Bitcoin rose 5% to $95k as the broader crypto market added about $130 billion in value in the third week of the month. With cooling U.S. inflation, softer labor data and progress on the CLARITY and GENIUS Acts, some analysts see macro conditions supporting a potential push toward $100k.

CryptoQuant contributor Darkfost reports Binance's Bitcoin futures open interest topped $15B on October 6, then fell more than 31% to about $10B as futures-led selling eased. He views the drop and an OI slide below the 180‑day average as a deleveraging signal, while Net Taker Volume has cooled to –$51M from a –$489M monthly peak. BTC last traded at $95,131.

Bitcoin climbed above $95,000 for the first time since mid-November and was trading near $97,200, breaking out of a multi-week consolidation range. On-chain and market metrics show spot taker buy volume and accumulation rising, suggesting buyers are regaining control and that recent strength may be supported by broader participation.

Bitcoin rallied after $840 million flowed into spot ETFs on Monday and Tuesday, and Wednesday’s 5.5% jump lifted price to a two‑month high near $97,000. Options skew sits at 4% with puts priced richer, $370 million in short liquidations hit over two days, and macro risks plus weaker equities are capping momentum.

Bitcoin miner CleanSpark announced on Wednesday that it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase 447 acres of land in Brazoria County, Texas, to build a 300 MW data center that could be expanded to 600 MW. The facilities are designed to support artificial intelligence and high-performance computing workloads as the firm diversifies away from pure Bitcoin mining amid record network difficulty.

On January 14, 2026, analyst Ali Martinez reported that Bitcoin whales accumulated more than 30,000 BTC over the previous five days, an amount valued at roughly $2.76 billion. During this period, whale holdings rose from about 9.32 million BTC to over 9.42 million BTC, while Bitcoin's price recovered from corrections near $81,000 to trade around $97,000 and move closer to the $100,000 mark.

Bitcoin climbed to $97,500 in early 2026 after posting a daily close above $95,000, forming a new higher high. On-chain and derivatives metrics, including a more than $500 million Binance net taker volume spike and rising open interest, indicate sustained bullish momentum with technical scope toward $103,500. Key areas now watched by traders extend between $90,000 and $107,500 as BTC attempts to consolidate above prior resistance.

Bitcoin climbed above the $95,000 resistance level and briefly traded near $97,000 on Wednesday, with more than $100 million in short positions wiped out in one hour. QCP Capital links the move to a broader risk-on backdrop supported by stable U.S. inflation, Trump's pro-market agenda, and record-breaking gains in gold and other metals, while ongoing political turmoil and dollar weakness still cloud the outlook for sustained upside.