Bitcoin Eyes $104K CME Gap as Risk Appetite Returns Post-Shutdown

Bitcoin's chart is flashing a bullish signal—the CME gap at $104,000 is now in play as markets shake off shutdown jitters.

Why it matters: Gaps in CME futures often act as price magnets, and this one’s a whopper. Traders are piling in, betting that liquidity returning post-shutdown will fuel the next leg up.

The setup: BTC’s resilience during the uncertainty has institutional players nodding—while goldbugs sob into their inflation-adjusted spreadsheets.

Bottom line: When Bitcoin smells blood in risk markets, it doesn’t ask for permission. It takes. (And yes, your bank’s ‘stablecoin’ team just filed another patent for this ‘innovation’.)

On charts, the CME gap band runs from $104,160 to $110,370, placing the current spot roughly halfway inside it. A quick MOVE through the lower edge could finish the “fill,” a term traders use when spot retraces into the gap’s empty zone and trades back across it.

Alternatively, if buyers defend current levels and momentum persists above $106,000, the space could remain open for a while.

Intraday setups revolve around that range. A decisive move below $104,000 could trigger short-term unwind pressure toward $102,000-$103,000, where liquidity is more pronounced on Coinbase order books.

Holding above $106,000-$107,000, on the other hand, WOULD signal resilience and may realign futures with spot without a deep retrace.

For context, the CME has recorded four material weekend gaps since late summer. Three closed within 24-48 hours; one, from early September, stayed open for more than a week before eventually filling. These episodes tend to compress volatility temporarily before resuming the prior trend.

As the US market open nears, traders are watching whether the shutdown resolution and broader risk-on tone provide enough momentum to keep Bitcoin from revisiting the full $104k-$110k range, or if the futures magnet pulls it back once again.