BTC experienced significant volatility after setting a new all-time high. The price quickly reversed, signalling a possible bull trap, leading everyone to question, what is the best crypto to buy now? In all likelihood, BTC is set to experience sideways consolidation for a while within the $116 to $124k range.
Bulls pushed BTC to a new peak of $124.4k, but heavy selling pressure ensued and trapped late entrants. It is now back in the 118k range. Maintaining this level is important for the bull cycle to remain in effect. A rebound from the 118k level is a sure sign that the bullish trend will continue.
On the four-hour chart, BTC’s recent moves reflect a classic liquidity sweep. It broke through its previous all-time high, triggering breakout buys and stop-losses, only to reverse sharply.
(BTCUSD)
It then followed up by sharply declining below the previous swing low.
Currently, BTC is trading between the range of 116k to 124k. Without a convincing breakout, analysts are expecting the price action to remain volatile.
Do you see the current $BTC chart structure after the fourth halving? It’s moving in a steady straight line, unlike the parabolic curve structures of the past. This is BlackRock and other institutions, with their algorithms, controlling the price. Instead of the parabolic moves… https://t.co/OJSa5xjFJb pic.twitter.com/CRPLFCfqLw
— RG8
(@RG8XBT) August 17, 2025
In the meantime, traders have zeroed in on liquidity pockets on both ends of the range.
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What Does The On-Chain Data Show?
Binance’s seven-day mean inflow is spiking as we speak and has reached one of its highest levels seen in recent times.
This metric tracks the average number of BTCs entering the exchange and has historically coincided with preparation for selling, margin collateralization or institutional rebalancing.
The spike indicates a steady influx of BTCs into Binance’s trading accounts from external wallets. Historically, spikes like this, when not met by enough spot demand, have resulted in short-term selling pressure.
Additionally, Binance’s netflow has turned positive, indicating inflows outpacing outflows.
Without buyers absorbing the BTC, the imbalance could result in near-term volatility.
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$12B BlackRock Bet Rattles ETH Supply, Still The Best Crypto To Buy Now?
BlackRock has acquired more than $12B worth of ETH in just 30 days, surpassing its BTC purchases by more than 15X in the same period, signalling a strong institutional pivot to the altcoin king.
BlackRock ETH Holdings
BlackRock-controlled and managed iShares Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHA), launched in 2024, has already gathered $15B in assets, highlighting its commitment to ETH’s long-term value.
Due to its proof-of-stake model and EIP-1559 burn mechanism that permanently removes ETH from circulation, its net issuance has dropped to an all-time low in 2025.
Based on the trend on the 1-hour chart, ETH has exited the downtrend zone. Given that it's the weekend, there are two possible scenarios: 1. The price will begin to reverse direction & start uptrend 2. The price will move sideways, waiting for confirmation of the next trend pic.twitter.com/HoJ5C2RVFR
— Nice Day Bray (@niceday0901) August 17, 2025
Now that BlackRock is on an ETH buying spree, supply is surely going to tighten further, reducing liquidity and sparking price volatility.
Analysts predict that ETH could reach $5000 to $7000 in 2025, driven by institutional demand and clogged-up supply.
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BTC Might Hit $150k Before The Bears Come In, Says Exec
According to Capary Capital’s CEO, Steven McClurg, there’s a higher than 50% chance that BTC might go up to the $140k to $150k range before a bear cycle next year.
Moreover, he warned of a broader economic bear market that is on the horizon, and expressed his scepticism about the current macroeconomic landscape.
“I don’t like the economic standing at all right now,” he said in his interview with CNBC.
Other notable figures in the crypto landscape have disagreed with this notion. Michael Saylor, for instance, claimed in an interview that “Winter is not coming back.”
Additionally, Bitwise’s Chief Investment Officer, Matt Hougan, doesn’t expect the BTC market to slow down any time soon.
In an X post, he said, “I bet 2026 is an up year.”
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Maxi Doge Capitalizes On Dogecoin’s Slowdown
While Dogecoin might still be the memecoin king, there are new contenders on the block who don’t shy away from a challenge.
Maxi Doge, Dogecoin’s gymrat cousin, is one such contender and, as such, is making massive strides in the memecoin landscape, promoting speed, adaptability and maximum gains.
It is unapologetically bold and embodies its “1000x leverage, no stop-loss” tagline, capturing its community’s sentiment of extreme risk and speculative frenzy that defines the meme coin ecosystem.
Grayscale’s going full throttle with its Dogecoin ETF plans
—they’ve filed to turn their DOGE Trust into a full-blown ETF under the ticker GDOG. That means regular folks could soon buy Dogecoin like a stock, no crypto wallet needed. Meanwhile, Maxi Doge is stealing the… pic.twitter.com/Iu01Ee3Hmo
— Seven Crypto
(@SevenWinse) August 17, 2025
Initially priced at just $0.000252, Maxi Doge has already raised $1.1 million. Its tokenomics are centred around a growth-focused strategy with 40% dedicated to marketing, 25% for community initiatives, 15% each for development and liquidity provisioning and the rest 5% dedicated to rewards staking.
Move along to the Maxi Doge Presale site and connect your wallet like Best Wallet, Swap ETH, BNB, USDT, or USDC or pay directly with your bank-issued card.
Visit Maxi Doge Token
Dogecoin Struggles To Keep Its Momentum
While Dogecoin’s price action is subdued at the moment, the memecoin is still the yardstick to beat when it comes to gauging the memecoin market.
It is still dominating the memecoin market with its $35 billion market cap. However, after briefly touching $0.25, it has pulled back to around $0.23 in the absence of a clear memecoin or altcoin cycle.
Dogecoin Price Chart
For the time being, the memecoin king needs to reclaim its support above $0.24. The longer objective remains the same at $0.55, which would imply a doubling of its market cap to $74 billion.
$DOGE chart is a work of art.
The similarities between cycles are hard to ignore.#Dogecoin will have its day. pic.twitter.com/6lOdPW8KsV
— Galaxy (@galaxyBTC) August 16, 2025
A new all-time high would require a 227% rally from its current level, a hard but not impossible task given Dogecoin’s loyal fan base and its proven resilience.
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Monero Deposits Paused After 51% Attack
Kraken has paused Monero deposits after reports came out that a single mining pool, Qubic, gained control of more than 50% of the network’s hashing power.
Qubic generally focuses on AI-related blockchain applications. However, in this case, the mining pool claimed it reorganised six blocks on the Monero chain after a month-long effort to dominate its mining landscape.
They don't call Monero the most battle tested coin for no reason.
The fact it has survived so much more than any other coin is pure value. Exactly what a digital monetary network should do.
Monero will only keep getting better. pic.twitter.com/zKMLsVYBlg
— ᴜɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴇᴀʙʟᴇ (@DontTraceMeBruh) August 16, 2025
This level of control could potentially allow for double-spending and censorship of transactions. However, Monero developers have pushed back.
According to them, a reorganisation does not necessarily imply a successful 51% attach. On the contrary, experts have warned that the pool’s dominance could enable it to rewrite the blockchain and block rival miners.
This incident has sparked online debates over vulnerabilities regarding proof-of-work blockchain with concentrated mining power.
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The post BTC’s Post-High Bull Trap, $12B BlackRock Bet Rattles ETH Supply: Best Crypto To Buy Now? appeared first on 99Bitcoins.
