#Gate广场五月交易分享 Facing Resistance After Surge! Bitcoin Struggles to Break $81,000, 24H Volatile Tug-of-War, Four Major News Hidden in Rise and Fall Secrets

The crypto market is once again caught in a stalemate! As of press time, Bitcoin's current price is $80,927.71, with a 24-hour high of $81,080.00, just one step away from the critical $81,000 mark, but unable to break through effectively, with a low of $80,234.00. The day’s volatility is less than 1%, showing a pattern of “rising to resistance, range-bound tug-of-war.”
On one side are positive signals from institutional accumulation and the early signs of a bull market; on the other are pressures on miners’ profits and long-term security risks. Under the battle between bulls and bears, why is Bitcoin unable to break through $81,000?
Combining four recent core news items, we analyze the logic behind the price movements, current market patterns, and forecast future trends to help you see the opportunities and risks in the crypto market (not investment advice).
1. Current Market: $81,000 as “Roadblock,” 24H Volatility Highlights Bull-Bear Divergence
From a short-term trend, since stabilizing above $80,000, Bitcoin has failed to break the key resistance at $81,000, showing a “rise-fall-oscillation” cycle:
24H high: $81,080.00 (quickly retreated after touching the $81,000 mark, unable to stabilize)
24H low: $80,234.00 (limited pullback, support below remains relatively strong)
Current price: $80,927.71 (back above $80,900, with a clear oscillation pattern)
Behind this oscillation is fierce competition between bulls and bears—positive factors support Bitcoin maintaining high levels, while negative risks suppress its breakthrough at the key level. The latest four major news items reflect the core contradictions in the current market.
2. Analysis of Four Core News: Good and Bad Intertwined, Influencing Bitcoin’s Short-term and Long-term Trends
Recently, four key news items in the crypto space, from institutional deployment, miner ecology, technical security, and market judgment, are affecting Bitcoin’s short-term volatility and long-term direction, with both strong support and potential risks.
Positive: Institutions continue to add positions, mining giants hit new production highs
According to CoinWorld, Eric Trump’s US Bitcoin company performed impressively in Q1 2026, setting multiple records: mined 817 Bitcoins in the quarter, achieving a new quarterly production high; Bitcoin reserves increased by about 30%, reaching 7,300 coins; additionally, through strategic treasury purchases, acquired an extra 803 Bitcoins. Notably, the company explicitly stated it did not sell any Bitcoin in Q1 and maintained over 50% mining profit margins.
Behind the continuous deployment by institutions is recognition of the long-term value of crypto assets. As a core player in mining, US Bitcoin’s “buy-and-hold” approach not only reduces market selling pressure but also sends a positive signal—at current prices, institutions remain optimistic about Bitcoin’s future trajectory, which is a key support for Bitcoin staying above $80,000.
Combining Tom Lee, Chairman of Bitmine,’s view: since the US-Iran conflict erupted, cryptocurrencies have become leading assets, with institutional interest continuing to grow.
Negative 1: Miner rewards under pressure, nearly 20% of miners in loss
Contrasting with institutional optimism, Bitcoin miners face unprecedented pressure. Emin Gün Sirer, founder of Avalanche, recently warned that long-term security issues may stem from the continuous decline in miner rewards—after each halving, block rewards decrease, raising concerns whether miners can earn enough to secure the network, posing a core risk even greater than quantum computing or competing tokens.
CoinShares’ latest report further confirms this concern: 15-20% of global Bitcoin miners may be operating at a loss under current conditions, especially those with outdated equipment and high electricity costs; Q4 2025 will be the most difficult quarter since the April 2024 halving, with an average cash cost of about $79,995 per Bitcoin, close to the current trading price.
Profit pressure on miners could trigger chain reactions: some loss-making miners might shut down equipment and exit the market, leading to a decline in Bitcoin’s hash rate, which could impact network security; fluctuations in hash rate may also increase Bitcoin’s volatility. This is one of the key reasons Bitcoin struggles to break through $81,000—market fears that miner exits could threaten stability.
Negative 2: Quantum attack threat approaches, migration takes a decade
Beyond miner ecosystem pressures, Bitcoin also faces long-term technical security risks. According to CoinWorld, reports warn that quantum attacks could arrive before 2030, and migrating Bitcoin to a post-quantum secure system would take up to ten years.
More alarmingly, over $3 trillion in crypto assets, due to elliptic curve cryptography, could face quantum attack risks within 4 to 7 years. The critical point is that Bitcoin’s post-quantum migration is complex, requiring coordination among users, exchanges, custodians, and miners, and could take 5 to 10+ years.
Although quantum attacks are not yet a reality, this long-term risk has attracted market attention. Some funds, for hedging, are hesitant to chase high prices, which also somewhat suppresses Bitcoin’s upside potential.
Recent industry developments include proposals for quantum-resistant upgrades (BIP), but no clear timeline for mainnet activation exists; a full migration is estimated to take 3 to 7 years.
Key judgment: Tom Lee signals a bull market, with a crucial node at the end of May.
In the complex pattern of bulls and bears, Tom Lee, Chairman of Bitmine, provides a clear market judgment, injecting confidence into the crypto market. During his speech at Consensus Miami in 2026, he stated that if Bitcoin closes above $76k by the end of May, it would confirm the end of the bear market.
This judgment is not unfounded—since Bitcoin’s inception, there has never been a “three-month consecutive rise still in a bear market,” and Bitcoin is currently showing a continuous upward trend. As long as it holds above $76k at the end of May, the bear market can be definitively broken.
Tom Lee also predicts that the next bull market’s core drivers will be “AI proxy and tokenization,” with tokenization potentially creating a $300 trillion market; additionally, blockchain settlement’s cost reduction and efficiency gains will make crypto firms’ per capita profits far surpass traditional finance, with half of the world’s large financial institutions becoming digital-native.
He emphasizes that cryptocurrencies are excellent diversification tools, with a small ETH exposure providing hedge effects comparable to gold.
3. Future Trend Predictions: Short-term Volatility, Mid-term May End Node, Long-term Three Variables
Based on current prices, four core news items, and industry updates, we rationally forecast Bitcoin’s future trend from short, mid, and long-term perspectives, balancing opportunities and risks:
1. Short-term (1-4 weeks): Range-bound consolidation, difficult to break $81,000 resistance
In the short term, Bitcoin is expected to continue “range oscillation,” with $81,000 as a tough resistance. Two main reasons:
- Miner profit pressures may cause some miners to exit, leading to hash rate fluctuations and increased volatility.
- The long-term quantum attack risk keeps some funds cautious, preventing a collective breakout.
Meanwhile, support at $80,000 remains relatively strong—institutions like US Bitcoin are “buy-and-hold,” providing a floor.
Expected short-term movement: oscillation between $80,000 and $81,000, with a volatility of about 1-2%, similar to current narrow-range fluctuations.
2. Mid-term (1-6 months): May end node as a key point, breakout signals a bull market
Mid-term, Bitcoin’s trend will revolve around the “end of May at $76k” node predicted by Tom Lee. If Bitcoin closes above $76k, it would confirm the end of the bear market, boosting market sentiment, increasing institutional interest, and possibly pushing Bitcoin above $81,000, initiating a new rally.
Conversely, if it fails to hold above $76k, the market may cool again, with Bitcoin retreating to $75,000–$78,000, seeking support.
Additionally, changes in the miner ecosystem—such as lower costs for steel, electricity, and other inputs—could improve miner profitability and hash rate, providing further support. If more miners exit, hash rate declines, and prices could be further suppressed.
The high correlation between software stocks and Bitcoin, as mentioned by Tom Lee, will also be an important reference for mid-term trends.
3. Long-term (1-3 years): Opportunities and risks coexist, driven by three core variables
Long-term, Bitcoin’s trajectory depends on three key factors, with both opportunities and risks:
- Institutional deployment: Continued accumulation by firms like US Bitcoin and Bitmine could sustain and boost Bitcoin’s value, especially with the explosion of tokenization markets.
- Miner ecosystem stability: If Bitcoin can implement technical adjustments (e.g., Emin Gün Sirer’s proposed pre-consensus layer) to mitigate reward declines and ensure profitability and security, the long-term foundation will be solid. Otherwise, ongoing miner exits and hash rate drops could undermine trust and security, hindering long-term growth.
- Post-quantum migration progress: Accelerating migration to post-quantum security could eliminate long-term security risks, boosting market confidence. Slow progress or delays could keep quantum attack risks alive, becoming a major long-term obstacle. Although related BIP proposals are in testing, full migration may take years, making it a critical long-term variable.
All data and analysis in this article are sourced from CoinWorld, public industry reports, and the latest market data, and do not constitute any investment advice.