What To Know:
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Bitcoin slides below $100K as analysts debate whether the cycle has truly shifted.
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Market voices split between calling it a routine correction and warning of deeper structural stress.
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Altcoins and Ethereum follow the downturn, while traders watch key levels and Fed policy signals.
Bitcoin has slipped below the 100,000 mark, but the dip does not yet confirm a full-scale bear market. Bitcoin’s prices opened near $97,007.28 after a decent 0.1% decline over 24 hours. This dip was instrumental in extending losses that accelerated through October when the crypto fell 13.8 percent. The pullback has led to an outpouring of commentary from crypto market veterans, whose reactions convey caution and conviction.
Bitcoin Falls Below $100K
Some observers call the move as a routine correction within a longer-term uptrend. Binance founder Changpeng Zhao wrote on X, “Every time there’s a pullback, someone always thinks it’s the end of the world, but time keeps moving forward.” That view captures a common market refrain: volatility is not a verdict.
Every dip, some people think it’s the end of time.
Time continues.
— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) November 14, 2025
Others see signs that the cycle may have shifted. Bitwise chief Hunter Horsley suggested the market likely endured a bear phase for almost six months and may be emerging from it, arguing that the development base for crypto is unusually robust. His assessment places emphasis on structural strength rather than short-term price action.
Voices from the developer and venture side are more unsettled. Mindao Yang, founder of dForce, traced the 2022 downturn to industry-specific excesses and corrections, and said the current slump has produced a deeper identity crisis. He pointed to aggressive Wall Street inflows, speculative platform behavior, the proliferation of marginal public chains, profit-driven venture capital activity, and friction introduced by artificial intelligence. Those combined forces, he suggested, obscure a clear path forward.
Technical traders have flagged more concrete red lines. Dove Trader Eugene noted that Bitcoin has breached the 50-week moving average for the first time since 2022, and that the psychological 100,000 level may now act as resistance. He said he would not be buying the dip and is watching the 90,000 area as the next critical interval, shifting into capital protection mode.
On-chain metrics show a mixed picture. CryptoQuant founder Ki Young Ju observed that investors who entered the market six to twelve months ago hold an average cost near $94,000. That level, he argued, is a practical yardstick: a sustained break beneath it would more clearly mark a bear cycle. Market participants of varied stripes are therefore waiting for that confirmation rather than presuming it.
Liquidity flows and whale behavior are amplifying the pain. Long-term holders sold roughly 815,000 BTC over the past month. Such distributions can exert downward pressure even when fundamentals remain intact.
Ethereum also fell, slipping 0.6 percent to $3,185.45 and losing 22.8 percent over the past month. Major altcoins, such as XRP, BNB, Solana, Cardano and Zcash, dropped between 5 and 12 percent in the prior 24 hours, and AI-linked crypto suffered similar declines. The breadth of weakness underscores risk across both spot and derivative markets.
Macro forces may yet reshape market sentiment. Analysts note that expectations for Federal Reserve easing in coming weeks could revive liquidity and redeem market hunger. If quantitative easing materializes, it could change the risk-reward calculus for institutional and retail buyers alike.
But, price action alone can not solely determine a bear market. Structural strength, developer activity and institutional adoption continue to progress amid technical indicators flashing warning signs. Nonetheless, participants are advised to balance caution with strategic perspective before investing.
Also Read: Zcash, ICP, Monero, Uniswap Lead Altcoin Gains in Slow Crypto Month
