Bitcoin spot demand stayed muted as price neared the $81k resistance, while BTC continued testing the $80.2k short-term holder realized price as a hurdle. Short-term holder loss pressure recently fell to 0% for five straight days, but a drop below the $78k-$79k zone could bring that stress back. Analysts also flagged that young-coin supply share is shrinking and that realized cap impulse remains below zero, keeping the rally's strength in question.

JPMorgan wrote in a May 7 client note that Strategy could purchase roughly $30 billion of Bitcoin in 2026 if it keeps its current pace. The bank framed the company as a structural demand driver alongside spot ETF flows and miner issuance, while also concentrating BTC's marginal bid in one issuer's capital-markets access. Strategy reported holdings of 818,869 BTC bought for $61.86 billion at an average price of $75,540.

Bitcoin has been trading steadily around $80,000, with market strength largely supported by institutional demand while retail participation remains limited. March marked the start of three straight months of net inflows, with $405 billion accumulated since February's low, alongside $1.05 billion added this month via Spot U.S. Bitcoin ETF net inflows. Over the past 30 and 60 days, retail spot buying tracked by net inflows has stayed relatively light at about $313 million and roughly $606 million.

Crypto trader Cheds says Bitcoin could face a sharp pullback after rebounding back into the $70,000 zone, unless it can reclaim $85,000 as support. He argues a move through the mid-$80,000s would help validate a W/double-bottom setup, and he prefers seeing a weekly close above $85,000. At publication, BTC traded at $79,402, down 1.5% on the day.

Bitcoin tests critical $80,000 support as the U.S. Senate Banking Committee votes on the landmark CLARITY Act amid surging inflation data and geopolitical tensions. Stay ahead with deep insights into institutional tokenization trends and key technical levels to watch for BTC and altcoins today.

Bitcoin’s market dominance has strengthened in 2026 as capital rotation into smaller altcoins has weakened. Data indicates overall crypto risk appetite has fallen sharply since October 2025, alongside a Bitcoin premium that slid from about +30% to near 0%. The shift suggests institutions are favoring BTC over more speculative segments of the market.

Charles Schwab has started rolling out Schwab Crypto accounts, enabling eligible retail clients to trade spot Bitcoin and Ethereum directly on its platform. The service is available to most U.S. residents but excludes New York, Louisiana, U.S. territories, and international users, and it will carry a 75-basis-point trading fee. Bitcoin hovered around the $80K area, with BTC near $79,742 and down 0.92% at press time despite $898 million in ETF inflows.

Peter Brandt said bitcoin has yet to print a clear bottom and described price action as potentially contained within a bear channel that began from the February low. In an X post dated May 13, he highlighted $79,145 as the key level, saying an ATR close below it could imply a move back toward the channel midpoint and possibly the lower boundary.