Bitcoin is finally maintaining its position after months of effort. On March 3, 2026, prominent crypto expert Michaël van de Poppe showed a nuanced perspective on social media. Bitcoin was above $65,000 and approaching range resistance, therefore he expected an upward breakout. What was his goal? The month’s statistics were expected to be $75,000–$80,000. This was significant for traders who had survived weeks of economic turmoil.
This post held great significance for traders who had weathered weeks of macroeconomic volatility. The analyst has been watching price activity inside this consolidation area around 40,000 for a while, and his read matches a growing number of technical experts who are seeing a “coiling up” pattern in BTC’s price action daily. Breakouts from clearly defined ranges, or consolidation zones, typically happen with intensity or notable price shifts.
The Range That Has Been Building
This post from March 3rd is the most recent in a thesis that stretches back to late February 2026. Following President Trump’s State of the Union speech and Bitcoin retracing back to around $66,200, they highlighted that holding above $65,000 would be the way to clear $70,000 and beyond. The chart from that moment captures a prototypical coiling where price tests the range resistance, while refusing to go down.
Other traders noted that if institutional buy orders propel prices beyond the 20 EMA and hold prices above that area over the next few days, it could put prices on a run towards the $80,700 level. This is where the significant overhead supply and technical resistance reside, so if it clears, we could enter a trend of potential short clearing as prices go up.
Institutional Flows Provide a Structural Floor
Among the key pillars of support preventing Bitcoin from slipping further is constant institutional accumulation. By mid-2025, reserve holdings across spot Bitcoin ETFs totaled more than 1.29 million BTC, over six percent of the total supply, and marking more than $150 billion investments into the products since receiving SEC approval back in January 2024. Blackrock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust has led the charge, creating an ongoing structural bid below the sentiment of the price of the asset.
ETFs also started 2026 with over $1.1B in net inflows in the first two trading days of the new year. Institutional accumulation of Bitcoin in the ETF space continues to put pressure on Bitcoin’s available supply, introducing scenarios in which any kind of upswell in sentiment can create outsized price moves. According to CoinMarketCap, Bitcoin is still the largest cryptocurrency in the world by market cap and that’s exactly why institutional players are treating Bitcoin as a core holding.
The Bull and Bear Case for Mid-March
There are compelling reasons to pay attention to both sides of this trade. On the bearish side, analysts have identified a hidden RSI divergence on the 3-day chart where BTC has created a lower high while the RSI has made a higher high. If BTC decisively closes below $65,000 it could invalidate the prior range and create potential for a deeper pullback toward $60,000.
On the bullish side, macro economist Henrik Zeberg has projected Bitcoin could rally to $110,000–$120,000 in his primary 2026 scenario, spurred on by risk on sentiment and ETF inflows. The algorithmic forecasters at CoinCodex are slightly more conservative, projecting Bitcoin to around $75,491 by April 1, 2026. Meanwhile, some analysts believe the classic four-year cycle is broken and that price action is now driven more by institutional capital than retail behavior.
Conclusion
The March 3 call is the result of dedicated technical efforts that have been ongoing for several weeks. Bitcoin’s strength continues to hold above $65,000; therefore, represents true strength. If it breaks above $73,000-$75,000 this will support the bullish case. If it closes below $65,000 this will support the opposite. Regardless of the outcome, the resolution of this range means there will be no shortage of activity in Bitcoin over the next few weeks.
