Bitcoin may decline for the fifth consecutive month. What should be the next focus?

Writing by: Blockchain Knight

Bitcoin is approaching a concerning milestone; if it declines in February, it could mark the fifth consecutive month of decline.

Moreover, this situation no longer appears to be a crypto-specific downturn but rather a macroeconomic-driven re-pricing.

This five-month decline, following the ETF era, will be noteworthy, and it will be the longest monthly downturn since the 2018 bear market, when Bitcoin declined for six consecutive months.

Bitcoin’s price fell below $63,000 this month, dropping nearly 20%, the largest monthly decline since June 2022.

However, the focus is not solely on the price decline itself.

A bigger shift is happening in Bitcoin’s pricing mechanism, where ETF capital flows, interest rate expectations, and cross-asset risk sentiment now carry more weight than the native catalysts of cryptocurrencies.

As a result, Bitcoin traders are no longer focused on when the price will hit new highs again.

Instead, the discussion has shifted to the next sustained support level, with $58,000 being the most watched price point.

ETF and macroeconomic market drivers

In recent weeks, Bitcoin’s trading behavior has increasingly resembled a high-beta risk asset rather than an independent digital asset.

This distinction is important because it changes how traders interpret market trends.

In a crypto-dominated market, short-term price movements may be driven by adoption, protocol upgrades, or long-term scarcity narratives.

In the current environment, key inputs are more familiar to macro traders, including fund flow data, options positions, and broader risk appetite.

This shift is most evident in ETF behavior.

When spot Bitcoin ETF funds continue to flow steadily, dips often trigger automatic demand.

These inflows act as a buffer, not because market sentiment turns bullish, but because the ETF structure itself requires buying support.

Now, the situation is the opposite. Ongoing capital outflows not only weaken support but may also become a source of supply pressure.

Since the beginning of the year, net outflows from US spot Bitcoin ETFs have exceeded $4.5 billion, indicating that even as some markets seek a bottom, institutional demand via ETFs remains under pressure.

This represents a significant change in marginal demand and explains why economic rebounds are difficult to sustain.

Data from CryptoQuant further supports why spot Bitcoin ETFs have become an integral part of Bitcoin’s price performance.

Since May 2025, daily trading volume of spot Bitcoin ETFs has surpassed the total trading volume of centralized exchanges worldwide. Today, 55% of daily spot Bitcoin trading volume comes from ETFs.

Essentially, institutional fund flows have become the primary liquidity channel in the market, no longer just a part of it.

This shifts the market focus because retail investors are increasingly influenced by Wall Street-led price discovery processes.

As a result, market movements resemble macro asset pressure, with highs continually lowering, support levels repeatedly tested, and the market oscillating within the same price range until the macro environment improves or a stronger bottom forms.

Why is $58,000 a key resistance test level?

The growing focus on the $58,000 level is not based on a single chart pattern but reflects the convergence of multiple theoretical frameworks.

The first is long-term technical structure. The 200-week moving average remains one of the most watched indicators in the Bitcoin market.

In previous bear markets and late-cycle corrections, approaching this level often triggered broader reassessments, whether as part of an upward trend correction or the start of deeper re-pricing.

Second is on-chain cost basis gravity. Below the contested zone, traders focus on comprehensive cost basis indicators, including anchored realized prices.

When Bitcoin’s price begins to approach the average embedded purchase price of holders, market behavior tends to change.

Some investors lock in losses to reduce risk, while others see the price as cheaper relative to the network’s historical purchase records and enter.

Third is the current demand cluster within this range.

Recent on-chain analysis shows competition between $60,000 and $69,000, with demand absorbing repeated selling pressure.

If this zone is clearly broken, then $58,000 will become the next clearer reference point, located below the cluster but above deeper cost basis anchors.

Therefore, $58,000 should be viewed as a resistance test rather than a final bottom.

Holding this level could mark the start of a bottoming process.

If it breaks below, market attention may quickly shift to deeper on-chain levels, such as the mid-$50,000 range.

Options market signals point to decline, not panic

Deribit data further confirms why $58,000 is a focal point.

Current price declines within this range show that options traders continue to bet on downside via protective puts and bearish strategies.

The structure of these trades is important because it helps explain what kind of market participants are preparing for.

Deribit states that Bitcoin’s put skew has returned to levels seen on February 5, with implied volatility over seven days exceeding realized volatility by more than 10%.

This indicates strong demand for downside protection, and this situation has not led to a larger spot crash like on February 5.

Demand is concentrated around the $58,000 strike price.

Traders are active in $58,000 puts, put spreads, and risk reversals, with derivatives markets increasingly centered around this level as a key downside reference.

For example, Deribit highlights the addition of 58,000 puts on March 6, with about $200 million in notional value purchased for roughly $2 million in premium.

This suggests funds are preparing for a slow-moving volatility rather than a sudden crash.

During market downturns, put spread and risk reversal strategies can be more effective than outright puts, as they reduce premium costs and extend potential profit durations.

Meanwhile, Galaxy Digital research head Alex Thorn notes that Bitcoin is approaching historically oversold territory.

Thorn states that the weekly RSI is below levels seen in any other phase outside the darkest parts of the bear market.

He points out that since 2016, only during November/December 2018 (when Bitcoin fell from about $6,000 to $3,000) and June/July 2022 (when Three Arrows Capital collapsed and Genesis bankruptcy signs were unclear) have lower readings occurred.

This does not guarantee a rebound but indicates that the current market structure is statistically overextended, even though catalysts are still needed to stabilize.

On-chain data reveals deeper pain points and support levels

CryptoQuant’s long-term holder data adds another layer of insight into market decision-making.

The firm states that long-term holders (LTHs) are generally less sensitive to short-term price swings, with their average profit still around 74%.

This suggests that this group has not yet faced widespread pressure, but as spot prices decline, profit margins are shrinking.

CryptoQuant estimates LTHs’ cost basis at around $38,900, and as short-term holders who bought at higher prices gradually transition into long-term holders, this figure continues to rise.

In other words, pain thresholds are not fixed but increase over the cycle.

CryptoQuant notes that historically, bear markets are characterized by prices falling below LTH cost basis, followed by a final capitulation phase marked by about 20% realized losses.

Such a thorough shift can eliminate leverage effects and enable more durable rebuilding.

CryptoQuant warns that this is based on limited observations, which is crucial, especially in the current cycle.

Bitcoin’s ownership structure has changed. Institutions, corporate entities, and sovereign actors are playing larger roles than in previous cycles.

These participants bring different mandates, time horizons, and liquidity conditions, which could alter market behavior around traditional on-chain pain points.

This is one reason why the $50,000 to $60,000 range remains so important.

It may be the zone where old cycle patterns meet new market structures, allowing traders to observe whether institutional participation will mitigate drawdowns or merely amplify them through ETF flows and macro-sensitive positions.

The next step depends on whether the market can self-repair

To clearly describe Bitcoin’s trajectory toward the end of the month, it should be viewed as a series of potential paths rather than a single prediction.

The basic expectation is for orderly oscillation. Bitcoin will continue trading within the competitive $60,000 to $69,000 range, with volatile intraday moves but no decisive breakout.

The February decline, marking five consecutive months of decline, is now seen as a reset rather than a collapse.

This path may require ETF fund outflows to slow, spot selling pressure to ease, and options markets to remain defensive, avoiding new volatility spikes.

A bear scenario involves mechanical selling. Breaking below the $60,000 demand zone could trigger stop-loss orders and systemic sell-offs, pushing prices toward $58,000.

If the 200-week EMA fails to attract enough demand, focus will shift to deeper cost basis anchors in the mid-$50,000 range.

In this case, catalysts may not be crypto-specific shocks but rather continued ETF declines, overall market risk sentiment weakening, and derivatives markets paying high premiums to hedge downside risks.

Bullish momentum depends on capital flows. If Bitcoin holds the current demand zone, ETF flows stabilize and eventually turn positive, and options skew normalizes, prices could rebound to higher on-chain averages associated with more expansive economic conditions.

In such a scenario, the end of a streak would not be due to improved market sentiment first but because marginal buyers return.