Crypto Majors Stall as Bitcoin, Ether, and XRP Struggle to Shake Off Bearish Overhang

• Post-Correction Pause: Top cryptocurrencies are consolidating after a brutal week that saw Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP shed nearly 9%, 8%, and 10% respectively.

• Technical Ceilings: Upside momentum remains capped, with Bitcoin facing stiff resistance near $73,000 and Ethereum rejecting off a critical Fibonacci level.

• Bearish Signals: Despite oversold RSI readings hinting at a relief bounce, MACD crossovers across the board suggest the broader downtrend remains intact.

The cryptocurrency market opened the week in a tentative holding pattern, with major assets consolidating losses following a sharp correction. After a punishing week where Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Ripple (XRP) surrendered nearly 9%, 8%, and 10% of their value respectively, bulls are struggling to mount a convincing recovery.

While prices have stabilized, the technical structure suggests caution. The broader trend remains weighted to the downside, with rallies facing immediate rejection at key structural levels.

Bitcoin: The $70k PivotBitcoin has managed to find a tenuous floor, steadying around the $70,000 handle on Monday. This follows a volatile week where the asset tumbled nearly 10% to tap a low of $60,000 on Friday before snapping back to retest daily resistance at $73,072 on Sunday.

At the time of writing, BTC is changing hands near $70,700, trapped between support and resistance.

• The Bull Case: A sustained break above the current consolidation could see price extend its advance to challenge the daily resistance at $73,072. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) on the daily chart stands at 34, angling upward from oversold territory—a classic signal of fading bearish momentum that often precedes a relief rally.

• The Bear Case: However, momentum indicators are conflicted. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) has printed a bearish crossover, pointing to trend continuation. If sellers regain control, BTC risks sliding toward $65,520—the 78.6% Fibonacci retracement level drawn from the August 2024 low of $49,000 to the October 2025 all-time high of $126,199.

Ethereum: Capped by Fibonacci ResistanceEther remains under heavy pressure, facing a clean rejection at the 78.6% Fibonacci retracement level around $2,149. The second-largest crypto corrected over 8% last week, flushing to a low of $1,747 on Friday—levels not seen since May 6, 2025.

Although price recovered through Sunday to tag $2,149, it has failed to reclaim higher ground.

• Technical Outlook: The daily RSI reads 31, hovering just above oversold territory, confirming that bears control the momentum. Like Bitcoin, the MACD shows an intact bearish crossover.

• Key Levels: Unless ETH can break and close above $2,149 to target the next resistance at $2,500, the path of least resistance appears lower. A continuation of the downtrend would likely see a retest of Friday’s lows at $1,747.

XRP: Bearish Retest of the WedgeXRP is exhibiting a classic "break-and-retest" pattern. After slicing through the lower trendline of a falling wedge pattern on Thursday and hitting a low of $1.11 on Friday, price has pulled back to test the breakdown level.

Currently trading around $1.44, XRP is hovering right at this broken boundary, which has now flipped from support to resistance—a setup that often indicates trader caution.

• Scenario Analysis: If the breakdown is confirmed and the downtrend resumes, XRP could extend its decline toward weekly support at $1.30. Momentum indicators (RSI and MACD) mirror the negative outlook seen in ETH.

• Upside Target: Conversely, if bulls can engineer a false breakout and close back above the pattern’s lower boundary, a rally toward the 50-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) at $1.83 could be on the cards.