How to Trade Crypto After Bitcoin Loses the $81,000 Support Level

Video: Bitcoin Loses Major $81,000 Support, Bear Market Returns? Key Levels To Trade

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Oct 30, 2026 · based on the channel Gareth Soloway

Key takeaways

Bitcoin flushed to just above $79,000 over the weekend, breaking the $81,000 support Gareth Soloway had flagged for two weeks.
The breakdown is unconfirmed until Monday: if Bitcoin is not back above $81,000 by then, Soloway sees a high probability of a move to $75,500.
Upside confirmation sits at $87,200; a reclaim of that level would neutralize the bearish weekend structure.
Ethereum buy zone is $2,000 to $1,950 after nine touches of a key trend line; Solana's first zone is $97 to $95 with a second near $84.
Zcash buy level is $680 to $700 on a support break; Hyperliquid sits on a long-term trend line with a buy level near $68 to $67.

Bitcoin has lost its $81,000 support, but the breakdown is not confirmed yet. The level held for roughly two weeks before price flushed to just above $79,000 over the weekend, and the practical answer for traders is to wait for Monday: if Bitcoin is not back above $81,000 by then, the next downside target is $75,500, with $87,200 as the level that would invalidate the bearish case.

Why a weekend break below $81,000 needs confirmation

Weekend moves in crypto happen on thin liquidity, so a break of a major level is a hypothesis until institutional money shows up. Gareth Soloway, Chief Market Strategist at VerifiedInvesting.com, frames the sequence plainly: a selloff alongside stocks on Thursday, a pause day on Friday, then a Saturday flush to just above $79,000. Each step matters because the selling came with equities, not against them — this was broad de-risking, not a crypto-only event.

The confirmation test is mechanical rather than emotional:

Watch Monday's session for real volume and institutional participation, not the thin weekend book.
Treat a reclaim of $81,000 as a failed breakdown and a return to the prior range.
Treat a Monday close below $81,000 as confirmation, opening the path to $75,500.
Keep $87,200 on the chart as the level that would fully neutralize the bearish structure.

That is why the phrase "bear market returns?" is still a question rather than a conclusion. One weekend candle on low liquidity is not a trend; a Monday session that fails to reclaim the level is a much stronger signal.

Bitcoin key levels to trade: $87,200, $81,000 and $75,500

Three numbers define the Bitcoin map right now, and each has a distinct job. $81,000 is the pivot: it was major support, and it is now the line that separates a shakeout from a genuine breakdown. $75,500 is the next downside target if the level fails on a confirmed basis. $87,200 is the upside confirmation level — a reclaim there would tell traders the weekend move was noise.

Position sizing should follow the uncertainty. When a chart reads close to 50/50, the disciplined approach is to stay on the sidelines rather than force a trade, which is exactly the stance Soloway describes taking while the Monday test is unresolved. Traders who want exposure before confirmation are effectively betting on the weekend move being a liquidity artifact, and that bet should be sized accordingly.

Middle East risk and why Bitcoin absorbs the de-risking

A weekend escalation in the Middle East matters for crypto because Bitcoin is the only market open when traders want to reduce risk. Equities, futures and most traditional venues are closed, so capital that needs to move fast has one liquid, 24/7 outlet. That dynamic can produce moves that look technical but are actually event-driven, and it is a key reason weekend breakdowns deserve skepticism.

The practical implication is to check headlines before acting on a Sunday chart. If the flush to just above $79,000 was driven by geopolitics, a de-escalation can reverse it just as quickly as it appeared. If it was driven by broad risk-off positioning that persists into Monday, the $75,500 target becomes far more likely.

Ethereum, Solana, Zcash and Hyperliquid buy zones

Altcoin levels are where Soloway is prepared to start accumulating small positions rather than waiting for a full Bitcoin confirmation. Ethereum has touched a key trend line nine times, and the buy zone sits at $2,000 to $1,950 — a retest of the old breakout. A trend line with that many touches is a well-established reference, which makes the retest a defined risk point rather than a guess.

Solana is trading near its first buy zone of $97 to $95, with a second level around $84. The risk on that chart is a head and shoulders pattern, so the lower level matters: if $95 fails, $84 is the next place where buyers have previously stepped in.

Zcash has a buy level at $680 to $700, activated if support breaks. Hyperliquid sits on a long-term trend line with a buy level near $68 to $67. In both cases the plan is the same: small initial size, add only if the level holds, and avoid treating a single touch as a full position.

Soloway also showed the HBAR chart, where he added to a small existing position — an example of scaling into a name he already holds rather than opening a fresh, oversized trade.

Common questions from traders following this breakdown

Viewers of the breakdown tend to ask the same handful of things, and the answers follow from the levels rather than from opinion. The most frequent question is whether the weekend drop is the start of a bear market. The honest answer is that it is unconfirmed until Monday, because thin-liquidity moves frequently reverse when institutional flow returns.

The second common question is whether to buy the dip now or wait. With Bitcoin sitting near a 50/50 setup, waiting costs nothing but opportunity, while buying early risks catching the move to $75,500. The third is how to handle altcoins when Bitcoin is unresolved: the answer is small starter positions at predefined zones — $2,000 to $1,950 on Ethereum, $97 to $95 on Solana, $680 to $700 on Zcash, $68 to $67 on Hyperliquid — rather than full allocations.

The fourth is emotional: many traders worry about missing the move. Soloway's framing is that missed trades do not matter, because the market produces new setups constantly, and chasing turns the trader into the casino rather than the player. A related rule is never to fall in love with a coin — a chart is a probability, not an identity.

Trading discipline when the chart reads 50/50

The best trades come to you, and the current Bitcoin setup is a test of that principle. With price below $81,000 but the break unconfirmed, there is no edge in forcing a position before Monday. Discipline here means defining the two outcomes in advance — reclaim $81,000 and the bearish case weakens, fail to reclaim and $75,500 comes into play — and letting the market choose.

That approach also protects against the most expensive habit in crypto: marrying a position. Levels are tools for managing risk, not predictions to defend. If Ethereum loses $1,950, Solana loses $95, or Zcash loses $680, the level has done its job by telling you the thesis is wrong.

Summary

Bitcoin's loss of $81,000 is a warning, not a verdict, and Monday is the deciding session: a reclaim keeps the range alive, while a failure opens $75,500 with $87,200 as the level that would cancel the bearish case. Altcoin plans are already mapped — Ethereum at $2,000 to $1,950, Solana at $97 to $95 and $84, Zcash at $680 to $700, Hyperliquid near $68 to $67 — all sized small until Bitcoin resolves. The analysis comes from Gareth Soloway of VerifiedInvesting.com, whose video breakdown walks through each chart and the discipline rules behind them. Until confirmation arrives, patience is the position.

Source: Bitcoin Loses Major $81,000 Support, Bear Market Returns? Key Levels To Trade · Markdown version

Questions & answers

Is Bitcoin's break below $81,000 confirmed?

No. The move happened over a weekend, when liquidity is thin and institutional money is largely absent. The confirmation test is Monday: if Bitcoin is not back above $81,000 by then, the probability of a move to $75,500 rises sharply. A reclaim of $87,200 would neutralize the bearish structure entirely.

Where are the buy zones for Ethereum, Solana, Zcash and Hyperliquid?

Ethereum's zone is $2,000 to $1,950 after nine touches of a key trend line. Solana's first zone is $97 to $95, with a second level near $84 and a head and shoulders risk to watch. Zcash has a buy level at $680 to $700 if support breaks, and Hyperliquid sits near $68 to $67 on a long-term trend line.

Why does a Middle East escalation move crypto so quickly?

Bitcoin is the only major market open on weekends, so it becomes the single outlet for traders who want to de-risk when equities and futures are closed. That can produce sharp moves that look technical but are event-driven, which is another reason to wait for Monday confirmation before acting on a weekend breakdown.

Should I buy the dip now or wait for confirmation?

With Bitcoin near a 50/50 setup, waiting costs only opportunity, while buying early risks catching the move toward $75,500. A middle path is small starter positions at predefined altcoin zones and adding only if those levels hold. Missed trades do not matter because new setups keep appearing, and no coin is worth marrying.