# 7 crypto levels that decide Bitcoin's next move between $81,000 and $97,000

Crypto trader Gareth Soloway maps seven Bitcoin levels from the $81,000 support to the $95,000-$97,000 confluence, plus Ethereum and HBAR setups.

Source: https://timepilot.top/7-crypto-levels/ · based on the channel [Gareth Soloway](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwTu6kD2igaLMpxswtcdxlg) · Video: [Bitcoin Came THIS Close to Breaking Down: $97K Next?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5p7VdWDV-E) · 2026-10-20

![7 crypto levels that decide Bitcoin's next move between $81,000 and $97,000](https://timepilot.top/7-crypto-levels/7-crypto-levels.webp)

## Key takeaways

- Bitcoin flushed to about $79,750 before closing back above the $81,000 support line.
- A daily close below $81,000 opens $75,500, where Soloway would buy only 25% of a position.
- The rest of the buy plan sits in the $67,000 zone, which he treats as the likely cycle low area.
- Above $87,200 a trend line, a measured move and prior pivot highs converge at $95,000-$97,000.
- Ethereum has a heavy buy zone just below $2,000 and a $2,800 retest on a breakout; HBAR targets near $0.10.

Crypto traders watching Bitcoin got a clean, testable map this week: the market is boxed between $81,000 support and $87,200 resistance, and only a decisive break of either line matters. According to trader Gareth Soloway, a daily close below $81,000 opens $75,500 and then the $67,000 zone where he plans to buy, while a push above $87,200 sets up a confluence target of $95,000 to $97,000. He holds no swing position in Bitcoin in either direction while price sits inside a roughly $6,000 range, and viewers who want tier-one fee pricing on Coinbase can register through his link: [Coinbase sign-up with tier-one fees](https://coinbase.com/aff/verifiedinvesting).

## Why the $81,000 line survived another test

Bitcoin flushed to about $79,750 intraday before closing back above $81,000, the support level that has now been hammered repeatedly. That recovery is the single most important technical fact of the session: a wick below support that closes back above it is a failed breakdown, not a confirmed one. Soloway's read is that the bullish structure remains intact as long as the daily closes hold, which is why he is not treating the flush as the start of a larger decline.

Context matters here. The AI trade and the Nasdaq have been sliding, and Bitcoin has been hanging in there anyway. Relative strength against a falling risk-asset complex is usually a sign that supply is being absorbed rather than distributed. That does not make Bitcoin a buy at current prices — it makes the $81,000 line the referee.

## The upside target: three factors stacking at $95,000-$97,000

Above $87,200, three independent technical factors line up in the $95,000 to $97,000 area, which is why that band carries more weight than a single projection.

1. **Rising trend line near $91,000.** A trend line drawn from the prior lows is climbing into the low $90,000s, and because it rises over time, it can carry the target into late November rather than forcing an immediate move.
2. **Measured move off the consolidation.** Taking the height of the recent range and projecting it upward from a breakout produces roughly $96,000 to $97,000.
3. **Prior pivot highs.** The old swing highs sit in the same zone, giving the measured move and the trend line a third confirmation.

When three unrelated methods point at the same price band, traders call it confluence. The practical rule is simple: the upside case only counts above $87,200. Between $81,000 and $87,200 there is no trade, only noise.

## The downside plan: 25% at $75,500, the rest at $67,000

A daily close below $81,000 opens $75,500, and that is where Soloway would commit only 25% of a planned Bitcoin position. The remaining 75% is reserved for the $67,000 zone, which he treats as the area to load up if the market gets there. The split is deliberate: the first level is a test, the second is the real opportunity.

This is also where the question of going all in comes up. Asked whether he would commit everything at $75,500, his answer is no — the level is a partial entry, not a thesis. Until the market proves otherwise, he still believes the cycle low is already in, and a staged buy plan is how you express that view without betting the account on one print.

## Why having no position is a position

Soloway is not long and not short Bitcoin right now, and he says so plainly while price chops inside its roughly $6,000 range. That is not indecision; it is a refusal to pay the spread and the whipsaw for a setup that has not triggered. Most trading damage in ranges comes from forcing entries between levels that were defined in advance.

A game plan written before the trade is what keeps emotion out of it. If $81,000 breaks on a daily close, the plan says buy 25% at $75,500. If $87,200 breaks, the plan says look for $95,000-$97,000. Without those pre-set conditions, the same trader flips long at the top of the range and short at the bottom, which is exactly how accounts bleed in a $6,000 box.

## Ethereum and HBAR: where the altcoin setups sit

Ethereum is trading in a range with a heavy buy zone just below $2,000 and a $2,800 retest if price breaks out to the upside. The structure mirrors Bitcoin: a defined floor to accumulate against and a defined level that confirms the move.

HBAR is the swing trade Soloway took with Smart Money Crypto members on a retrace to what he calls the scene of the crime — the level where price previously broke down or broke out — with a target near $0.10. A retrace to a broken level is a standard continuation entry: the old resistance becomes support, and risk is defined just below it.

## Common questions traders keep asking

**Can you short Bitcoin on Coinbase?** Coinbase's spot venue is built for buying and selling crypto, not for leveraged short selling; short exposure usually requires derivatives or margin products available elsewhere or through specific regional offerings. Check what your jurisdiction and account tier actually support before planning a short.

**Is the promotional pricing worth switching exchanges for?** Fee and spread complaints are the most common pushback on Coinbase, and tier-one pricing addresses part of that. Accounts that have been idle for 30 days qualify, and so do users who originally signed up under someone else's referral link.

**Does a wick below support count as a breakdown?** No. A flush to $79,750 that closes back above $81,000 is a failed breakdown, and failed moves often reverse. The level to watch is the daily close, not the intraday low.

**Do the targets expire?** The rising trend line near $91,000 keeps climbing, which is why the $95,000-$97,000 confluence can stay valid into late November rather than needing an immediate breakout.

## The takeaway

The Bitcoin chart is a two-level problem: $81,000 decides whether the market tests $75,500 and $67,000, and $87,200 decides whether it runs at $95,000-$97,000. Everything between those lines is a range where patience beats prediction, and Soloway's willingness to sit flat inside it is the point rather than a gap in the analysis. The staged buy plan — 25% at $75,500, the rest at $67,000 — is what a pre-written game plan looks like in practice. Ethereum's sub-$2,000 zone and $2,800 retest, plus the HBAR swing toward $0.10, follow the same logic of defined entries and defined invalidation. This breakdown comes from the «Gareth Soloway» channel, and traders who want tier-one fee pricing can start here: [Coinbase registration via Verified Investing](https://coinbase.com/aff/verifiedinvesting).

## Questions & answers

**What are the two Bitcoin levels that matter right now?**

Support sits at $81,000 and resistance at $87,200. A daily close below $81,000 opens $75,500 and then the $67,000 zone, while a break above $87,200 sets up the $95,000-$97,000 confluence target.

**Why is the $95,000-$97,000 target considered strong?**

Three separate factors converge there: a rising trend line climbing through the low $90,000s, a measured move off the consolidation, and prior pivot highs. Because the trend line rises over time, the target can stay valid into late November.

**How would a trader size a Bitcoin buy below support?**

The plan is staged: only 25% of the intended position at $75,500, with the remaining 75% reserved for the $67,000 zone. Committing everything at the first level is explicitly rejected.

**What setups are there in Ethereum and HBAR?**

Ethereum has a heavy buy zone just below $2,000 and a $2,800 retest if it breaks out. HBAR was a swing trade taken on a retrace to the prior break level, with a target near $0.10.