Cryptocurrencies: Review and Forecast for January 18-24

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Despite the cryptocurrency's growth, the fear and greed index is still in the neutral zone, although greed is gradually beginning to prevail.

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Among the many crypto news items, one funny one is worth highlighting.

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Iranian authorities and government-adjacent "businessmen" suddenly began moving assets out through bitcoin. On the one hand, there is some logic to this. On the other hand, why and where should they move them, if there is basically nowhere to go, and no one is planning to give up power yet. And on the third hand, Iran already buys a lot of BTC for foreign trade settlements, since it is under numerous sanctions.

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Overall, the total BTC trading volume has increased significantly, and this is an important indicator.

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We should also note that Elon Musk, on his social network X, has effectively limited impressions for various crypto marketers who were whipping up hype and driving a hype-hungry crowd into the quote.

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The world's main cryptocurrency, bitcoin, struggled but managed to overcome the lower boundary (VAL) of the 95000-97500 balance, immediately touching the upper boundary of this balance as well. Overall, this is a classic game within a broader balance.

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Let us recall the previous review.

"}, "type": "paragraph"}, {"id": "ce6f6f7m", "data": {"text": "Readers of our reviews knew perfectly well that the 95000-97500 range was still serving as an insurmountable barrier for the main cryptocurrency. The bulls ran right into 95 thousand bucks.\n\n\n\nThis balance model, which is now being drawn on this cryptocurrency, very rarely has a chance to turn into a strong impulse. Within this model, one can see attempts to break through 95 thousand and even, perhaps, see a touch of 100 thousand, but without significant consolidation.", "author": ""}, "type": "quote"}, {"id": "9ytjqq5m", "data": {"html": "

Has my opinion regarding the impulse on bitcoin changed, given that a trend line can easily be drawn? The question is debatable, so let us discuss it.

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On the one hand, we see a confident break of the last short impulse, which began on November 10, 2025, amid a relative increase in volumes. By relative increase, I mean volume growth relative to the most recent holiday month.

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The break of the last short impulse is a confident repositioning of volumes relative to the VWAP of that impulse. The repositioning occurred after liquidity accumulated at VWAP the week before last. This very liquidity build-up was behind the phrase "touching 100 thousand."

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If the guys manage to hold in the 95-97.5 thousand range for bitcoin, this will open the road for them toward the 100-102 thousand range per coin.

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Let us build a chart of the entire short impulse from October 6, 2025. Within this story, the quote is only approaching VWAP (around 99100). Note the transfer of the POC point downward to 91500.

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What does this chart show us? Definitely a transition into balance at this distance. At the same time, a sharp hit from VWAP (or from the same 100K) is quite likely. If there is a hit to the south, then this hit will take place within the balance (value area) of the last two months. At minimum, a double bottom is missing, normal stop collection on spot, etc.

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A repeat of the pattern of the last two weeks is also quite possible: a jump to 100-102 thousand, or even a touch of 103 thousand, and a transition into balance. Then this may be a continuation signal.

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And finally, let's assess bitcoin on the hourly chart since Monday. That is exactly when a new impulse wave began (a new impulse on the lower timeframe).

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The resistance range of the previous impulse (93500-94450) was jumped through on January 13.

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Where could one have entered speculatively? On January 14, on the test of the +1 deviation of the VWAP of the current impulse and the upper boundary of the resistance zone from the week before last (say 95000). Exit on slowing and the presence of signs of profit-taking.

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At the current stage, we have returned to 95000: clear trading-through. If lower, then the 92500 price is quite likely.

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Key ranges of last week and a reference point for the future one: 95250-95800 and 96600-97700. In the lower one, they were buying up, and now they are carefully trading it through. In the upper one, by delta, the buyer worked aggressively, but for now it has gone into a correction within the profit-taking of the current expansion: they are letting short limits close if it was the MM limiting the growth.

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In general, here they are drawing a likely preparation for the next northern expansion.

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On Solana, they continue to draw a model of exiting into a buy impulse, which was discussed in the previous review.

"}, "type": "paragraph"}, {"id": "r50pqu3c", "data": {"text": "Such imbalances can be the start of a strong impulse. If this is it, then growth by 15 bucks is possible, followed by a move above 157.", "author": ""}, "type": "quote"}, {"id": "1jz0mv8q", "data": {"html": "

On this cryptocurrency, the move into an impulse is being drawn extremely slowly, either letting people enter buys before it is too late, or preparing the cancellation of the scenario.

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Why could there be a cancellation? Because Solana's quote is still in the zone of a wide balance, 122-146 (let's widen the boundaries a bit).

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But for now there are more arguments in favor of the breakout. If we break down the zones for volume rotations inside the balance, then the long-lasting zone of rotational shorts is in the 138-143 range.

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The week before last, liquidity was accumulated in the 136-140 balance, i.e. we circled around the lower boundary of resistance. In the outgoing week, we were already working in the 142-145 area, i.e. already circling near the upper boundary of resistance, while slipping through the middle of the balance without trading through it.

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The week's POC is at 145, which is the highest weekly POC in two months. Also a signal.

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Overall, growth is still the priority. The targets, even if not above 157, are clearly 154-155, which we will touch.

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Let's quickly go over the buy impulse from January 1. The move was on the +1 VWAP deviation after volumes were accumulated on VWAP on January 10-11. There is a local take-profit on January 14 at the +2 deviation, but it is not aggressive.

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At a glance, this game can continue: if before that they showed 148.5, then now 150-151 is quite within the target range (with a move into buy from the current lows, 8.5-9.5 bucks is the standard movement range).

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Ether showed confident growth in the past week. I expected a conditional test of 3300, but did not think they would be able to take the 3400 level. Let's see what was assumed earlier.

"}, "type": "paragraph"}, {"id": "neszq0u9", "data": {"text": "The main scenario for the week implies some growth at least toward 3200. Whether there will be consolidation there or not, we will see later. If "later" they can reach 3300 and work calmly there, that will open the road further.", "author": ""}, "type": "quote"}, {"id": "t53dl03j", "data": {"html": "

In the end, everything was done faster. After working the week before last at 3075-3125, they sharply jumped straight to 3400. The main core of the week was traded in the 3280-3375 range. They had not worked there since the second ten-day period of December 2025.

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By the way, I pointed out in the previous review that some growth to 3200 was the priority, and on January 13 trading was exactly around 3200, and then there was a sharp imbalance practically without sellers at 3320.

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Let's assess the quote from January 12. A clean imbalance (effectively a volume gap) is in the 3218-3270 range. The upper part was traded a little (right at the VWAP of the buy impulse), and they smoothly crawled north. By horizontal delta above 3280, the seller has priority. This means the buyer is working with limits here.

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When will there be confidence in a transition to buy? Upon consolidation above 3320-3336.5, and especially above 3360.

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The main thing is to monitor that the balance does not drag on.

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And the south? Not visible yet, unless we count the trading-through of the imbalance around 3200-3220. But that is also not certain yet, and it is not south, but trading-through.

"}, "type": "paragraph"}, {"id": "t1m3gd2r", "data": {"text": "Conclusion", "align": "center", "level": 2}, "type": "heading"}, {"id": "069oavf3", "data": {"html": "

The quotes of major cryptocurrencies continued their slow growth within the broad balance of the higher timeframe.

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There is a non-zero probability of a smooth expansion of the quotations of major cryptocurrencies to the north. These are still the base scenarios.

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