Bitcoin briefly climbed above $91,500 before shedding those gains and slipping back under the $91,000 level, leaving the market trading roughly in the $90,000–$92,000 band. The intraday reversal highlighted persistent volatility and a risk-off backdrop that encouraged profit-taking.
Early upside momentum proved short-lived. Reported intraday prints included $91,346.00 and $90,731.35, placing BTC at or below the psychologically important $91,000 mark. On a 24‑hour basis, some sources showed modest gains (around +0.97% to +1.5%), but those figures masked notable weakness in related assets: Bitcoin SV and Bitcoin Cash were reported down about -1.97% and -1.45%, respectively.
‘The Fear sentiment continued to dominate the market,’ according to a market roundup cited in recent reporting, and that mood correlated with the quick reversal of gains.
For traders, that combination — subdued sentiment, macro sensitivity and clustered liquidation points — argued for measured position sizing and active risk controls. Treasury managers and institutional allocators were cautioned to weigh short-term liquidity needs against the volatility profile of holding BTC through similar episodes.
Drivers: sentiment, macro forces and liquidation risk
Market psychology remained a primary driver. The Crypto Fear and Greed Index was reported in the low range — oscillating between roughly 23 and 41 — keeping participants biased toward selling into rallies. That risk aversion reduced the market’s ability to sustain buying pressure.
Macro factors also weighed on prices. Analysts noted that Federal Reserve monetary policy and inflation prints continued to exert outsized influence on BTC’s direction. At the same time, spot BTC exchange‑traded funds have damped some volatility, but they have not eliminated sharp moves when sentiment shifts.
Leverage amplified the downside risk. Data highlighted that a slide under $87,223 could trigger approximately $1.108B in long liquidations, a concentration that can accelerate declines if sellers dominate order flow.
Investors are now watching macroeconomic data and Federal Reserve decisions closely; these releases will act as the next concrete test of whether spot ETF flows and improving sentiment can sustain higher price levels or whether risk‑off dynamics will push BTC toward key liquidation bands.
