Bitcoin (BTC) Price: Retail Investors Still Absent as Institutions Drive New Highs
TLDR
Bitcoin could reach $135,000 before entering a corrective phase according to Fairlead Strategies founder Katie Stockton
Multiple analysts converge on $133K-$135K price targets following Monday’s breakout above $122K all-time high
Institutional investment continues driving the rally while retail participation remains absent
Market cap reached $2.4 trillion, making Bitcoin the world’s fifth-largest asset
Warning signs appear in on-chain metrics despite overall bullish sentiment
Bitcoin reached a new all-time high of $122,871 on Monday before retreating below $120,000 during Tuesday morning trading. The breakout came after nearly two months of consolidation that now feels like “ancient history” according to market analysts.
Fairlead Strategies founder Katie Stockton told CNBC that her firm creates measured move projections from breakouts. Assuming the previous uptrend continues ahead of any corrective phase, this puts Bitcoin at around $135,000 as an intermediate-term objective.
The prediction aligns with other analyst forecasts. 10x Research head of research Markus Thielen projects Bitcoin could reach $133,000 based on historical patterns. The July 10 breakout signal has historically led to an average 20% rally over the following two months.
Source: TradingView
LVRG Research director Nick Ruck maintains that investors are still looking at $150,000 as the next major price level during this cycle. The firm remains optimistic that Bitcoin can continue pending no sudden black swan events.
Institutional Investment Drives Growth
Bitcoin’s rally is being driven primarily by institutional capital rather than retail investors. Strategy acquired another 4,225 BTC on Monday, bringing their total holdings to 601,550 BTC.
Strategy has acquired 4,225 BTC for ~$472.5 million at ~$111,827 per bitcoin and has achieved BTC Yield of 20.2% YTD 2025. As of 7/13/2025, we hodl 601,550 $BTC acquired for ~$42.87 billion at ~$71,268 per bitcoin. $MSTR $STRK $STRF $STRD https://t.co/cdUkviddqp
— Michael Saylor (@saylor) July 14, 2025
Bitcoin spot ETF inflows recorded $1 billion on back-to-back days between July 10-11. This record was last matched in January 2024 when the spot ETFs were newly launched.
The price surge increased Bitcoin’s market capitalization to $2.4 trillion. This enabled BTC to flip Amazon and become the world’s fifth-largest global asset.
Nic Puckrin from The Coin Bureau noted that retail buyers are nowhere to be seen yet. The typical signs of retail involvement including soaring search traffic and crypto app rankings are absent.
Puckrin expects retail is unlikely to get involved until Bitcoin reaches around $150,000 and FOMO kicks in. The current rally lacks the peak euphoria typically associated with market tops.
Technical Analysis Points Higher
Cointelegraph technical analysts tagged $132,000 to $138,000 as a reasonable short-term target before momentum slows. Bitcoin’s breakout appears to form a bull flag pattern hinting at a $130,000 target.
The cryptocurrency broke above a seven-year trendline that has acted as strong resistance since 2018. This represents an incredibly bullish signal given the current environment.
The Coinbase Premium Index shows positive readings over the past two months. This measures the percentage difference in BTC prices on Coinbase versus Binance and indicates U.S. investor interest.
Source: CryptoQuant
Net long positions on Bitcoin futures on centralized exchanges are approaching the $100 million mark. Over the past couple of days, this net long position has cooled down even as price remained above $116,000.
Warning Signs Emerge
Two warning signs have appeared for Bitcoin traders. The taker buy/sell ratio is skewed extremely in favor of buyers with the 7-day moving average at 1.03.
Source: CryptoQuant
Over the past year, the 7-day moving average’s venture to 1.04 has been met by short-term pullbacks or sideways price action. However, it hasn’t often halted major rallies.
Another warning sign is the flow of stablecoins out of exchanges. This may signal falling buying power in the market despite continued price strength.
Strategy’s latest Bitcoin purchase on July 14 demonstrates continued institutional accumulation. The company now holds 601,550 BTC worth over $70 billion at current prices.
Bitcoin currently holds the 6th rank among largest assets by market capitalization at $2.385 trillion. The gains of the past week pushed it beyond Alphabet’s $2.2 trillion market cap.
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Filed under: News - @ July 15, 2025 7:29 am