Bitcoin could be vulnerable to another sharp leg lower if a developing wedge pattern breaks down, according to market technician Aksel Kibar, whose latest chart work points to a possible move toward $52,500. The warning matters because Kibar is not framing this as a macro hot take or a sentiment call, but as a pure technical risk signal built around the same structure he flagged before Bitcoin’s earlier selloff.
In one of his latest posts on X, Kibar wrote: “See my analysis at the time of the previous bearish wedge pattern. A similar pattern might be developing. Not a prediction. Breakdown of the lower boundary will be the signal for a possible move towards 52.5K.” That caveat is central to the setup. He is not saying Bitcoin must trade there. He is saying a confirmed loss of structure (currently around $66,000) would open that path on the chart.
History Repeating For Bitcoin?
Kibar paired that with a broader point about trade management rather than directional conviction. “If you got in with a chart signal, you should get out with the chart signal,” he wrote. In a follow-up, he added: “How can charting be used as a risk management tool? By moving to the sidelines when the time is not right, protects capital, frees it for other opportunities.” Read together, the message is less about calling a dramatic collapse than about respecting invalidation when a technical setup fails.
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The backdrop is a call Kibar made on Jan. 19, when Bitcoin was consolidating beneath what he treats as its long-term trend filter, the 365-day EMA. At the time, with price trading inside a rising wedge and getting rejected near the upper boundary around $97,000, he wrote:
“The consolidation below the long-term average. With cryptocurrencies I’m taking the 365 day EMA. With equities I take 200 day EMA as my year-long average trend filter. So far BTCUSD respected the year-long average. This is part of the chop and search for a base. The pattern can become a rising wedge, usually bearish in an attempt to test 73.7K-76.5K support area.”
That support zone eventually came under pressure, and the chart he reposted now shows a deeper washout toward the $60,000 area before the latest rebound began tracing what he says may be a similar wedge.
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Notably, Kibar is one of the most respected technical analysts on X. He is a Chartered Market Technician and founder of Tech Charts LLC, and before launching his own research firm he worked as a senior technical analyst and fund manager at National Bank of Abu Dhabi, as well as a portfolio manager at Abu Dhabi Investment Company. The CMT Association also lists him as a presenter and contributor.
For Bitcoin traders, the immediate implication is straightforward. When Kibar speaks, the market tends to pay attention. As long as price remains inside the wedge or breaks out, bulls have little to worry about. But a break below $66,000 could open the door to another drawdown toward $52,000.
At press time, BTC traded at $70,259.
Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com