Bitcoin Dips Below $80K as Analysts Say Profit-Taking Is on the Rise

In brief

• Bitcoin's rally stalled on Thursday as the top crypto asset fell below $80,000.
• Analysts at CryptoQuant note that the asset's recent rise has led to increased profit taking for traders.
• While it may take time to realize, the report indicates that a correction could come as the bear market continues.

Bitcoin rallied to nearly $82,500 on Wednesday for the first time since January—but has slipped in the last 24 hours to recently trade below $80,000. 

The broader move, which has seen the top crypto asset gain more than 17% in the last month, is still part of a “bear market rally,” according to analysts at CryptoQuant. And as profit levels grow, Bitcoin may be on the precipice of more selling. 

“Bitcoin holders realized 14.6K BTC in daily profits on May 4, the highest level since December 10, as the 37% rally from the April lows pushed holders back into profitable territory,” the firm wrote, noting that the surge has created the “first significant profit realization event since December 2025” as short-term holders have been locking in gains since mid-April. 

“Historically in bear markets, spikes in realized profits at key resistance levels precede local price tops or sustained consolidation phases,” the firm continued. 

According to CryptoQuant’s data, the 30-day net realized profit for Bitcoin traders has climbed back into positive territory, meaning that more holders have notched gains than losses during that time—a move it called a “structural inflection point” in market dynamics. 

However, that profit-taking, which sits at a net of 20,000 BTC, is still well below the mark it identifies with bull market transitions, when profit-taking is closer to 130,000-200,000 BTC. 

“This distinction reinforces the bear market rally classification rather than a structural regime change,” it wrote. 

As the growth in unrealized profits has intensified to levels not seen since June 2025, CryptoQuant warned that the mark signals “elevated correction risk as traders become increasingly incentivized to lock in gains.” 

Nevertheless, the firm indicated that a correction could take time to play out, pointing to demand for perpetual futures, muted exchange inflows, and a less severe decrease in spot demand. As it stands, similar conditions historically have “supported continued near-term price strength in bear market rallies.”

Bitcoin was recently changing hands at $80,150, ticking back above the $80,000 mark after falling to $79,692 Thursday morning. At its current price, Bitcoin is more than 36% off its all-time high of $126,080 established in October. 

Other major crypto assets, like Ethereum and the Ripple-linked XRP, are also down on the day, dropping more than 2% each to change hands around $2,301 and $1.39, respectively. More than $269 million in crypto longs, or trades betting on the price of assets to go up, have been liquidated in the last 24 hours according to CoinGlass.

Users on Myriad—a prediction market platform operated by Decrypt's parent company, Dastan—remain optimistic that Bitcoin will rise to $84,000 sooner than it will plunge to $55,000, penciling in 83% odds as of this writing.

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