Given significant institutional investments, Bitcoin’s price movement has drawn criticism since it still trades inside a limited range. Some analysts think this inertia could be a conscious effort at market control.
Without a clear breakout, Bitcoin has varied over the past two months between $92,400 and $106,500. After the U.S. presidential inauguration, a small spike to $109,000 swiftly returned, feeding doubts about whether outside factors could be controlling the price.
At Consensus Hong Kong 2025, Jan3 CEO Samson Mow—who also founded Pixelmatic—voiced worries over this price movement. He said that the movement of Bitcoin seemed “manufactured,” pointing out how the price swings in an artificial fashion from peak to stabilization, then sideways.
“If you examine the price trend, it appears as a case of suppression,” Mow said. “This tight range doesn’t seem natural even though consolidation is a normal phase.”
Though Bitcoin lacks increasing velocity, experts remain hopeful about its long-term course. Forecasts for 2025 point to a possible price explosion ranging from $160,000 to $180,000 given changes in market dynamics.
With spot Bitcoin ETFs and big companies like MicroStrategy piling on Bitcoin, institutional buying is still robust. Mow noted, though, that there must be a major counterforce selling Bitcoin at the same rate if prices aren’t changing despite big purchases.
Though the general price stays uninspired, retail investors have also kept dollar-cost averaging. While some ascribe this to natural market cycles, others think sell-offs from earlier bankruptcies and restructuring attempts may still be influencing Bitcoin’s stability.
Further increasing worries, FTX lately started paying back creditors with over $1.2 billion distributed depending on Bitcoin’s November 2022 worth of almost $20,000. Some experts believe beneficiaries would sell their shares to lock in gains, therefore exerting more downward pressure on the market.
The issue of whether this is a natural phase of accumulation or an invisible power intentionally limiting Bitcoin’s actual market potential remains as its consolidation proceeds. As institutional interest rises and market dynamics change, the next months might show more clarity.
