Bitcoin halted its bullish BTC price rebound to dip below $96,000 on news that Middle East geopolitical tensions were easing.
Bitcoin (BTC) sold off at Thursday’s Wall Street open as traders eyed the next key support levels.
Key points:
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Bitcoin support levels come into play as the US trading session starts with a correction.
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Various trendlines line up as part of bulls’ task to reclaim lost support around the $100,000 mark.
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Speculators waste no time selling their BTC at a profit.
BTC price eyes failed November 2025 support
Data from TradingView showed BTC price shedding over 1% versus the daily open, hitting lows of $95,563 on Bitstamp.
The weakness meant that BTC/USD joined oil in diverging from stocks and precious metals, which were up on reports that geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran were de-escalating.
BREAKING: President Trump has told Iran he does not want war and will not launch an attack, according to Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan.
Oil prices are down sharply on the news. pic.twitter.com/5U75aRUpPm
— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) January 15, 2026
Now, market participants turned to levels in need of preservation during a potential correction within the local uptrend.
“Critical for the bulls to hold the $94K region going forward. Any moves back down that level would not make for a pretty look,” Daan Crypto Trades wrote in a post on X after what he called a “solid breakout.”
“From here on out, the Daily 200EMA is next up. That one rejected price back in November right before the large drop.”
Daan Crypto Trades referred to the 200-day exponential moving average (EMA), currently at $99,555.
Earlier, Cointelegraph reported on the bull market support band around $101,000, now a topic of interest along with the 50-week EMA.
The weekly close target, meanwhile, was set at $93,500 — the site of the 2025 yearly open.
Bitcoin speculators take profit at highs
Continuing, onchain analytics platform CryptoQuant revealed that newer Bitcoin investors had already been tempted to sell.
Related: Fed rate cuts under fire: 5 things to know in Bitcoin this week
As price hit two-month highs, short-term holders (STHs) — entities hodling for up to six months — sent 40,000 BTC to exchanges over a 24-hour period.
Of that total, around 37,800 BTC was sent in profit compared to when it last moved onchain.
“STHs remain clearly impacted by the recent correction, and it seems that more upside and stronger confirmation will be needed to rebuild confidence and generate enough unrealized profits to encourage them to hold rather than sell,” contributor Darkfost wrote in a “Quicktake” blog post.
Separate data from CryptoQuant contributor Axel Adler Jr. put the aggregate cost basis for the STH cohort at $99,600, reinforcing that area as a potential future resistance point.
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