Will Bitcoin break down or push toward $97K next?

Video: Bitcoin Came THIS Close to Breaking Down: $97K Next?

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Oct 20, 2026 · based on the channel Gareth Soloway

Bitcoin came within a few hundred dollars of a major breakdown, flushing to about $79,750 before closing back above its $81,000 support, so the bullish structure is still intact and the next decision point is a daily close either below $81,000 or above $87,200. In the crypto trading game plan published by Gareth Soloway, the downside opens $75,500 and then the $67,000 zone, while a breakout sets up a confluence target near $95,000–$97,000. Traders who sign up through the Coinbase referral link for tier-one fee pricing get the same charting venue Soloway uses for these levels.

Why the $81,000 line survived another test

The $81,000 level is the line that separates a healthy range from a confirmed breakdown, and Bitcoin has now hammered it repeatedly without a daily close beneath it. Price wicked down to roughly $79,750 intraday, then reclaimed the level, which is the classic signature of a support test rather than a break. That matters because a wick below support that closes back above it keeps the range structure alive and forces bears to prove themselves with a close, not an intraday flush.

The broader context makes the hold more interesting. Bitcoin has been hanging in there even while the AI trade and the Nasdaq slide, a relative-strength signal that bulls can point to when risk assets elsewhere are under pressure. Soloway's read is that the bullish structure remains intact until a daily close says otherwise, and he is treating the roughly $6,000 range between support and resistance as a no-trade zone rather than a place to force a position.

The three upside factors that converge near $97,000

Above $87,200, three independent technical factors line up in the $95,000 to $97,000 area, which is why that band matters more than any single indicator. Soloway walks through each one on Coinbase's own charts:

1. A rising trend line that currently projects into the low $90,000s and could carry the target into late November as it slopes higher.
2. A measured move taken off the consolidation, which projects roughly $96,000 to $97,000.
3. The prior pivot highs, which sit in the same zone and confirm the confluence rather than contradict it.

When a trend line, a measured move and old pivot highs cluster within a couple of thousand dollars of each other, the market has a natural magnet and a natural place for sellers to defend. The setup only counts above $87,200: without that breakout, the upside scenario is a map, not a trade.

The bear case below $81,000 and the two buy zones

A daily close below $81,000 opens $75,500, and that is where Soloway would commit only 25% of a planned position, not the whole thing. The rest is reserved for the $67,000 zone, which is where he plans to load the remainder if the decline extends. The staged approach is deliberate: it keeps capital available for a deeper flush instead of being fully exposed to the first support that fails.

Asked what he told Crypto Banter about going all in, Soloway's answer is consistent with that ladder: the cycle low is in until proven otherwise, but conviction is expressed in sizing and levels rather than in one heroic entry. A trader who buys 100% at $75,500 has no answer if price trades $67,000; a trader who buys 25% has a plan for both outcomes.

Why having no Bitcoin swing position is a decision

Soloway holds no swing position in Bitcoin, long or short, while price sits inside its roughly $6,000 range, and that flat stance is itself a trade. Inside a range, the probability of getting whipsawed on both sides is high, and the reward for being early is small compared with the cost of being wrong twice. Waiting for $87,200 on the upside or $81,000 on the downside turns a coin-flip into a defined bet with a known invalidation point.

This is also the answer to the most common objection in the comments under the breakdown: how anyone is supposed to trade these levels without a plan. Emotional entries happen when the level is chosen after the position is open. Writing down the trigger, the size and the invalidation before the candle closes is what keeps a trader from chasing a wick or panic-selling a retest.

Ethereum and HBAR setups in the same game plan

Ethereum is trading in a range with a heavy buy zone just below $2,000 and a $2,800 retest if price breaks out, which mirrors the Bitcoin structure in miniature. The sub-$2,000 area is where Soloway would be a buyer rather than a chaser, and $2,800 is the level that would confirm a breakout and open the retest trade.

HBAR offered a swing trade setup shared with Smart Money Crypto members on a retrace to the scene of the crime, meaning a return to the level where the prior move originated, with a target near $0.10. The pattern is the same discipline applied to altcoins: wait for price to come back to a defined level, define the target in advance, and size the position so a failed retrace does not damage the account.

What the audience keeps asking about fees and platforms

The loudest recurring complaint under the video is the cost of trading on Coinbase, with viewers calling the fees and spreads expensive and the promotional push heavy. The counterargument Soloway makes is tier-one fee pricing through his referral link, which is available to new accounts, to accounts that have been idle for 30 days, and to viewers who originally joined under someone else's link. That last group is the one most people assume is excluded.

A second common question is how to short Bitcoin or other coins on Coinbase, and the honest answer is that spot platforms are not built for it: directional short exposure usually requires derivatives or futures venues, which carry their own risks and are not available in every jurisdiction. The practical takeaway is to match the platform to the trade rather than forcing a short onto a spot account.

Useful links

• Coinbase tier-one fee pricing and sign-up offer
• https://www.VerifiedInvesting.com

The bottom line for crypto traders

The Bitcoin chart is a two-level market: $81,000 decides whether the range holds, and $87,200 decides whether the confluence toward $95,000–$97,000 comes into play. Below support, the ladder is $75,500 for a 25% starter position and $67,000 for the rest, with the cycle low treated as intact until a daily close proves otherwise. Ethereum's sub-$2,000 buy zone and $2,800 breakout retest, plus the HBAR retrace toward $0.10, follow the same rule of pre-defined entries. The analysis comes from Gareth Soloway, whose game plan is built to remove emotion from the trade before the trade exists. If you want the same fee tier he uses, start through the Coinbase referral link and check the eligibility terms before signing up.

Source: Bitcoin Came THIS Close to Breaking Down: $97K Next? · Markdown version