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#HowToPositionForAPullback $BTC $ETH BTC Reclaims Liquidity, ETH Sets Up a Buy Zone: How I'm Positioning for This Pullback
BTC and ETH both pulled back hard after their recent rallies, and both are now showing signs of a bounce off key support. Gate Square's weekly topic is asking how people are positioning for a pullback, and honestly, I think both charts here answer that question well, if you read the structure carefully.
What's happening on BTC
Looking at my chart, BTC swept liquidity below the $76,000 to $75,000 zone in mid-September, marked clearly as a "Liquidity Grab" at the start of this move, then reversed hard and broke structure (BOS) on the way up. That liquidity sweep is important: it's the kind of move that clears out stop losses below a level before price actually turns higher, which is a common pattern before a real trend shift rather than a random dip.
From there, BTC pushed up through a CHOCH (change of character) around $80,000 to $82,000, ran into the FVG (fair value gap) zone, and eventually rallied to the PBOS (prior break of structure) high at $87,380. Since that high, price pulled back into the OB+FVG resistance zone around $84,050 to $84,950, got rejected multiple times, and has now retraced into the larger FVG zone between roughly $82,400 and $83,900.
The key detail on this chart is the "Retest" label near the current price around $83,986. Price dipped down toward $82,400 to $82,900, then bounced back up into this FVG zone, which is exactly the kind of retest you want to see after a liquidity grab and structure break, price returning to test a previous support zone from above and holding, rather than breaking straight through it.
What's happening on ETH
The ETH chart tells a very similar story with more precision, and it's marked with an actual trade idea: Buy limit at $2,585, stop loss at $2,540 (-1%), with take-profit targets at $2,621, $2,667, $2,718, $2,775 and $2,833.
The structure here shows ETH breaking through multiple BOS levels on the way up from the $2,356 low, hitting a CHOCH+ around $2,470, then a series of higher BOS levels leading to the PBOS high at $2,806.43. After that high, ETH pulled back into the IFVG (inverse fair value gap) zone around $2,565 to $2,600, which lines up closely with the Key Level Low marked at $2,565.
ETH is currently trading at $2,712.04, which means it has already moved up from that IFVG zone without needing to tag the exact $2,585 buy limit. That's actually a bullish sign on its own: the fact that ETH bounced before reaching the deepest part of the demand zone suggests buyers stepped in early rather than waiting for maximum discount, which often points to stronger underlying demand.
Reading these two charts together
Both charts show the same pattern: a strong impulsive move up, a pullback into a well-defined demand zone (FVG or IFVG), and early signs of a bounce rather than a breakdown. BTC's retest near $83,986 and ETH's move back above $2,700 both support the idea shared with me that Bitcoin rebounded after testing support and the market absorbed the liquidity on the way up. That's consistent with what I'm seeing on both charts, this isn't distribution, it looks like accumulation happening after the shakeout.
My trading plan
For ETH, I'm working directly from the levels on my chart: a buy limit at $2,585 with a stop at $2,540 gives a tight, defined risk of about 1%, and the take-profit ladder at $2,621, $2,667, $2,718, $2,775 and $2,833 lets me scale out as price moves through each old resistance level turned support. Since ETH is already trading well above the $2,585 entry at $2,712, that specific limit order may not fill unless there's a deeper retracement, and I'm fine with that. I'd rather miss an entry than chase price after it's already moved.
For BTC, my plan is built around the $82,400 to $83,900 FVG zone holding as support. If BTC holds this zone and reclaims the $84,050 to $84,950 resistance area with strength, that confirms the retest is complete and the structure remains bullish, with $87,380 as the next target to retest. If BTC breaks back below $82,400 and loses the retest, I'd treat that as invalidation of this specific bullish read, and I'd expect a deeper move toward the golden ratio and key MSS level near $80,000 to $80,900 that I've been tracking all week.
How I'm thinking about position sizing
Given both charts show tight, well-defined risk (BTC's invalidation around $82,400, ETH's stop at $2,540), I'd rather use those precise levels than a random percentage. A pullback like this is exactly the kind of setup where clear invalidation matters more than trying to guess the bottom. If either level breaks cleanly, I'm out, no exceptions, because a break of a defined demand zone changes the entire structure of the trade.
BTC and ETH versus higher-beta alts
Given how clean these bounce setups look on the majors right now, I'm leaning toward BTC and ETH over higher-beta alts for this particular pullback. Altcoins typically need BTC and ETH to show sustained strength before they follow, and both of these charts are still in the "confirming the bounce" stage rather than the "trend clearly resumed" stage. I'd rather see BTC clear $84,950 and ETH clear $2,806 with volume before rotating attention toward alts.
What I'm watching next
Whether BTC holds the $82,400 to $83,900 zone on any further retest and reclaims $84,950. Whether ETH holds above $2,650 to $2,700 and pushes toward the $2,775 to $2,833 target zone without needing to revisit the $2,585 buy limit. And whether both charts show the kind of steady, controlled price action that confirms accumulation, versus a sharp reversal that would suggest the liquidity grab was actually distribution in disguise.
Risks
Liquidity grabs and FVG retests are common patterns, but they aren't guarantees. A break below BTC's $82,400 zone or ETH's $2,540 stop level would invalidate this bullish structure and open deeper downside. Macro pressure, which has been cited as a factor weighing on BTC this week, can override clean technical setups at any time. And these are my own chart markups, so I'd encourage checking the structure yourself before acting on any of these levels.
My overall view
Both charts support the idea that this pullback found real buyers rather than just running out of sellers temporarily. BTC's retest into the FVG zone and ETH's bounce before even reaching its deepest demand zone both point toward accumulation. I'm positioning around the specific invalidation levels on each chart, $82,400 for BTC, $2,540 for ETH, rather than guessing a bottom, and I'd want to see both majors confirm strength before considering higher-beta alts for this particular move.
Discussion
Are you adding to positions here, or waiting for a deeper retest before committing? And for this pullback specifically, are you sticking with BTC and ETH, or do you think certain alts are set up better for a bounce right now? Feel free to share your own P&L or portfolio changes and strategy below.
Not financial advice. Always do your own research before making any trading or investment decision.
