#BTC #ETH Bitcoin, Ethereum late-night "double kill": $75,400 and $2,100, who is the bottom? Who is fleeing?
Macroeconomic "three mountains" pressing down, ETF net outflows for 10 consecutive days, the new Fed chair just took office and already shows hawkish claws — the crypto market is experiencing its most painful week since 2026.
一、Rebound like "paper", bulls pressed to the ground and rubbed
24th May early morning, the crypto market once again staged the classic script of "rising sharply and falling back". Bitcoin, in the past 24 hours, had a slight rebound but was pushed back before even touching the $76,000 barrier. Previously, the mid-May powerful rebound — from $71,000 straight to $81,965 — has now been completely erased, all gains in May "reset".
Ethereum is even more brutal. Although it rebounded 2.5% intraday, it has fallen a total of 8.4% over the past 30 days, with four consecutive weekly declines. Just two weeks ago, it was flaunting above $2,400, now it fights to hold the psychological line at $2,000. This is not the result of some black swan event, but the macro "meat grinder" slowly crushing the bulls.
二、Bitcoin: $75,000 critical death line, is the next "70" beckoning?
Technical: Bearish arrangement, even the 200-day moving average is a luxury Bitcoin daily chart's EMA system has formed a "standard bearish lineup": MA7, MA30 all below MA120. Every rebound near $76,000 feels like hitting an invisible wall — a zone of heavy short-term pressure from trapped positions. More deadly is the 200-day moving average (around $81,600–$82,400). XWIN Japan Research points out that the current pattern is eerily similar to March 2022: back then, BTC also faced resistance at the 200-day line, starting a long winter. Now, this "bull-bear dividing line" is high above, and Bitcoin can't even touch its shadow. Bollinger bands are opening downward, with price hugging the lower band. The lower band at $74,000 — if this level is broken, the next visible target is $70,000. Once $70,000 is breached, "mid-term trend reversal" is no longer just a slogan.
Leverage minefield: Once below $75,193, a stampede will come. Although the market's fear index is only 28 (fear zone), the leverage structure remains sensitive. Coinglass data shows that if BTC falls below $75,193, the accumulated short liquidation pressure below will rapidly increase. During the week of May 18, the entire market liquidated $657 million in 24 hours, 89% of which were longs — leverage longs are "vacuous" to the point of toppling at a touch.
三、Ethereum: the "naughty kid" more miserable than Bitcoin
ETH/BTC exchange rate is heading south. Over the past month, Bitcoin only fell 5.5%, while Ethereum dropped 8.2% — the high beta effect is no joke when falling.
Technical: $2,000 is the last shield Ethereum daily chart also shows a standard bearish arrangement, EMA120 (around $2,150) like a mountain pressing on the head. On May 22, ETH tried to break $2,145 but was jointly "dissuaded" by the 100-day moving average and wedge lower boundary. $2,000–$2,030 is currently the most solid "buy order block" for bulls. After losing $2,100 on May 23, the price briefly dipped to around $1,950, then barely bounced back above $2,100. But if it tests $2,000 again, whether it can hold is uncertain. The middle Bollinger band at $2,083 has not yet stabilized — the old saying in technical analysis "if the middle band is not broken, the rebound is considered a continuation of the downtrend" is repeatedly confirmed on ETH.
Liquidation "nuclear button": $2,172 and $1,971
Coinglass's liquidation map shows two "bombs": breaking above $2,172 → mainstream CEXs will liquidate $1.466 billion in shorts, possibly triggering short squeeze rebounds, pushing ETH sharply higher. Falling below $1,971 → $613 million in longs face liquidation, blood flowing. Currently, the price oscillates around $2,100, with bulls and bears waiting for the other to fire first.
四、Macroeconomics "three mountains": US bonds, oil prices, Wash
Why can't regulatory good news (Clarity Act) move the market? Why are ETF outflows continuous? Because macro factors have already held the market down. 1️⃣ US bond yields "break 5", opportunity cost kills. On May 21, 30-year US Treasury yield broke 5.01%, the first time since 2007. With risk-free rates at 5%, who still wants to hold zero-yield Bitcoin and Ethereum? MOVE volatility index jumped 14.7% in a single day, capital retreating from risk assets.
2️⃣ Oil prices break $100, inflation "rekindled". Iran tensions + Strait of Hormuz blockade, WTI and Brent crude both above $100/barrel. US April CPI YoY 3.8%, PPI YoY 6%, all above expectations. The market has completely abandoned the hope of rate cuts in 2026 — CME FedWatch shows the probability of further rate hikes this year has risen to 52%.
3️⃣ Fed Chair Wash: hawkish king
On May 13, Kevin Wash replaced Powell as the new Fed Chair. Known for "monetary discipline", "high real interest rates", "balance sheet reduction". Historical data shows that whenever the Fed Chair changes hands, BTC averages a retracement of 77%–84%. Although not as exaggerated this time, Wash’s first move has already set the crypto market ablaze.
五、ETF outflows continue: institutions "hit and withdraw" Bitcoin spot ETF recorded over $1 billion net outflow last week (by May 23), the first since late January. Ethereum spot ETF even worse — 10 consecutive days of net outflows, longest since March 2025, about $216 million outflow in one week. Q1 13F filings also reveal more intriguing signals: Harvard Endowment Fund: Bitcoin ETF holdings cut by 43%, fully liquidated Ethereum ETF, funds shifted to AI computing power. Goldman Sachs: reducing Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, liquidating XRP and Solana-related products. Jane Street: although reducing Bitcoin ETF holdings by 71%, increased Ethereum ETF by $82 million — but as a market maker, this may just be hedging, not a bullish signal.
One sentence: smart money is reducing positions, not bottom-fishing.
六、Ethereum's "internal injury": TVL down, Gas fees collapsed
Compared to Bitcoin, Ethereum has another "internal bomb": on-chain activity plummeting. DeFi total value locked (TVL) share on Ethereum has fallen from 63.5% at the start of 2025 to 53–54%, Solana, Base, BNB Chain are aggressively grabbing market share.
Mainnet Gas fees dropped to $0.01–$0.04, the lowest in PoS era. Mainnet 24-hour total revenue less than $380,000, Layer 2 handles 95% of transactions. Low Gas means ETH burning mechanism is failing, supply may revert to inflation. The market begins to doubt: "Can Ethereum still capture value?" This is not something technical analysis can solve — it’s a shake of fundamental belief.
七、Scenario analysis: what’s next?
Bearish scenario (more probable)
BTC: if it cannot break $76,014 and falls below $75,193, targets are $74,400 → $74,000–$73,500 → $70,000. Losing $70,000 means a mid-term trend reversal. ETH: if it cannot hold above $2,100 and break $2,150, the rebound ends, targets are $2,030–$2,000 → $1,950 → $1,770–$1,890. Extreme case: $1,550–$1,650. Trigger conditions: US bond yields continue rising / oil prices stay high / ETF outflows enter the 3rd week.
Bullish scenario (requires strong signals)
BTC: volume breakout above $76,744 and stabilize, then challenge $78,000–$79,400, aiming for $82,724 (upper Bollinger band) or even the 200-day moving average.
ETH: volume breakout above $2,150 and daily close above, ETF turns into continuous net inflow, US bond yields fall below 4.8%.
Note: If BTC stabilizes at $74,000 and ETH at $2,000, short-term risk-reward (3:1) is quite good — but only if macro conditions don’t worsen again.
八、The last "lifeline": Clarity Act still hopeful
Don’t forget, on May 14, the Senate Banking Committee approved the "Digital Asset Market Clarity Act" with 15 votes in favor and 9 against. Once passed by the full Senate, ETH will be explicitly classified as a commodity, staking yields legalized, and CFTC takes over regulation. This is an epic positive for Ethereum and a major regulatory breakthrough for Bitcoin too.
But why doesn’t the market rally? Because macro "fast variables" crush the regulatory "slow variables" — like telling you you’ll win the lottery tomorrow, but today your house is on fire, and you only care about the fire. If US bond yields and oil prices ease marginally, this bill could be the fuse for the next rally.
The current market is not dictated by technicals or news — it’s the 10-year US bond yield and Iran’s oil tankers that call the shots. Bitcoin at $75,400 and Ethereum at $2,100 seem not far from the bottom, but every rebound feels like "trap buying". Without hedging tools or stop-loss discipline, this "left-side bottom-fishing" is akin to taking a flying knife.
This article is based on publicly available market data, technical indicators, and macro information; it does not constitute any investment advice.