On January 10, 2009, early Bitcoin contributor Hal Finney posted the brief message "Running Bitcoin," signaling the first publicly known node operating beyond the project's creator. He later received Bitcoin's first transaction from Satoshi Nakamoto, and over time his post has come to represent a key moment in the network's early development. Ongoing debate about whether Finney could have been Satoshi has been challenged by technical details and timelines described by other Bitcoin developers.

Bitcoin is trading within a tight range, with support around $90,500–$88,200 and a more defined zone at $90,588–$88,280. A daily close above $94,130, and later $98,200–$107,500 with $107,500 as a higher‑high trigger, would bolster the bullish case. Light weekend volume keeps $87,600 and $96,500 in focus as key levels.

The Bitcoin network's mining difficulty slipped to 146.4 trillion on Thursday in the first adjustment of 2026. CoinWarz estimates the next change will occur on Jan 22, 2026 at 04:08:12 AM UTC, lifting difficulty from 146.47 T to 148.20 T. Average block times are 9.88 minutes, slightly under the 10‑minute target.

Bitcoin is trading around $90,624 after a pullback from its strong start to the year, with analysts highlighting a potential resistance zone just below $100,000. On-chain data indicates that new whale buyers have an average cost basis close to $99,000, while long-term whales and miners hold at significantly lower levels near $39,681 and $58,681. This positioning suggests structurally bullish conditions, but also points to $99,000 as a critical level where profit-taking or breakeven selling could intensify.

This week, Tether minted an additional $1 billion in USDT, lifting combined USDT and USDC issuance over the past seven days to $3.75 billion and underscoring strong liquidity demand. Over the same period, Bitcoin surged by $2,100 within 45 minutes after the Supreme Court postponed its tariff ruling, while stronger-than-expected U.S. labor data reduced the likelihood of a near-term Federal Reserve rate cut. Rising stablecoin transaction volumes, falling Tether reserves, and macro uncertainty are prompting traders to approach Bitcoin's next move with caution.

On 10 January 2026, on-chain indicators showed Bitcoin shifting as long-term holders moved from accumulating to selling while newer whale wallets clustered around $99,000. The price is still trading above short-term support and the 21-day moving average, but it has stayed below the 50-week simple moving average for nine straight weeks. This combination of renewed supply from older coins and whale break-even levels near $99,000–$100,000 leaves the market at a sensitive point for the next major move.

According to TradingView data, large Bitfinex accounts reduced Bitcoin long exposure after a late-December peak near 73,000 BTC. X commentator MartyParty links the unwind to a Wyckoff-style spring and cites a potential move toward $135k, while CryptoQuant reports whale balances declined by over 200,000 BTC over the past year.

On January 9, analyst BitBull outlined on X a bullish Bitcoin outlook, arguing that a weekly Relative Strength Index breakout could lift BTC toward $103,000–$105,000 over the next three to four weeks. The projection implies around a 15% advance from the current price area near $90,600, where Bitcoin has mostly traded around $90,000 with brief moves above $91,000. The analyst's view references a similar RSI breakout in April 2025, which occurred before Bitcoin climbed to its all-time high of $126,080.