The Bitcoin volatility has risen over the past few weeks as the price has been fluctuating within a huge range. Despite the bearish interference, the price has been under bullish influence by forming consecutive higher highs and lows. With this, the bullish trajectory for the BTC price remains pretty high, keeping the upper targets at $90,000 activated. Meanwhile, the traders remain uncertain, and as a result, the almost equal liquidity is piling up on either side of Bitcoin.
The crypto markets have risen above the turbulence caused by Trump’s Liberation Day while Bitcoin displays resilience, hinting towards a potential breakout. After a minor upswing, the bears have begun to actively push the price lower, which has dropped it back below $83,000. This constant shift in the price trend seems to have raised skepticism among investors, due to which the liquidity has accumulated with over 100x leverage at $80,000 and $82,000.
Interestingly, the data from Coinglass suggests that the volume also has a close match, which suggests a liquidity grab could be on the horizon.
This piled-up liquidity suggests the possibility of both breakout and breakdown, while the wider market dimensions suggest the bulls are gaining more strength than the bears. Recently, US President Donald Trump announced a massive rise in tariffs on other countries, which was the highest since 1968. The traditional markets tumbled down and experienced a huge pullback not seen since 2020.
These levels continue to remain deflated while Bitcoin’s price, facing minimal bearish action, has begun to recover. Moreover, the token is breaking out against the Nasdaq 100, which can be considered a strong bullish signal for the entire crypto space.
The chart compares Bitcoin’s performance against the Nasdaq 100, showing the crypto breaking above a key resistance level of around 1.40 in 2021 and 4.50 in 2025. This signals stronger growth relative to tech stocks, suggesting the correlation between Bitcoin and Nasdaq100 has been turning negative since late 2024. This suggests a potential market shift could be on the horizon, which may revive a strong Bitcoin (BTC) bull run above $100K towards new highs.
Crypto Lawyer Bill Morgan suggested that the recent policy change from the SEC on crypto ETPs could lead to faster approval for the current XRP ETFs filings. Lawyers Suggest SEC’s New Rule Could Push XRP ETF Approvals Faster Crypto lawyer Bill Morgan hinted that the stagnant XRP ETF filings could finally see a move. He
Tether minted $1 billion in USDT on the Tron network today, bringing its total minted tokens since January to 12 billion. This reflects growing demand for crypto and could signal bullishness.
Previously, major stablecoin issuances have led to a bullish cycle. With fresh inflows, the market sentiment is trending towards Greed, and Tether may facilitate more bullishness.
This new USDT minting could have broad market implications for a few reasons. Major net issuances often reflect growing demand from institutions and OTC desks that need large blocks of stablecoins for cross-border settlements or build-up before buying digital assets.
In isolation, this single issuance could push the needle in a bullish direction. However, since Lookonchain data shows a pattern of major mintings, Tether could spur a lot of optimism.
Despite recently hitting a three-year low, the Crypto Fear and Greed Index has been trending upward. It’s currently in Neutral but briefly exhibited Greed yesterday.
In other words, the market is primed to accept a bullish signal, and Tether’s major minting may provide it.
Still, not every mint equates to immediate market deployment. True bullish pressure arrives only when those new USDT hit exchange wallets. Luckily, that seems like a very achievable goal.
Solana price tumbled 4% to hit $169 on Friday, May 16, after bankrupt crypto exchange FTX confirmed a $5 billion creditor payout.
On Thursday, the Solana (
Solana Price Action, May 16, 2025
SOL) price fell to $169, losing intraday support at $170 for the first time in May. This decline follows news that FTX will unstake and redistribute assets to fulfill its second major payout.
FTX’s estate said on May 15 that it would begin distributing $5 billion in digital assets to claimants on May 30. The payout will be processed via BitGo and Kraken, with settlement expected within 1–3 business days.
FTX Payouts aligns with 1.4B SOL Staking Withdrawals
Solana price weakness coincides with an uptick in bearish positioning across Layer-1 tokens. According to StakingRewards, over 1.4 million SOL has been unstaked in the past seven days.
Solana Staking Flows, May 16, 2025 | Source: StakingRewards.com
This move likely includes large portions held by FTX, which has been working to liquidate assets. At $169 per token, the un-staked SOL is valued at approximately $236 million.
Such large token movements typically generate sell pressure, especially if the assets enter exchanges or OTC desks for liquidation.
Solana’s sell-off appears part of a broader downturn in Layer-1 tokens. Coingecko data shows Ethereum fell 2.7% to $2,500, while XRP and Cardano posted 4% losses each.
This synchronized decline suggests macro-driven sell pressure, likely triggered by investors locking in gains before FTX’s payout introduces additional volatility risks.
Can Bitcoin Rally and ETF Optimism Anchor Solana Markets?
Despite SOL’s pullback, Bitcoin (BTC) price has remained above $100,000 for seven consecutive trading days, the first such stretch since January 2025.
This stability could help contain broader market panic. Historically, BTC resilience often stabilizes sentiment in large-cap altcoins such as Solana.
Solana ETF Approval Odds hit 82%, May 2025 | Source: PolyMarkets
PolyMarkets data currently shows an 82% probability of SEC approval for altcoin ETFs by June 16. This could position Solana as a preemptive buy for strategic traders looking to front-run a potential SEC approval verdict next month.
Looking Ahead: Critical Weeks Ahead for Solana Price
The 4% SOL price dip from Thursday reflects both internal sell pressure and broader market rotation. FTX’s $5 billion distribution and associated unstaking remain the dominant narrative this week.
For bulls, reclaiming $170 and holding above $150 is essential to sustain momentum. With ETF optimism still looming and BTC holding firm, a rebound remains plausible, if fresh market demand driver emerge to offset the ongoing Solana sell-offs.
Until then, Solana price remains vulnerable to further downside risk, especially if large wallet holders join the sell-off.
Solana Price Forecast Today: SOL Faces Pressure Below $175 With Risk of Breakdown Toward $160
Solana (SOL) price forecast charts show vulnerability signals following a sharp 9.67% intraday drop on May 15, with only a modest 1.34% rebound to $171.42 failing to inspire strong bullish conviction.
Thursday’s session showed price closing just above the Volume Weighted Average Price (VWAP) at $170.53, but the overall market structure remains fragile. The prior day’s high-volume sell-off, recorded at 7.17 million, reflects a meaningful rejection near the $185 level and a subsequent loss of momentum from buyers.
Technically, Solana has now slipped below the mid-point of the Keltner Channel, with $170.53 acting as weak interim support.
More so, SOL price action is notably hugging the lower half of the volatility envelope, and continued failure to reclaim the upper KC resistance at $181.06 casts doubt on bullish momentum.
Solana price forecast | SOLUSDT
Adding to downside risk, Bitcoin price forecast today, while relatively stable above $103,000, lacks clear bullish momentum. Without strong bullish momentum from BTC, altcoins like Solana are left more exposed to volatility risks.
Volume delta trends further emphasizes the sell-side pressure, with recent negative bars outpacing buying, suggesting distribution rather than accumulation at these levels.
Should SOL lose support at $170.53, the next clear downside target emerges at $161.74 to the lower Keltner band.
A break below this level would confirm a short-term bearish reversal, opening the door to $145 to $150, especially if macro sentiment weakens or Bitcoin falters.
Until Solana must post a decisive close above $175 with accompanying volume, for bulls to stand a chance of invalidating the bearish forecast.
