In Consolidation Mode, Bitcoin Awaits Decisive Move

Bitcoin has been restricted to a narrow price range of $10,000 to $11,000 for almost 72 hours.

CoinDesk's Bitcoin Price Index (BPI) moved above the $10,000 mark on Monday, but the rally from last Sunday's low of $9,304.68 ceased at a seven-day high of $11,044.16 yesterday. At the time of writing, the BPI is at $11,583.

The cryptocurrency has depreciated by 1.4 percent in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Further, it ended last month on a flat note, and is reporting a 1 percent gain on a weekly basis.

Notably, average daily trading volume dropped 38 percent in February, adding credence to bitcoin developer Meni Rosenfeld's view that the craze for buying cryptocurrencies, in general, has calmed down.

That said, trading activity could pick up if the pace of bitcoin (BTC) sees an inverse head-and-shoulders breakout. However, technical charts also indicate scope for a big sell-off if BTC dips below the lows seen over the weekend.

Bullish scenario: inverse head-and-shoulders breakout

Bearish scenario I: BTC drops below $9,280

Note that point D is a "bullish reversal" according to bat pattern rules, meaning BTC will likely witness a sharp rebound from $6,659.

Bearish scenario II

Another possibility is that BTC moves above $11,502, but faces rejection at the confluence of inverse head-and-shoulders neckline resistance and descending trendline resistance

Failure to take out the confluence of resistance at $11,640, followed by a quick drop below $9280.4, could yield a sell-off to $6,000 (February low).

Hour glass image via Shutterstock