Bitcoin moved above $97,000 after a firm break of the $94,200 resistance and a quick push toward $97,500. As of January 2026, Value Days Destroyed is near 0.53, indicating older coins remain largely inactive, according to CryptoQuant analyst Carmelo Alemán. Analysts remain cautious, warning the advance could still be a counter‑trend move within a broader bearish setup.

On-chain firm Santiment says Bitcoin entered its "Very Bullish" zone after sharks and whales (10–10,000 BTC wallets) added 32,693 BTC since January 10th, while retail (<0.01 BTC) sold 149 BTC. The divergence suggests large holders are backing the rally, as BTC briefly crossed $97,000 before easing to $96,900.

Bitcoin is trading around $95,600 after a rally that cleared nearly $800 million in short positions, leaving price action in consolidation above former resistance. Over the past 24 hours, total liquidations were about $332.6 million, with $272 million from longs and $60 million from shorts, pointing to a leverage reset rather than trend exhaustion.

On 16 January 2026, West Virginia introduced the Inflation Protection Act to allow the state treasury to allocate up to 10% of reserves into precious metals, approved stablecoins, and select digital assets. Under the bill, only cryptocurrencies with a market cap above $750 billion would qualify, currently only Bitcoin. The measure awaits review by the Committee on Banking and Insurance.

On Thursday, Bitcoin's price hovered near $95,500 after retreating from $97,900, even as an 8% three-day rally liquidated $465 million in short futures positions. The perpetual futures funding rate sat at 4%, below typical neutral levels, highlighting soft retail demand while institutional flows into spot ETFs and corporate treasury purchases expanded to over $225 billion in BTC exposure. Broader macro uncertainty around the Federal Reserve's independence and tensions involving Iran have added to traders' caution despite strong stock and precious metal performance.

Bitcoin is edging out of a prolonged range, with former resistance at $94,800 now acting as support, according to Bitcoin Meraklsi. Price is trading above the $96,000 area, and analysts flag the $107,000–$107,300 zone as the next hurdle. Crypto Candy notes that a failure back below $94,000 would risk a false breakout.

Bitcoin has reinforced its upside bias by breaking above the $94,200 resistance and moving close to the 50-week EMA near $97,200, with price action forming a double-bottom around the $86,300 area. On-chain Value Days Destroyed readings near 0.53 in January 2026 indicate that long-term holders are largely inactive, supporting a thesis that the advance toward and potentially beyond the $100,000 region is being driven by sustained demand rather than heavy distribution. Technical resistance around the $97,600-$98,200 band and higher levels at $103,650 and $111,600 remain key thresholds for confirming a stronger bullish continuation.

On January 15, 2026, Arthur Hayes argued that Bitcoin could move to new all-time highs in 2026 if U.S. dollar liquidity expands again. He links Bitcoin’s weak showing in 2025 to the Federal Reserve’s prior balance sheet reduction and tighter financial conditions. Hayes believes a renewed growth in the monetary base and broader liquidity could shift capital from assets like gold and tech stocks back into Bitcoin.