Bitcoin Tests $82K Resistance as ETF Buying Strengthens

Bitcoin is trading above $79,000 after US spot ETFs pulled in a reported $730.9 million in a single day last week, their second-largest daily inflows of the year after the $843.6 million they drew in on January 14.

Crypto analysis platform CryptoRus, in its latest market letter, framed this week as a test of whether that institutional buying can push BTC through the closely watched $82,000 resistance level, something it calls a bullish test rather than a finished breakout.

Three Signals Behind the Breakout Test

The second is a leverage reset, with $554.2 million in crypto positions liquidated over 24 hours, $471.4 million of that being shorts and $276.7 million coming from BTC alone.

“That is real demand. It is not yet a completed breakout,” the letter said, adding that forced short covering can speed up a rally without guaranteeing organic demand sticks around once the squeeze ends.

The third signal is Zcash, which climbed from roughly $40 to above $1,200 over the past year and pushed into crypto’s top ten, a sign that speculative capital is concentrating around a scarcity narrative, with the risk of chasing a parabolic move.

“That strength matters beyond ZEC,” the note stated. “It shows that speculative capital is willing to concentrate aggressively when a narrative combines scarcity, renewed relevance, and crowded positioning.”

A Breakout Still Needs Confirmation

Bitcoin itself has changed little over 24 hours, up roughly 2 percent for the week and about 23 percent for the month, though it remains down close to 28 percent over the past year and around 37 percent below the $126,000 high it set last October. Daily trading volume sits near $22 billion, up about 13 percent from the prior session.

The report therefore puts $79,000 and $82,000 at the center of the current setup. A four-hour close above $82,000 followed by a successful retest would provide stronger confirmation. Losing $79,000, meanwhile, would weaken the immediate bullish case and put the liquidity area around $78,000 back in focus.

As things stand, ETF demand is strong, but $82,000 has not yet been cleared.