Bitcoin Price Tops $81K as Peter Brandt Flags Bear Trap

Bitcoin price held near $81,000 on Sept. 19 after gaining nearly 6% Friday. Veteran trader Peter Brandt described the latest structure as a potential “bear trap” followed by a springboard.

The rebound also coincided with $433 million in U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF inflows. Technical analysts now watch the $82,000-$83,000 region as nearby resistance following the recovery from below $76,000 earlier this week.

Bitcoin Price Can See A “Bear Trap” Rally, Says Peter Brandt

Veteran investor and trader, Peter Brandt, noted that Bitcoin could be setting up for a “bear trap” followed by a “springboard.” He added that the Bitcoin price could see a potentially powerful move.

He advised traders not to take this Bitcoin price surge as just another bounce. Moreover, historical patterns suggest that BTC could follow a similar path seen in previous cycles, wherein the asset rebounds in Q3, after the first two quarters end in negative territory.

In the previous two cycles where Q1 and Q2 both closed in the red, Bitcoin went on to finish Q3 with a gain. Q3 2026 is currently up around 30%, with less than two weeks remaining in the quarter.

Another popular analyst, Trader Tardigrade, spotted a bull flag breakout on the Bitcoin price daily chart after breaking a crucial resistance. The trader identified a $104,000 target and said Bitcoin’s RSI is also breaking above its descending trendline. This confirms the strengthening momentum.

According to Trader Tardigrade, the combination of the price breakout and RSI move validates the setup. According to his prediction, the BTC price could surge to $104,000 before October, as shown in the image above.

Following Friday’s BTC price upside, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $433.00 million in total net inflows on Sept. 18, as per data from Farside Investors. Fidelity’s FBTC recorded the largest inflows at $310 million, while BlackRock’s IBIT recorded $108.40 million in net inflows.

Bitwise’s BITB saw $9.70 million in inflows, VanEck’s HODL with $2.30 million and Ark’s ARKB with $1.90 million, and the rest of the ETFs saw zero inflows.

Bitcoin Could Outperform Nasdaq 100

Wall Street veteran and former Goldman Sachs executive, Raoul Pal said he expects Bitcoin to outperform the Nasdaq 100 (NDX) in the coming months. Pal cited fiscal dominance, refinancing needs, and increasing demand for liquidity under what he calls “The Everything Code.”

Pal noted that Bitcoin rose sharply even as interest rates moved higher. He argued that the current Bitcoin price action provides a clear signal.

In the shorter term, Pal said Bitcoin has broken its downtrend against the NDX and formed what he described as “perfect DeMark lows.” He also pointed to DeMark 9–13 indicators on TradingView as a tool he follows.

Bitcoin’s Young Coin Supply Paints Bullish Picture

Analyst Adam Livingston stated that Bitcoin’s younger-coin portion of realized capitalization is providing another bullish signal. The share of realized cap held in coins moved within the previous six months bottomed at 23.46% on July 29. Since them it has surged to 25.71%.

Livingston noted that 50 days have passed since the indicator reached its low. During the previous cycles in 2015, 2019, and 2022-23, the Bitcoin price gave over 100% returns over the next year.

Livingston added that Bitcoin’s current young-coin share remains within the lowest 8% of daily readings since 2013. This suggests that a significant portion of the network’s on-chain cost basis has remained inactive long enough to age. Livingston believes that this setup could be good for a renewed demand.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Cryptocurrency investments involve risk, and past performance does not guarantee future results. Readers should conduct their own research before making investment decisions.