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Bitcoin Price Breaks $118K As Whales Hint at a Potential Dump

  • Bitcoin price touched $118,393 before retreating near key Fibonacci resistance.
  • SOPR spike and $200M Bybit liquidation signal short-term profit-taking.
  • Thin support below $113K increases the risk of a sharper correction if momentum fades.

Bitcoin price touched a fresh local high near $118,393, earlier today. It is a level that sits right at the top of a key Fibonacci band.

But while bulls are celebrating another breakout, several indicators, both on-chain and chart-based, are quietly warning that this might not last.

The BTC price is showing signs of short-term weakness, and a correction could follow if momentum fades.

SOPR Flashes Early Profit-Taking

The first red flag is the Spent Output Profit Ratio (SOPR). This metric tracks whether Bitcoin holders are selling their coins at a profit or a loss.

When the SOPR is above 1, it means sellers are mostly locking in profits. Right now, SOPR is spiking. That means wallets that bought BTC earlier are now selling at higher prices.

Historically, when SOPR rises quickly, it often marks a local top, not because the trend has ended, but because the market starts cooling off after traders take profits.

Bitcoin SOPR- Source: Bitbo

In May, a similar SOPR jump came just before the Bitcoin price dropped by several thousand dollars.

It doesn’t mean a crash is guaranteed, but it does signal that fewer people are holding with conviction in the short term.

Bybit Liquidation Confirms Fragile Short Bias

The second sign is more aggressive: a massive $200 million liquidation of short positions on Bybit, all within five minutes.

These forced closures happen when too many traders bet that BTC will fall, but instead, the price rises fast, triggering a “short squeeze.”

Liquidation narrative looms- Source: Coinalyze

While such squeezes can launch the Bitcoin price even higher temporarily, they often end in exhaustion.

In this case, BTC price surged to $118,393, but the momentum stalled right at that resistance and started to pull back. That’s a classic liquidation wick: a short-term spike followed by hesitation.

James Wynn’s 40x Short Highlights Sentiment Risk

Adding to this mix, well-known trader James Wynn opened a 40x short on BTC near $111K. High-leverage shorts are risky, and while Wynn’s trade may already be liquidated, it reflects a broader mindset that traders still expect Bitcoin to correct, despite repeated ATH pushes.

When the market leans heavily short, rallies can be sharp, but they’re also fragile. A rally driven by short liquidations rather than organic demand often lacks staying power.

Big names are planning to short BTC- Source: Onchain Lens
Big names are planning to short BTC- Source: Onchain Lens

Plus, there have been selloff vibes in the air, courtesy of Bhutan and their BTC.

Screenshot

Fibonacci Chart Shows Weak Support For Bitcoin Price

Looking at the chart, Fibonacci levels from $98,656 to $118,393 show that BTC just hit the upper resistance. The problem? Below this level, there are no strong support zones.

Key BTC support and resistance levels- Source: TradingView

Specifically, between $113,735 and $108,524, there’s very little past trading activity. This means that if Bitcoin price starts to drop, it could fall quickly, with large red candles and little resistance to slow it down.

In trading, this is often called “thin air”: price zones where buyers haven’t historically stepped in. It doesn’t guarantee a fall, but it means the downside risk is steeper if momentum reverses.

The Bitcoin price is still in an uptrend, but right now, several signs are flashing caution. SOPR shows increased profit-taking.

The Bybit liquidation shows that short positioning is still high. And the Fibonacci levels show weak support just below current levels.

If BTC fails to hold $113,735, a drop to $108,524 could happen quickly. For now, traders should keep an eye on these levels and be ready for the next wave of liquidations.

Disclaimer

The contents of this page are intended for general informational purposes and do not constitute financial, investment, or any other form of advice. Investing in or trading crypto assets carries the risk of financial loss. The forecasted data (also called “price prediction”) on this page are subject to change without notice and are not guaranteed to be accurate.

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Rahul Nambiampurath
Rahul Nambiampurath
Rahul Nambiampurath's cryptocurrency journey began in 2014 when he stumbled upon Satoshi's Bitcoin whitepaper. With a bachelor's degree in Commerce and an MBA in Finance from Sikkim Manipal University, he was among the few who first recognized the untapped potential of decentralized technologies. Since then, he has helped DeFi platforms like Balancer and Sidus Heroes — a Web3 metaverse — as well as CEXs like Bitso (Mexico's largest) and Overbit reach new heights with his media outreach skills and digital marketing strategies. For the past eight years, he has also covered major crypto events for leading publications — including Investopedia, Crypto Briefing, FXEmpire, Crypto.news, The Defiant, and BeInCrypto — with expertise spanning DeFi, DAOs, NFTs, and everything decentralized.