3 Reasons BTC Price Is Not Rallying to $120,000 or Higher

Bitcoin (BTC) dropped 1.62% on Monday, but closed the day with a 0.40% gain. In Tuesday’s early Asian session, BTC price crashed 1.80% and created a local low of $107,536 on the US crypto exchange Coinbase. While the correction was short-term and Bitcoin has since recovered, three critical reasons hint that a BTC price rally to $120,000 or higher is unlikely in the near future.

Why BTC Price Climbing to $120,000 is Unlikely?

In the long run, Bitcoin (BTC) setting up an ATH beyond $120,000 is highly likely as the higher timeframe outlook is largely bullish. On a lower timeframe, the BTC price remains bearish due to three critical signals:

1. Technicals suggest a potential reversal or a short-term correction is due.
2. Whales holding between 100K to 1M BTC are reducing their stack.
3. Blockchain data shows clear profit-taking activity.

These key developments suggest that a short-term pause or a pullback is highly likely here for BTC price.

Bitcoin’s Weekly Chart Flashes Bearish Swing Failure Pattern

The weekly candlestick close shows Bitcoin (BTC) price breached the previous ATH of $110K, but failed to close above it. This technical formation is termed a swing failure pattern, where the asset fails to show strength above closing above a key level.

Additionally, the RSI shows a lower high compared to Bitcoin’s higher high, displaying a classic bearish divergence pattern. The non-conformity between price and the momentum indicator shows the lack of bullish momentum, which often leads to a correction in the underlying asset.

In that regard, the 43% rally from $76,555 to $110,000 is a key higher timeframe price swing that investors should note. If the price is overextended as the indicators suggest, then a correction is due. When most rallies or uptrends face exhaustion, a correction to the fair value or discount mode is noted. In this case, the midpoint of the aforementioned 43% rally at $93,024 is the fair value. A push below this level would be considered discount mode and is often where smart money or whales accumulate.

A previous CoinGape article noted four reasons why Bitcoin price may crash to $100K, which is inline with the above outlook. The said article notes an implied volatility-based sell signal as one of the reasons for a retracement.

Whales Offload BTC Holdings

Santiment’s blockchain data shows whales holding between 100K to 1M BTC are selling. These smart investors’ holdings spiked from 647.73K to 679.63K between February and April 2025. They accumulated when Bitcoin price consolidated between $75K and $88K. Now, these investors are offloading, adding headwinds to price, which is already under a key resistance level.

Profit-taking Accelerates as BTC Consolidates Below Previous ATH

Typically, when Bitcoin price approaches its previous ATH or sets up a new one in close vicinity, there’s a lot of profit-taking activity. Investors who bought at the previous top or before the rally are attempting to cash in some gains. As a result, BTC price continues to consolidate around previous highs.

The Network Realized Profit/Loss (NPL) Indicator spiked from 2.3B to 9.18B as BTC price rose from $82K to $111K. History shows that large upticks in NPL often coincide with local tops as investors sell to realize gains.

To conclude, the weekly chart shows weakness, which is clearly echoed by whales’ behavior and the NPL indicator spike. As more investors book profits, the chances of a potential correction to key support levels are highly likely. Unless new capital flows in, the chances of a BTC price rally to $120,000 or higher are not possible.