BTC moving sideways: Traders watching $80K and $88K closely
Last Updated on 18 December 2025 by CryptoTips.eu
The price of Bitcoin (BTC) is making a small move up today, but it remains stuck in a broad sideways range for now. At the time of writing, the price is $87,015, marking a 0.69% increase compared to yesterday. However, on a weekly basis, BTC is still down 3.6%.
The 24-hour trading volume sits above $50 billion, indicating a fairly active market despite the lack of clear direction.
Plenty of noise, no real direction
If you look at the charts, it’s mostly chaos. According to analyst Daan Crypto Trades, Bitcoin has been stuck for four weeks between two strong zones: support around $85,000 and resistance just below $93,000. Sentiment seems to flip daily based on small candle moves, but in reality, not much is happening. Daan notes this time of year is typically slow and messy due to low liquidity. His advice? Log off and check back in January.
$BTC 4 weeks later. Still in the range.
— Daan Crypto Trades (@DaanCrypto) December 18, 2025
Sentiment flipping based on every last daily candle colour. Meanwhile we've just been moving up and down in a choppy fashion, while trading in between these two larger levels.
I'll repeat one more time that I don't think you'd be missing… https://t.co/qwweFMMlbK pic.twitter.com/vnxhaMQVoh
Last line of defense around $80K
Michaël van de Poppe sees a similar pattern. In his analysis, he highlights three potential bounce zones for Bitcoin. If none of those hold, he believes the next major support lies near $80,000.
He refers to this level as the “last stop” before a further drop could take place. Still, he isn’t necessarily bearish: if BTC manages to break above $88,000, sentiment could shift quickly. That price level has previously acted as an important threshold for bullish momentum.
Positively surprised with the current price action of $BTC.
— Michaël van de Poppe (@CryptoMichNL) December 18, 2025
Ultimately, everyone is patienced and sidelined for the Bank of Japan event.
That's the big event of the month, and given that it provided such a big response in the markets in previous times, the anticipation is that… pic.twitter.com/d7Ii0lt2do
Bank of Japan keeps traders on edge
One of the key events this month is the interest rate decision from the Bank of Japan. Many traders are eagerly awaiting it, hoping for some sharp market reactions. Michaël, however, thinks expectations might be too high. “When everyone expects a strong reaction, usually the opposite happens,” he wrote on X.
All in all, Bitcoin seems to be settling in an uncertain zone for now. Only a clear breakout above $88,000 or a drop towards $80,000 might provide actual direction.
