The Bitcoin network's mining difficulty slipped to 146.4 trillion on Thursday in the first adjustment of 2026. CoinWarz estimates the next change will occur on Jan 22, 2026 at 04:08:12 AM UTC, lifting difficulty from 146.47 T to 148.20 T. Average block times are 9.88 minutes, slightly under the 10‑minute target.

Bitcoin is trading around $90,624 after a pullback from its strong start to the year, with analysts highlighting a potential resistance zone just below $100,000. On-chain data indicates that new whale buyers have an average cost basis close to $99,000, while long-term whales and miners hold at significantly lower levels near $39,681 and $58,681. This positioning suggests structurally bullish conditions, but also points to $99,000 as a critical level where profit-taking or breakeven selling could intensify.

This week, Tether minted an additional $1 billion in USDT, lifting combined USDT and USDC issuance over the past seven days to $3.75 billion and underscoring strong liquidity demand. Over the same period, Bitcoin surged by $2,100 within 45 minutes after the Supreme Court postponed its tariff ruling, while stronger-than-expected U.S. labor data reduced the likelihood of a near-term Federal Reserve rate cut. Rising stablecoin transaction volumes, falling Tether reserves, and macro uncertainty are prompting traders to approach Bitcoin's next move with caution.

On 10 January 2026, on-chain indicators showed Bitcoin shifting as long-term holders moved from accumulating to selling while newer whale wallets clustered around $99,000. The price is still trading above short-term support and the 21-day moving average, but it has stayed below the 50-week simple moving average for nine straight weeks. This combination of renewed supply from older coins and whale break-even levels near $99,000–$100,000 leaves the market at a sensitive point for the next major move.

According to TradingView data, large Bitfinex accounts reduced Bitcoin long exposure after a late-December peak near 73,000 BTC. X commentator MartyParty links the unwind to a Wyckoff-style spring and cites a potential move toward $135k, while CryptoQuant reports whale balances declined by over 200,000 BTC over the past year.

On January 9, analyst BitBull outlined on X a bullish Bitcoin outlook, arguing that a weekly Relative Strength Index breakout could lift BTC toward $103,000–$105,000 over the next three to four weeks. The projection implies around a 15% advance from the current price area near $90,600, where Bitcoin has mostly traded around $90,000 with brief moves above $91,000. The analyst's view references a similar RSI breakout in April 2025, which occurred before Bitcoin climbed to its all-time high of $126,080.

On January 10, 2026, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao urged resilience, saying U.S. banks were buying Bitcoin as some investors sold. The asset hovered around $90,000 and was trading at $90,540 at press time, while his post refocused attention on institutional participation.

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs are nearing a third straight month of net outflows, with $210 million withdrawn in the first 10 days of January 2026, according to SoSoValue. Redemptions totaled $4.7 billion across November–December 2025 and early January, while segment AUM is about $116 billion after peaking above $166 billion before Oct. 10.