Bitcoin struggles around $61,000 after US and German authorities transfer BTC to exchanges

Bitcoin (BTC) encountered resistance near the $62,000 mark on Wednesday and declined 1.5% to trade around $60,777 in Thursday’s American session. The US and German governments' transfers of BTC to exchanges in the past week have contributed to market FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) among traders. Additionally, on-chain data reveals a rise in miners' selling activity, suggesting bearish sentiment in the market.

Daily digest market movers: Bitcoin price eases as US and German Authorities transfer BTC to exchanges

• Data from Arkham Intelligence shows that the US Government transferred 3,940.28 BTC, valued at $241.22 million, to Coinbase Prime Deposit on Wednesday. This Bitcoin was initially seized from narcotics trafficker Banmeet Singh and forfeited during a trial in January 2024. This sudden movement of funds could have sparked FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) among traders, potentially influencing Bitcoin's 1.5% price decline on Wednesday.

• According to data from Lookonchain, the German Government transferred 750 BTC, valued at $46.35 million, on Wednesday. Additionally, a smaller transfer of 0.001 BTC to Flow Traders suggests a possible test transaction or intention to sell BTC through that entity. Recent movements indicate that German authorities have transferred a total of 2,100 BTC, amounting to $135.22 million, to platforms including Coinbase, Bitstamp, and Kraken over the past few days. The German Government currently holds 45,609 BTC, valued at $2.81 billion.

• Strike, a company specializing in Bitcoin payments, announced via its Twitter account that it is entering the United Kingdom market. This expansion enables individuals and businesses in the UK to utilize Strike's services related to Bitcoin and the Lightning Network. With this step, Strike's services are now accessible in 100 countries and regions worldwide, encompassing the US, Europe, Latin America, and Africa. Given the UK's status as the second-largest economy in Europe and the sixth-largest globally, this move presents substantial prospects for increasing Bitcoin adoption.

• According to CryptoQuant data, the Bitcoin Miner to Exchange Flow (Total) metric shows the total amount of BTC transferred from a mining pool to exchange wallets. Increases in the metric indicate that many miners' coins are exposed to selling, suggesting a bearish trend, and decreases indicate that only a few miners' coins are exposed to selling, signaling less sell pressure.
•  In the last three days, the miners have sent their BTC to the exchanges at an average daily rate of 8,702.18 BTC. This transfer could include the immediate need to cover the cost or to gain excess gains by selling at the price they consider to be overvalued. Both cases are correlated to sell action, which naturally leads to interpreting this reason as a price drop, which indicates a bearish sign.

Bitcoin Miner to Exchange Flow (Total) chart

Technical analysis: BTC faces resistance at the lower band of the descending wedge

Bitcoin's price broke below the descending wedge on Monday, declining approximately 7.5% to retest its crucial weekly support near $58,375 and rebounded by 5.8% on Tuesday.

BTC was rejected by the lower band of the broken descending wedge on Wednesday. Since then, it has edged down approximately 1.75% to trade around $60,777.

If the lower boundary of the descending wedge around $62,000 holds as resistance, BTC could decline roughly 4% to reach its weekly support near $58,375.

On the daily chart, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) and the Awesome Oscillator (AO) are below their respective mean levels of 50 and zero. This indicates that, according to these momentum indicators, the bearish sentiment prevails, suggesting the potential for further decline in BTC’s price.

BTC/USDT daily chart

However, if BTC closes above the $63,956 level and forms a higher high in the daily time frame, it could indicate that bullish sentiment persists. Such a development may trigger a 5% rise in Bitcoin's price, revisiting its next weekly resistance at $67,147.