Crypto traders watch Bitcoin's $81,000 line as $97,000 target comes into view in 2026

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 about $79,750 before closing back above the $81,000 support line.
- A daily close above $87,200 opens a confluence of targets at $95,000–$97,000.
- A daily close below $81,000 opens $75,500, where only a 25% position is planned.
- The rest of the buy plan sits in the $67,000 zone; the cycle low is treated as intact until proven otherwise.
- Ethereum's heavy buy zone sits just below $2,000, with a $2,800 retest on a breakout; HBAR target near $0.10.
Crypto's most watched chart is again a single Bitcoin level. In his breakdown, Gareth Soloway frames the whole setup around two prices: Bitcoin holds $81,000 and the bullish structure survives, while a daily close above $87,200 opens a path toward $95,000–$97,000. The video lands after a session in which Bitcoin flushed to roughly $79,750 and then closed back above that $81,000 line, and viewers who want tier-one fee pricing on the exchange he uses can register through the Coinbase Verified Investing link.
Why the $81,000 support line matters for crypto right now
Bitcoin has hammered $81,000 repeatedly and held it, and that repeated defense is the core of the bullish case. The flush to about $79,750 was a break in intraday terms, but the daily close back above $81,000 kept the structure intact. Soloway's read is that as long as that line holds on a closing basis, the larger uptrend is not broken and the range trade continues.
That range is roughly $6,000 wide, and it explains why he holds no swing position in Bitcoin in either direction. Inside a range, a trader who is long gets stopped on the flush and a trader who is short gets squeezed on the reclaim; the cost of being early is paid twice. Sitting flat is a position, and here it is the deliberate one.
Bitcoin is holding up while the AI trade and Nasdaq slide
One of the more interesting observations in the video is relative strength: Bitcoin has been hanging in there even as the AI trade and the Nasdaq have slid. Crypto does not usually lead a risk-off move higher, so holding a major support line while high-beta technology names sell off is a signal worth respecting. It does not guarantee upside, but it tells you where the sellers are not.
The three factors that converge near $95,000 to $97,000
The upside case is not one chart pattern; it is three independent measurements landing in the same zone.
- Rising trend line. A trend line drawn from the prior structure reaches roughly $91,000 on the near horizon and continues rising, which is why Soloway says the target could carry into late November rather than resolving within days.
- Measured move. The height of the consolidation projected from the breakout point lands around $96,000 to $97,000.
- Prior pivot highs. Old swing highs sit in the same $95,000–$97,000 area, giving a third reason for sellers to appear there.
Confluence matters because a single target is a guess and three targets in one zone is a plan. The condition attached to all of it is strict: the upside scenario only counts above $87,200. Below that level the measured move is not triggered, and the trend line is not in play.
The bear case below $81,000 and the staged buy plan
A daily close below $81,000 changes the map. The first level down is $75,500, and Soloway's plan there is deliberately partial: buy only 25% of the intended position. The remaining 75% is reserved for the $67,000 zone, where he says he would load the rest.
That staging is the practical answer to a question he was asked on Crypto Banter about going all in at $75,500. Going all in at the first support assumes the first support holds; sizing in tranches assumes it might not. The same logic underpins his view that the cycle low is in until proven otherwise: a thesis is held with an invalidation level, not with conviction alone.
Ethereum and HBAR setups in the same crypto tape
Ethereum is trading in a range with a heavy buy zone just below $2,000, and a breakout would put $2,800 back in play as a retest. The structure mirrors Bitcoin's: define the floor, define the trigger, and let price pick one.
HBAR was a swing trade taken with Smart Money Crypto members on a retrace to what Soloway calls the scene of the crime, the level where the prior move originated, with a target near $0.10. The lesson is portable across altcoins: the best risk-reward often sits at the origin of a move rather than at its extension.
What traders keep asking about fees, shorting and game plans
Viewers raised practical objections that deserve straight answers. Several complained that Coinbase is expensive, with fees and spreads that eat into returns; the offer in the video is tier-one fee pricing for accounts that sign up through the link, including accounts that have been idle for 30 days and viewers who originally joined under someone else's link. Others asked how to short Bitcoin or other coins on the platform, which depends on the products available in a given jurisdiction and account type, not on the chart setup.
The most useful comment was about emotional trading: many people do not know enough to have a game plan in the first place. Soloway's answer is procedural. Decide the entry, the invalidation and the size before the trade, then execute without renegotiating in the moment. A trader without those three numbers is not trading a plan, but reacting to a candle.
Useful links
Bottom line
The crypto setup in this breakdown is unusually clean because it reduces to two closing prices. Above $87,200, three separate measurements converge at $95,000–$97,000, with a rising trend line that could stretch the timeline into late November; below $81,000, the map shifts to $75,500 for a 25% starter position and $67,000 for the rest. Sitting flat inside a $6,000 range is not indecision, it is discipline while the market chooses a side. The analysis comes from Gareth Soloway, whose chart-first approach keeps the emotional component out of the trade; traders who want the same exchange pricing he uses can start with the Coinbase sign-up link.
Source: Bitcoin Came THIS Close to Breaking Down: $97K Next? · Markdown version
Questions & answers
What are the two Bitcoin levels that decide the next move?
The setup hinges on $81,000 as support and $87,200 as the upside trigger. A daily close above $87,200 activates the measured move toward $95,000–$97,000, while a daily close below $81,000 opens the $75,500 and then $67,000 buy zones.
Why would anyone buy only 25% at $75,500?
Because the first support can fail. Buying a quarter of the intended position at $75,500 keeps capital available for the $67,000 zone, which is where the remainder of the plan is allocated. It converts an all-or-nothing bet into staged risk.
Is Coinbase too expensive for active crypto trading?
Standard fee tiers and spreads can be a real drag, which is why the video promotes tier-one fee pricing through a sign-up link. The offer also covers accounts idle for 30 days and viewers who originally registered under a different link, subject to the sponsor's terms.
Where are the Ethereum and HBAR levels?
Ethereum has a heavy buy zone just below $2,000 and a $2,800 retest on a breakout. HBAR was a swing trade entered on a retrace to the origin of the prior move, with a target near $0.10.