Bitcoin (BTC) faced challenging ask liquidity at Tuesday’s Wall Street opening as traders reacted to mixed employment data from the US.
Key points:
Bitcoin buyers and sellers are contesting control amidst conflicting employment figures from the US.
Order-book liquidity starts to be tested at the opening of Wall Street.
BTC price targets could reach $95,000 if bullish momentum occurs in short timeframes.
Bitcoin order-book “conflict” begins at $87,000
Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView indicated that bulls were battling resistance above $87,000.
After falling to around $85,000 the previous day, tensions rose as buyers aimed to avoid another “manipulative” sell-off during US trading hours.
“Waking up to a confrontation in the $BTC order book…,” trading resource Material Indicators posted on X, sharing Binance order-book liquidity data.
“Bid liquidity is clustering at $85k to support the 100-Week SMA… Meanwhile, asks are piling up above $87k to limit a breakout.”
Material Indicators highlighted the 100-week simple moving average (SMA) as crucial support, currently at $84,646.
“Both liquidity concentrations can be seen as guardrails ahead of today’s economic data,” it added.
The data sent mixed signals to risk-asset traders. US unemployment rose above expectations to 4.6%, marking its highest level since Q3 2021.
Simultaneously, the economy added about 14,000 more jobs than expected in November, presenting conflicting indications regarding labor-market strength.
“The labor market continues to weaken,” trading resource The Kobeissi Letter concluded in an X response.
Stocks also attempted to recover losses at the opening, with the S&P 500 trying for a positive candle after a shaky week start.
As reported by Cointelegraph, the main macroeconomic event of the week, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for November, was scheduled for Thursday.
”Thin air” toward six figures
Bitcoin traders, meanwhile, saw little reprieve as the price remained tied to liquidity clusters.
Related: Bitcoin long-term holder supply declines to 8-month lows: Bullish or bearish?
“This response is underwhelming to me, and if we drop into the $84,000 range, I would expect a better reaction for a long off that liquidity,” Crypto Tony told his X followers.
Trader Kay remarked that BTC/USD was about to experience its “final leg down” from its all-time peak in October.
“The drop from $126K to $100K was due to OGs selling. The drop from $100K to $85K was linked to ETF sales,” he stated.
“Now, the next drop will stem from retail selling, and that’s when a rally will begin. IMO, a drop to clear the April lows before a rally above $100K in Q1 2026.”
Continuing on a hopeful note, commentator exitpump observed “huge” bid liquidity further down toward the $80,000 level, along with the possibility of a clear path to $95,000 following a breakout in resistance.
$BTC Huge passive demand on spot orderbooks is still strong; some large asks have been added at 88k, and above that level, it’s thin air until 95K pic.twitter.com/L6bW2LIqr4
— exitpump (@exitpumpBTC) December 16, 2025
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