Bitcoin price steadies near $84000 on Wednesday. Meanwhile, it gained more than 6% this week. Additionally, Ethereum trades near $2,661. Similarly, XRP trades at $1.49. Bitcoin holds support near $82,000. In contrast, Ethereum holds near $3,000.
Why Bitcoin price steadies near $84,000 matters
Bitcoin steadied after a sharp rally. Consequently, traders now watch two events. First, a record options expiry arrives Friday. Second, ETF inflows continue. Therefore, short-term direction depends on these factors.
Record options expiry arrives Friday
About $18 billion in options expire Friday. Notably, this is the largest expiry of 2026. Bitcoin accounts for $15.9 billion across 184,000 contracts. Meanwhile, Ethereum represents $2.1 billion across 777,000 contracts. Consequently, strike prices and hedging draw attention.
Bitcoin calls total roughly $9.4 billion. In contrast, puts total $6.5 billion. Specifically, calls cluster at $90,000 and $100,000. Ethereum calls total $1.32 billion. Meanwhile, puts total $813 million. Moreover, Ethereum call interest stretches from $3,000 to $4,000.
Bitcoin’s max-pain level sits near $75,000. Similarly, Ethereum’s max pain sits near $2,250. However, these figures describe theoretical payouts. Thus, they do not forecast Friday prices.
For Bitcoin, holding $85,000 keeps the advance intact. Meanwhile, a move toward $90,000 could draw attention. Specifically, it would spotlight the largest upside contracts.
Bitcoin ETFs draw $715M as inflow streak reaches four days
U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted $715 million on September 22. Accordingly, Farside Investors data confirmed the figure. This marked their fourth straight day of inflows. Meanwhile, spot Ethereum ETFs drew $162 million. As a result, their inflow streak reached three days.
Together, the two groups took in $877 million. Specifically, Bitcoin funds accounted for most of that total. In fact, they drew over four times Ethereum’s amount. These figures reflect net subscriptions after withdrawals.
Will BTC price hold $85K?
BTC traded at $84,316 in the latest four-hour candle. It was down 0.28%. Nevertheless, Bitcoin remained above $82,000 after the rally. The four-hour RSI fell to 53. Previously, it had moved from overbought levels. Therefore, momentum remains positive. However, the downturn shows the rally has waned.
The MACD line slipped below its signal line. Consequently, this produced a negative histogram reading of 353. Bitcoin’s long-term outlook faces a test near $87,000. Specifically, a sustained move above could target $88,000. Then $90,000 comes into focus. If $85,000 fails, support sits near $82,000.
Short-term holder profits hit highest level since October 2025
The realized profit-to-loss ratio for short-term holders reached a high. Notably, it is the highest since the October 2025 peak. This shows a steep increase in recorded profits. Therefore, selling pressure may rise after Bitcoin’s rally. The data does not indicate a 50% crash. However, sustained profit-taking raises crash risk.
What comes next
Bitcoin must hold $8é,000 into Friday’s expiry. Additionally, ETF inflows need to continue. If both hold, buyers may target $87,000 and $88,000. Otherwise, $82,000 becomes the next support. For now, the market waits for expiry and fresh flows.