Bitcoin Price Prediction As BTC Approaches Key Support Level – Where Is The Next BTC Target?

by James · February 26, 2023

Bitcoin has experienced a volatile period, with the cryptocurrency falling by nearly 4% in the past week. At the time of writing, BTC is nearing a key support level, with analysts closely monitoring the market to determine where the next target for the digital asset will be.

In this context, it is important to explore the factors that can affect the price of BTC in the short and long term.

Table of Contents

How rising interest rates affect Bitcoin and other digital assets

In January, inflation rose 5.4% compared to the previous year, according to the Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) report released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) on February 24.

Core inflation, which the Federal Reserve prefers to use to measure inflation, has risen 4.7% since January 2022. The US Dollar Index (DXY) hit 105.26, its highest level since January 6, reflecting the impact of rising inflation .

The Federal Reserve has set 2% overall inflation as its target, and it is expected that several interest rate increases will occur to meet inflation. As a result of the potential rate hikes, the majority of the market expects the Federal Reserve to continue raising interest rates.

When the PCE data revealed a 5.4% increase in inflation in January, BTC/USD fell, indicating Bitcoin’s sensitivity to rising interest rates.

Investing in cryptocurrency and the IMF’s cautionary stance

During the G20 conference in Bengaluru on February 25, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva suggested that banning private cryptocurrencies could be an option. The IMF has also proposed new guidelines for its member countries on the regulation of cryptocurrencies, outlined in a report from 23 February.

The agency’s nine-point action plan emphasizes the need to avoid recognizing cryptocurrency assets as official money or legal tender, while implementing tighter rules on virtual currencies to improve financial stability.

The IMF’s strict stance on cryptocurrencies could result in increased oversight and regulation, which could affect the acceptance and value of BTC/USD.

What is Bitcoin Mining Difficulty and How Does It Affect Profitability?

On February 24, 2023, the difficulty of mining bitcoin reached an all-time high (ATH). According to on-chain data, the mining difficulty climbed to 43.05 in the last recalculation at block 778,323.

Over the past two weeks, the difficulty of mining bitcoin has increased by 9.95% to a new all-time high, indicating that more miners are entering the market to profit from the increase in the BTC price.

The mining difficulty measures how many iterations miners must perform to obtain the hash of a Bitcoin block. As a result, the complexity of solving a block increases with its size, which reduces the profitability of mining.

While mining difficulty does not directly affect price, an increase in difficulty results in a higher energy requirement to mine a BTC, making it more expensive for miners to stay profitable.

A firm yet range bound BTC is a positive indication for bulls. Despite the current decline in the Bitcoin price, the asset has the potential to recover. Miners are also positive about the BTC/USD price rally.

Bitcoin price

On February 26, BTC/USD started trading at $23,177.00. It is currently trading at $23,245.00, marking an increase of 0.78% in the last 24 hours. The highest value of BTC/USD in the last 24 hours was $23,302.00, while the lowest value was $23,083.00. However, the value of BTC has dropped by over 5.5% in the last week.

The BTC/USD pair’s immediate support level is at $22,800, and if it breaks below this level, it could potentially expose the price of BTC to the next support area at the $22,150 level.

**Bitcoin Price Chart – Source: Tradingview**

Bitcoin continues to face resistance at the $23,500 level, while its immediate support level remains at $22,800. A break below the support level could expose BTC to the next support area of $22,150.

However, since the BTC/USD pair has entered the oversold zone, there is a chance that BTC may come back and break through the $23,500 resistance level, potentially resulting in a price of $24,250.

Buy BTC now

Bitcoin Alternatives

Investors looking to buy into Bitcoin may want to consider alternatives with more room for short-term growth. Cryptonews has released an in-depth analysis of the top 15 cryptocurrencies that investors may want to consider for 2023. Click below to find out more.

^{Disclaimer: The Industry Talk section contains insights from crypto industry players and is not part of the editorial content of Cryptonews.com.}