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Bitcoin Price Prediction: Bear Flag Tightens After CPI as $85K Support Wavers

Bitcoin Price Prediction: Bear Flag Tightens After CPI as $85K Support Wavers

Author:
Cryptonews
Published:
2025-12-18 19:48:33
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Bitcoin's chart just flashed a warning sign. A bearish continuation pattern is gaining strength following the latest Consumer Price Index data, putting the critical $85,000 level on shaky ground.

The Technical Breakdown

That so-called 'bear flag' isn't just a blip. It's a textbook setup that signals a pause before a potential further decline. The pattern formed after a sharp downward move—the flagpole—and now price action is consolidating in a tight, slightly upward-sloping range. It's a classic trap, often luring in buyers before the next leg down. The $85,000 mark, a key psychological and technical support zone, is now the line in the sand. A decisive break below it could trigger a wave of automated sell orders and see bears retake full control of the narrative.

CPI's Chilling Effect

The latest inflation numbers threw cold water on the 'easy money' hopes. Markets were looking for any dovish hint from the data to justify a risk-on rally. They didn't get it. Instead, the CPI print reinforced the 'higher for longer' interest rate mantra from central banks, sucking liquidity and appetite away from speculative assets like crypto. It's a stark reminder that Bitcoin, for all its decentralization talk, still dances to the tune of macro liquidity—a truth as old as finance itself, where the only free lunch is the one you bring yourself.

What Comes Next?

Traders are now watching for a breakdown from the flag's lower boundary with high volume. That's the confirmed sell signal. The measured move target of a bear flag typically projects a decline equal to the initial flagpole, which could see prices testing significantly lower supports. On the flip side, a powerful surge back above the pattern's upper trendline, especially on a weekly close, would invalidate the setup and could spark a short squeeze. For now, the momentum indicators are leaning bearish, and the path of least resistance appears to be down.

In the grand casino of global markets, crypto remains the high-stakes table where the house edge is volatility, and today's CPI report just raised the minimum bet.

US CPI Misses, BoE Cuts Rates, ECB Holds: What Today’s Data Means for Markets

Today’s macro releases delivered a coordinated signal from global central banks: inflation pressures are easing, but growth remains fragile, keeping policymakers cautious rather than confident.

The Bank of England cut its benchmark rate to 3.75%, the lowest level in nearly three years, after UK inflation slowed to 3.2% in November from 3.6%. The decision passed narrowly, highlighting internal concern about cutting too aggressively.

Governor Andrew Bailey said inflation has moved past its recent peak, but warned that UK economic momentum remains weak, with output expected to show little or no growth in the final quarter of 2025. This was a defensive adjustment, not a pivot toward stimulus.

BREAKING: Bank of England cuts interest rates to 3.75% – the lowest level in nearly three years https://t.co/dYQtttYgAZ

📺Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/HTuZqsBCWe

— Sky News (@SkyNews) December 18, 2025

In the euro area, the European Central Bank held rates unchanged, keeping the deposit rate at 2.00% and the main refinancing rate at 2.15%. Updated projections show inflation easing toward target over the medium term, but policymakers reiterated that future decisions will remain data-driven.

The ECB’s message was restraint: policy is restrictive enough, but the case for near-term easing is not yet compelling.

The most market-sensitive release came from the US. November CPI undershot expectations, with headline inflation at 2.7% year-on-year versus a 3.1% consensus, while Core CPI slowed to 2.6% against a 3.0% forecast.

At the same time, initial jobless claims held at 224K, but the Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index fell sharply to -10.2, signalling renewed weakness in industrial activity.

Taken together, today’s data suggest that rates are approaching their peak across major economies, while downside growth risks are becoming more visible.

Bitcoin Price Prediction: Bearish Flag Breakdown Keeps $85K in Focus

Bitcoin’s daily chart shows the market entering a technically sensitive phase, with price trading NEAR $85,600, just above a minor support zone at $85,000–$85,100. This area has attracted dip buyers repeatedly, but follow-through has weakened, pointing to fading demand rather than panic selling.

Structurally, Bitcoin has confirmed a bearish flag breakdown, a continuation pattern formed after the sharp decline from the $100,000 region earlier this quarter. The break reinforces that the broader trend remains corrective.

Price remains capped below the 50-day EMA near $94,500 and the 100-day EMA around $100,100, both sloping lower and acting as dynamic resistance. Until those levels are reclaimed, upside attempts are likely to face selling pressure.

Bitcoin Price Prediction – Source: Tradingview

Bitcoin Technical Outlook: Momentum Weak, $80K Path Opens

Momentum remains soft. RSI in the high-30s shows limited buying strength without oversold conditions, leaving room for further downside. Recent candles are small and overlapping, pointing to consolidation rather than accumulation, with no reversal signal in place.

A daily close below $85,000 would likely trigger a MOVE toward $83,000, with the bearish flag projecting downside toward $80,600. On the upside, a sustained reclaim of $90,200 is needed to ease pressure and shift focus back to $94,500, where supply remains heavy.

Near term, failed rebounds below $90,000 continue to favor sellers. Deeper dips toward the $80,000 area may attract longer-term buyers rather than aggressive short covering.

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