Is Crypto Entering a Bear Market After Bitcoin Lost Major $81,000 Support?
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· based on the channel Gareth Soloway
Key takeaways
- Bitcoin slid from a Thursday selloff alongside stocks to a Saturday flush just above $79,000, breaking the $81,000 level flagged for two weeks.
- The breakdown is unconfirmed because weekend liquidity is thin; a reclaim of $81,000 by Monday would neutralize the bearish setup.
- If Bitcoin is not back above $81,000 by Monday, Gareth Soloway sees a high probability of a move to $75,500, with $87,200 as the level above.
- Ethereum has touched a key trend line nine times; the buy zone is $2,000 to $1,950, a retest of the old breakout.
- Solana sits near a $97 to $95 buy zone with a second level near $84 and a head-and-shoulders risk; Zcash buy level is $680 to $700 and Hyperliquid near $68 to $67.
Crypto is not yet in a confirmed bear market, but Bitcoin has just lost a level that mattered. After a Thursday selloff alongside stocks, a quiet Friday and a Saturday flush to just above $79,000, BTC broke below $81,000 — the support Gareth Soloway had flagged for two weeks. The breakdown is unconfirmed: weekend moves happen on thin liquidity, and the real test is whether institutional money steps in by Monday. If Bitcoin is not back above $81,000 then, the strategist puts a high probability on a move to $75,500.
What broke in Bitcoin and why the weekend matters
Bitcoin's slide was not a single event but a sequence: a Thursday selloff that hit equities and crypto together, a Friday pause day that offered no relief, and then a Saturday flush that took price to just above $79,000. That is a break of the $81,000 floor, not a decisive close below it. The distinction matters because weekend liquidity is thin, order books are shallow, and moves made in that environment often get reversed when larger participants return.
Soloway's framework is simple: a weekend breakdown needs confirmation. He wants to see whether institutional money supports Bitcoin when the new week opens. The level above is $87,200 — reclaiming it would repair the chart — while $81,000 is the line in the sand. A Monday print below $81,000 turns the weekend flush into a confirmed breakdown with a downside target of $75,500.
Bitcoin key levels to trade: $87,200, $81,000, $75,500
Three numbers frame every Bitcoin trade in this setup. On the upside, $87,200 is the recovery level that would show buyers have taken control back. In the middle, $81,000 is the pivot: hold it and the breakdown is noise, lose it on a closing basis and the bearish case strengthens. On the downside, $75,500 is the next target if the break is confirmed.
- Watch the Monday close relative to $81,000 — that is the confirmation trigger.
- Treat a reclaim of $81,000 as a neutral signal, not an all-clear; $87,200 is the level that confirms a repair.
- If $81,000 fails, $75,500 becomes the working downside target rather than a vague "lower" call.
- Keep position sizes small while the market sits between those levels, because the chart is close to a coin flip.
Middle East risk and crypto de-risking
Bitcoin trades around the clock, which makes it the first market where traders can express risk aversion when news breaks. A weekend escalation in the Middle East is exactly the kind of event that pushes investors to de-risk, and crypto is the only open venue at that hour. That dynamic can produce sharp, sentiment-driven moves that have little to do with Bitcoin's own fundamentals and everything to do with liquidity and positioning.
This is why Soloway treats weekend price action with suspicion in both directions. A panic flush can overshoot; a relief bounce can be equally hollow. The Monday session, when traditional markets reopen and institutional flows resume, is where the real information shows up.
Ethereum, Solana and the altcoin buy zones
Ethereum has touched a key trend line nine times, a level that has repeatedly acted as a decision point. Soloway marks his Ethereum buy zone at $2,000 to $1,950 — a retest of the old breakout — and treats that area as a place to start accumulating small positions rather than a place to go all in.
Solana sits near a $97 to $95 buy zone, with a second level around $84 if the first fails. He is also watching a head-and-shoulders pattern that could pressure the chart if the neckline gives way. Zcash has a buy level at $680 to $700 if support breaks, and Hyperliquid trades on a long-term trend line with a buy level near $68 to $67. HBAR is a chart where he added to a small existing position rather than opening a fresh one.
The common thread is scale: these are small starter positions at pre-defined levels, not conviction bets. When a chart reads 50/50, Soloway stays on the sidelines — and Bitcoin currently reads close to that.
Typical questions from traders watching this setup
Viewers of the breakdown tend to ask the same things. First, whether a weekend move "counts": it does not until the market confirms it with real volume and institutional participation. Second, whether it is too late to enter if a coin has already bounced off a buy zone: missed trades do not matter, because another setup always arrives. Third, how to size altcoin positions when Bitcoin itself is undecided: small, scaled entries at levels beat one large commitment.
The recurring theme in the feedback is discipline. Traders who joined recently want a rule set more than a prediction, and the rule set here is mechanical: define the level, define the invalidation, size accordingly, and let the market come to you rather than chasing candles.
Discipline rules: never fall in love with a coin
A coin is a vehicle, not an identity. Soloway's rule is never to fall in love with a holding: the market does not care how long you have owned it or how strongly you believe in the project. The second rule is that missed trades do not matter — there is always another level, another setup, another week. Chasing a move that has already left the station is how traders become the casino's customer rather than the casino.
The third rule is patience: the best trades come to you. That is why a 50/50 chart is a reason to wait, not a reason to force a position. Applied to the current setup, it means letting Bitcoin prove itself above $81,000 or prove the breakdown toward $75,500 before committing serious capital.
The bottom line on the crypto setup
Bitcoin has broken $81,000 but has not confirmed a bear market; the Monday session decides whether the weekend flush was real. Above $81,000 the chart is neutral, and a reclaim of $87,200 would repair it; below $81,000, $75,500 is the target. Altcoin accumulation zones — Ethereum at $2,000 to $1,950, Solana at $97 to $95 and $84, Zcash at $680 to $700, Hyperliquid near $68 to $67 — are for small starter positions only. The full breakdown, including the reasoning behind each level and the discipline rules, comes from Gareth Soloway on his channel.
Source: Bitcoin Loses Major $81,000 Support, Bear Market Returns? Key Levels To Trade · Markdown version
Questions & answers
Does a weekend break below $81,000 confirm a Bitcoin bear market?
No. Weekend liquidity is thin, so a Saturday flush to just above $79,000 is not confirmation on its own. The test is whether Bitcoin is back above $81,000 by Monday, when institutional money returns; if it is not, the probability of a move to $75,500 rises sharply.
What are the key Bitcoin levels to trade right now?
Three levels frame the setup: $87,200 on the upside as the recovery level, $81,000 as the pivot that decides whether the breakdown is real, and $75,500 as the downside target if $81,000 fails on a closing basis.
Where are the buy zones for Ethereum, Solana, Zcash and Hyperliquid?
Ethereum's zone is $2,000 to $1,950, a retest of the old breakout after nine touches of a key trend line. Solana sits near $97 to $95 with a second level around $84, Zcash has $680 to $700, and Hyperliquid is near $68 to $67 on a long-term trend line.
Is it too late to buy if a coin already bounced from its level?
Missed trades do not matter, because another setup always comes. Chasing a move that has already left the buy zone is how traders lose their edge; the disciplined approach is to wait for price to come back to a defined level and to size positions small while Bitcoin itself is undecided.