation.
Technical advisers remain split on the near term. Traders watching exchange heatmaps and liquidity ladders point to a cluster of sell interest around roughly $94.5k–$95.3k, an area that, if met before fresh follow-through, could invite short signals and a volatile pullback toward the mid-$80,000s. Others highlight that the current push has closed a number of short-term gaps and that a decisive move above $100k would likely require a round of higher highs on daily closes and a stabilization of ETF demand. In short: a breakout is possible, but not guaranteed, and risk management is front of mind for market participants.
The broader backdrop into 2026 is mixed. After an extraordinarily choppy 2025, which saw Bitcoin both flirt with new highs and then give back substantial gains late in the year, commentary from mainstream outlets reminded investors that the market’s recovery is still fragile and sentiment can flip fast. Macro crosswinds and the flow of institutional capital will likely be the deciding factors for whether this rally extends or simply retests lower support levels.
For now, traders will be watching price action around the low-$90k resistance and the behavior of ETF flows and futures funding rates. If Van de Poppe’s short-term view proves prescient and buyers maintain control, Bitcoin could make a run toward $100,000 within days; if sellers reclaim the highlighted zones, a test of the mid-to-low $80,000s would be a clear sign that the market needs more consolidation before another sustainable push higher. Market participants should expect noise and keep an eye on both on-chain signals and the institutional flows that have a habit of turning tentative rallies into more enduring trends.
