The price of Bitcoin looked set to reclaim $100,000 on Friday, rallying on the back of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) decision to drop the lawsuit against crypto exchange Coinbase. However, the premier cryptocurrency failed to capitalize on this momentum shift following the $1.4 billion exploit of the ByBit exchange.

With the Bitcoin price now hovering above $96,000, recent on-chain data suggests that certain volatility metrics are nearing historically low levels. Here’s how the latest volatility trend could impact the BTC price performance over the coming weeks.

Is A BTC Price Rally On The Horizon?

In a recent post on the X platform, crypto analytics firm Glassnode explained how two key volatility indicators nearing historically low levels could impact the Bitcoin price and its future trajectory. The two relevant metrics here are the 1-week “realized volatility” and “options implied volatility.”

For context, realized volatility (also referred to as historical volatility) measures how much the price of an asset (BTC, in this case) has changed over a specific period. Implied volatility, on the other hand, is a metric that assesses the likelihood of future changes in an asset’s price.

According to Glassnode data, Bitcoin’s 1-week realized volatility recently dropped to 23.42%. The on-chain intelligence firm noted that the metric’s current value is close to historical lows, as BTC’s realized volatility has only fallen beneath this level a few times in the past four years.

Source: Glassnode/X

Notably, the 1-week realized volatility metric dropped to 22.88% and 21.35% in October 2024 and November 2024, respectively. These points have acted as bottoms, with the metric rebounding from this level in the past. From a historical perspective, such declines in realized volatility have preceded significant price movements, increasing the odds of a potential breakout – or even a correction.

Source: Glassnode/X

At the same time, Bitcoin’s 1-week options implied volatility has also experienced a significant decline to 37.39%. The indicator’s current level is close to multi-year lows — last seen in 2023 and early 2024. Similarly, the Bitcoin price witnessed substantial market moves the last time the implied volatility was around this level.

Moreover, it is worth noting that the longer-term options implied volatility is currently exhibiting a different trend. The 3-month implied volatility stands at around 53.1%, while the 6-month indicator is hovering at 56.25%. This suggests that market participants expect increased volatility over the coming months.

Bitcoin Price At A Glance

As of this writing, Bitcoin is valued at roughly $95,340, reflecting an over 3% decline in the past 24 hours.

The price of Bitcoin on the daily timeframe | Source: BTCUSDT chart on TradingView

Featured image from iStock, chart from TradingView

Following a brief ascent above $99,000 on Friday, the Bitcoin market experienced a negative end to the past trading week as prices crashed below $96,000 in a sharp descent. Based on these happenings, the premier cryptocurrency remains in consolidation with little indication of its long-term price movement. Notably, blockchain analytics firm Glassnode has shared a recent network development hinting at a possible price rally.

Bitcoin At A Crossroads: Key Metric Set Could Decide Next Move

In an X post on Friday, Glassnode reports that Bitcoin’s aSOPR is at 1.01, a critical metric level that places the crypto asset in a delicate market position. Generally, an adjusted Spent Output Profit Ratio (aSOPR) is an on-chain metric that measures the profitability of Bitcoin transactions by comparing the selling price of coins to their acquisition price.

When the aSOPR is above 1, it indicates that the average Bitcoin holder is selling at a profit. Conversely, a value below one indicates that BTC is being sold at a loss. Therefore, Bitcoin’s aSOPR at 1.01 suggests that market participants are barely making profits on their transactions.

According to Glassnode, the BTC market is historically a breakeven point where further movement of the aSOPR in either direction could significantly impact price trajectory. In 2021, Bitcoin’s aSOPR reset to around 1.01 preceded a strong bull run that eventually resulted in the then new-all time of $64,800. A similar reset was also seen in late 2023 resulting in a price surge to around $69,000.

Going by these past events, if Bitcoin’s aSOPR holds above 1.01, it would suggest buyer absorption indicating a renewed market confidence in anticipation of an incoming price rally. On the other hand, if the aSOPR decline continues a break below 1.0, this development would mean sellers are offloading BTC at a loss which can signal further downward pressure.

BTC Price Outlook

At the time of writing, Bitcoin trades at $96,300 following a significant 1.98% loss in the past day. Meanwhile, its daily trading volume has gained by 51.28% indicating an increased market interest. This increased market interest amidst price decline could be indicative of either a panic selling by concerned investors or strong accumulation by market bulls.

Based on the BTCUSDT daily chart, breaking and holding above $99,000 could mark an end to the current consolidation phase leading to a sustained price uptrend. However, a price fall below $95,000 could pave the way for all bearish possibilities with certain analysts hinting at a potential return to $76,000.

Featured image from iStock, chart from Tradingview

Asset manager VanEck has stated that a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve could help mitigate the US’ growing debt, which currently stands at $36 trillion.

To explore the potential effects of this idea, the firm has developed an interactive tool inspired by the BITCOIN Act.

How Will a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Reduce US Debt?

The BITCOIN Act, introduced by Senator Cynthia Lummis, outlines a plan for the US government to acquire up to 1 million Bitcoins (BTC) over five years, purchasing no more than 200,000 BTC per year.

These assets would be held in a dedicated reserve for at least 20 years. Lummis believes such a reserve could substantially reduce the nation’s debt.

Notably, VanEck’s new calculator lets users know the impact of such a reserve. The tool allows the simulation of a variety of hypothetical scenarios by adjusting different variables. 

These include the debt and BTC’s growth rates, the average purchase price of Bitcoin, and the total quantity of Bitcoin held in reserve. Meanwhile, VanEck has also included their own “optimistic projection.”

“If the US government follows the BITCOIN Act’s proposed path – accumulating 1 million BTC by 2029 – our analysis suggests this reserve could offset around $21 trillion of national debt by 2049. That would amount to 18% of total US debt at that time,” VanEck noted.

The analysis is based on assumptions regarding the future growth rates of both US debt and Bitcoin. VanEck has supposed a 5% annual growth rate for the national debt. This would see it rise from $36 trillion in 2025 to around $116 trillion by 2049. 

Similarly, Bitcoin is presumed to appreciate at a compounded rate of 25% per year. Its acquisition price is predicted to start at $100,000 per Bitcoin in 2025. Thus, by 2049, the price could potentially be $21 million per Bitcoin.

While the federal government considers the potential of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, interest is also rising at the state level. At least 20 US states have introduced bills to create digital asset reserves. 

According to Matthew Sigel, Head of Digital Assets Research at VanEck, state-level bills could collectively drive as much as $23 billion in Bitcoin purchases. 

President Trump’s Crypto Promise

VanEck’s move comes as Bitcoin is receiving increasing political support. US President Donald Trump has reiterated his commitment to positioning the US as a global leader in cryptocurrency. 

Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative Institute summit in Miami, Trump emphasized the economic growth driven by crypto-friendly policies.

“Bitcoin has set multiple all-time record highs because everyone knows that I’m committed to making America the crypto capital,” Trump said.

Since returning to office, Trump has signed an executive order to establish a national “digital asset stockpile.” He has also nominated pro-crypto leaders to head major regulatory bodies. However, whether a Bitcoin reserve will actually be established remains to be seen.