Trading

On January 15, 2026, Bitcoin broke above a descending structure after weeks of tight consolidation, trading at $96,820.93 and up 1.8% on the day, 7.2% weekly, 11.3% monthly. Analysts cite an ascending triangle toward $100,000, while large wallets added more than 32,693 BTC since January 10 and key support sits at $94,000–$95,000.

On Jan. 14, spot Bitcoin ETFs saw a net inflow of $843.62 million, reversing a week of outflows in a single day and lifting cumulative net inflows above $58.1 billion. BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust added $648.39 million and pushed its net assets beyond $76 billion, while total spot ETF assets reached $128.04 billion, or 6.56% of Bitcoin's market cap. BTC briefly traded at $96,951 as institutional demand strengthened and some market participants positioned for potential Q1 CPI relief and rate cuts.

Whale transfers of BTC to Binance decelerated in January 2026 after heavier December activity, according to Binance data. Year to date, about 15,800 BTC moved to the exchange, 42.5% slower than December's 37,133 BTC, while BTC briefly topped $97,500 before pulling back to $95,449.56. Mean deposits stayed above 20 BTC, and whales accounted for 20.85% of inflows.

Bitcoin is consolidating near $96,600, with buyers defending the $95,700–$95,200 area. A push above $97,600 would expose $98,800 and put the psychological $100,000 level back on the radar. Policy and positioning shifted on January 14, 2026 as Wintermute outlined 2026 scenarios and Rhode Island advanced a small‑transaction tax exemption bill.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs logged $843.6 million in single-day inflows on Wednesday and amassed more than $1.7 billion over three sessions, reversing roughly $1.4 billion of outflows from Jan. 6–9. Bitcoin climbed above $97,000, with risk appetite improving as the Fear & Greed Index reached 61.

The Senate Banking Committee scheduled a CLARITY Act markup for January 15, with amendment discussions expected later in the month. Draft provisions span SEC/CFTC roles, DeFi oversight, and stablecoin incentives, while institutional sentiment improves as Bitcoin nears the $100,000 threshold. The committee's direction will shape market structure and adoption expectations.

Chainlink remains cautiously bullish as long as LINK holds above the $13.20–$13.40 support zone, with tightening price action signaling a potential volatility expansion. Expanding ETF exposure and growing institutional adoption continue to support upside scenarios toward the $14.90–$15.45 range if resistance breaks.

On January 14, 2026, Peter Schiff called Bitcoin’s surge to $97,000 a “huge sucker’s rally,” urging traders to favor mining stocks over Bitcoin and MSTR. Within the past 24 hours, BTC briefly crossed $97,000 before retracing to about $96,200, while U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw roughly $1 billion in net inflows and MSTR gained over 3% then slipped more than 1% after-hours.

CryptoQuant said Wednesday that Bitcoin derivatives open interest has dropped about 31% since October, a deleveraging move that often coincides with market bottoms. CoinGlass estimates total BTC OI near $65 billion, roughly 28% below the early October peak above $90 billion, while Deribit's $100,000 strike leads with $2.2 billion notional.

Bitcoin climbed more than 5.5% this week, briefly touching $97,000, after U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $840 million in inflows over two days. Despite the surge, derivatives and options data suggest the rally is being driven by capital rotation into macro hedges rather than speculative risk-taking.