{"id":93134,"date":"2026-01-14T16:11:46","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T13:11:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/?p=93134"},"modified":"2026-01-14T16:17:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T13:17:09","slug":"a-300m-short-squeeze-propels-bitcoin-to-a-two-month-high-above-95000","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/a-300m-short-squeeze-propels-bitcoin-to-a-two-month-high-above-95000\/","title":{"rendered":"A $300m short squeeze propels bitcoin to a two-month high above $95,000"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>On January 14 bitcoin topped $96,000, its highest since November. After a week of sideways trade, the coin joined a rally in risk assets and precious metals.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-e52453f622ed814c-3612265482099209-1024x624.png\" alt=\"BTCUSDT_2026-01-14_15-15-35\" class=\"wp-image-273340\" srcset=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-e52453f622ed814c-3612265482099209-1024x624.png 1024w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-e52453f622ed814c-3612265482099209-300x183.png 300w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-e52453f622ed814c-3612265482099209-768x468.png 768w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-e52453f622ed814c-3612265482099209.png 1429w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">15-minute chart of BTC\/USDT on Binance. Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tradingview.com\/chart\/?symbol=BINANCE%3ABTCUSDT\">TradingView<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>At the time of writing, the asset trades at $95,024 (+3.4% over 24 hours).<\/p>\n<p>In a comment to ForkLog, Max Gnatyshyn, head of operations for Toobit in the CIS, noted that January began for bitcoin and Ethereum with \u201cbullish volatility\u201d. The main driver was demand for spot <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-a-cryptocurrency-etf\">ETFs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>According to him, bitcoin is more tightly linked to macroeconomic conditions and ETF flows. Ethereum\u2019s dynamics depend more on internal factors: technical upgrades and activity in DeFi and <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-a-layer%e2%80%912-solution-in-blockchain\">L2<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Gnatyshyn advised watching US monetary policy and regulatory changes \u2014 these factors determine the inflow of institutional capital.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>\u201cWhether Ethereum can overtake bitcoin in 2026 depends on second-layer adoption, the dynamics of <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-staking-and-how-to-make-money-from-it\"><em>staking<\/em><\/a><em> and the fee-burning mechanics,\u201d the expert added.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Analysts at QCP Capital <a href=\"https:\/\/www.qcpgroup.com\/insights\/qcp-asia-colour-4\/\">noted<\/a> that bitcoin had long lagged gold and equities. The break above $95,000 flipped the script \u2014 that barrier had capped prices since November.<\/p>\n<p>In their view, the current price already discounts the main macro risks: from events in <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/expert-80-of-venezuelas-oil-revenue-comes-in-usdt\">Venezuela and Iran<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/expert-predicts-bitcoin-rally-due-to-trumps-helicopter-money\">tariff policy in the US<\/a>. QCP allowed for a shift of capital into digital assets amid the debasement of fiat currencies.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>\u201cIn the absence of new unknowns, any dips should be viewed as a buying opportunity,\u201d the firm\u2019s note said.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Charles Edwards, founder of Capriole Investments, pointed to a key technical signal \u2014 a daily close above the 2025 open ($93,500). This happened for the first time since January 6.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Strong Bitcoin move! Bitcoin just has its first promising technical move in a while. Closed the daily above $93.5K. Opens up good odds of trend to $108K from here. Also need to see this weekly close above $93.5K to confirm the downside fakeout (bullish). Now would be a great time\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/l6XIkjaZue\">pic.twitter.com\/l6XIkjaZue<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Charles Edwards (@caprioleio) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/caprioleio\/status\/2011268888504520858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 14, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>\u201cThis opens up good odds of a move to $108,000. To confirm a bullish reversal, a weekly close above $93,500 is needed,\u201d Edwards wrote.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>A trader known as Jelle also recorded a breakout from a descending triangle that had been forming since mid-November.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Major <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search?q=%24BTC&#038;src=ctag&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">$BTC<\/a> ascending triangle breakout \ud83d\udcc8\ud83d\udc47 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KBIDXJnCie\">pic.twitter.com\/KBIDXJnCie<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jelle (@CryptoJelleNL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CryptoJelleNL\/status\/2011382586514321436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 14, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Some analysts remain cautious, however. A trader nicknamed Roman called the current action \u201ctextbook bearish\u201d because price is rising on falling volume.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search?q=%24BTC&#038;src=ctag&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">$BTC<\/a> 1W<\/p>\n<p>This is text book bearish price action: volume going up \u2014 price going down followed by volume going down \u2014 price going up\/sideways.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe we retest 100k area but this is nothing to get excited about.<\/p>\n<p>Next time large volume comes in, it\u2019ll likely be a move lower. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HGADBWsmW5\">pic.twitter.com\/HGADBWsmW5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Roman (@Roman_Trading) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Roman_Trading\/status\/2011158220799345018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 13, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>He expects a drop towards $76,000, though he allows for a retest of the $100,000 area.<\/p>\n<p>An analyst known as CrypNuevo warned of stiff resistance at the 50-week exponential <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-a-moving-average-and-how-is-it-used-in-crypto\">moving average<\/a> around $97,650.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search?q=%24BTC&#038;src=ctag&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">$BTC<\/a> update:<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;ve been able to successfully project the exact Price Action for the last 7 days.<\/p>\n<p>Now, I call for caution. This could be a liquidity run towards the 1W50EMA where price could be rejected from.<\/p>\n<p>Breaking above $100k (4% higher) is my invalidation to this idea. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kZupjrjAKS\">pic.twitter.com\/kZupjrjAKS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 CrypNuevo \ud83d\udd28 (@CrypNuevo) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CrypNuevo\/status\/2011204420718010480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 13, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>He sees the current rise as a \u201cliquidity run\u201d before a pullback. Only a sustained move above $100,000 would invalidate the bearish scenario.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Short sellers\u2019 losses<\/h2>\n<p>The rise sparked a wave of liquidations in derivatives. Over the past 24 hours, traders lost $588.93m on forced closures of short positions. Of that, $292.59m came from bitcoin.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"301\" src=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-ebd729bd153abbb5-3612430893086081-1024x301.png\" alt=\"\u0421\u043d\u0438\u043c\u043e\u043a \u044d\u043a\u0440\u0430\u043d\u0430 2026-01-14 152242\" class=\"wp-image-273341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-ebd729bd153abbb5-3612430893086081-1024x301.png 1024w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-ebd729bd153abbb5-3612430893086081-300x88.png 300w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-ebd729bd153abbb5-3612430893086081-768x226.png 768w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-ebd729bd153abbb5-3612430893086081.png 1357w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coinglass.com\/pro\/futures\/LiquidationMap\">CoinGlass<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Kronos Research\u2019s chief investment officer, Vincent Liu, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-01-14\/bitcoin-btc-claims-two-month-high-of-over-96-000-on-macro-tailwinds\">characterised<\/a> the move as \u201ca sharp short squeeze\u201d. Institutions also added to the optimism: on January 13, net inflows into US spot bitcoin ETFs totalled <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/bitcoin-etfs-log-biggest-inflow-in-three-months\">$753.73m<\/a>, the highest since early October.<\/p>\n<p>Justin d\u2019Anethan, head of research at Arctic Digital, linked the move to a rotation into \u201chard assets\u201d. With inflation easing and <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/analysts-gauge-bitcoins-odds-of-a-trend-reversal\">legal pressure<\/a> on the <span data-descr=\"United States Federal Reserve System\" class=\"old_tooltip\">the Fed<\/span> from the US Department of Justice, investors are seeking alternatives to the dollar.<\/p>\n<p>The technical picture has also improved. Tony Sycamore, an analyst at IG Australia, reckons that holding above $95,000 opens the way to $100,000. The next target is the 200-day moving average at $106,115.<\/p>\n<p>Joshua Lim, co-head at FalconX, says the macro backdrop remains favourable for digital assets.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rising bitcoin reserves<\/h2>\n<p>Over the past six months, the amount of bitcoin on the balance sheets of public and private companies has risen from 854,000 BTC to 1.11m BTC, according to Glassnode.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Over the past 6 months, Bitcoin treasuries held by public and private companies have grown from ~854K BTC to ~1.11M BTC.<br \/>That\u2019s an increase of ~260K BTC, or roughly ~43K BTC per month, highlighting the steady expansion of corporate balance-sheet exposure to Bitcoin.\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hHXjcSDDj4\">https:\/\/t.co\/hHXjcSDDj4<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/oluVGO2bGD\">pic.twitter.com\/oluVGO2bGD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 glassnode (@glassnode) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/glassnode\/status\/2011162019441893480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 13, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The cumulative increase came to about 260,000 BTC. Average monthly purchases reached 43,000 BTC \u2014 evidence of steady corporate interest in digital assets.<\/p>\n<p>Analysts also commented on price consolidation between $80,000 and $95,000. According to the metric <span data-descr=\"short-term holders\u2019 cost-basis distribution\" class=\"old_tooltip\">Short-Term Holder Cost Basis Distribution<\/span>, a high concentration of positions has formed in this zone.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/telegram.org\/js\/telegram-widget.js?22\" data-telegram-post=\"glassnode\/1488\" data-width=\"100%\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Attempts to rise are capped by selling from recent entrants. That has kept prices in check despite renewed demand above $80,000.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time since mid-2022, the 52-week correlation between bitcoin and gold <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/bitcoins-correlation-with-gold-drops-to-zero\">fell<\/a> to zero.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On January 14 bitcoin topped $96,000, a two-month high, after a week of sideways trade.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":93135,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"select":"1","news_style_id":"1","cryptorium_level":"","_short_excerpt_text":"Bitcoin tops $96,000 after a $300m short squeeze, hitting a two-month high.","creation_source":"","_metatest_mainpost_news_update":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[480,1145],"class_list":["post-93134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-bitcoin-price","tag-market-analysis"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"views":"161","promo_type":"1","layout_type":"1","short_excerpt":"Bitcoin tops $96,000 after a $300m short squeeze, hitting a two-month high.","is_update":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93134"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93136,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93134\/revisions\/93136"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}