Bitcoin stalls near $82,000 as ETF inflows weaken

Bitcoin was near $82,000 on Thursday after the Senate Banking Committee advanced the CLARITY Act, with price meeting resistance and inflows to spot Bitcoin ETFs weakening.

Trading charts showed BTC tested resistance around $82,000, where the 200-day simple moving average and the 200-day exponential moving average converge. That technical convergence has capped price action since last week.

Market participants view a decisive break and daily close above the $82,000–$84,000 band as necessary to extend the rally; failure to hold above the 200-day averages could prompt a retrace toward roughly $74,000–$77,000.

The last clear breakout above these moving averages in April 2025 occurred on strong volume and preceded a 48.5% rally to the $126,000 high.

Cost-basis distribution shows another resistance cluster between about $84,000 and $85,400, where roughly 1.05 million BTC were acquired. Analyst Sherlock called that range “one of the biggest supply clusters” the market would need to absorb.

Order-book and liquidation maps show heavy ask interest around $82,000–$83,000. A clear close above $82,000–$84,000 would open a path toward resistance near $92,000.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs ended a five-day inflow streak of nearly $1.7 billion with $269 million in outflows on May 7, when BTC dipped below $80,000, according to data from Farside Investors. Outflows accelerated later in the week, including a $635 million withdrawal on Wednesday, the largest daily outflow since late January.

Data compiled by Capriole Investments shows the number of corporate buyers adding to Bitcoin treasuries has risen slightly in recent weeks but remains well below the mid-2025 peak. The corporate treasury vehicle Strategy added 535 BTC last week for about $43 million, bringing its total to 818,869 BTC bought at an average price near $75,540.

Analyst Sykodelic wrote on X: “If Bitcoin is going to go higher, it should really break above the 200 EMA now at $82,000 and hold it. Reject again here and I think we will get a deeper retrace, $74k – $77k levels.” Analysts at Galaxy Trading noted that breaking above the 200-day averages would serve as “another bullish confirmation” for the market.

Traders will watch price behavior around the 200-day moving averages and ETF flow reports in the coming days for signs of whether the current pause resolves into a continuation of the rally or a pullback.