Bitcoin (BTC) stuck near $66,000 on April 23 as waiting sellers kept BTC price action firmly in check.

Liquidity keeps BTC price in tight range

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView revealed an ongoing new trading range in place since after the weekly close.

While overall higher than last week, BTC/USD offered little inspiration to bulls — an overnight rally to $67,200 failed to close a nearby CME Group Bitcoin futures gap.

This, combined with another gap lower at $64,400, form near-term BTC price targets, which have yet to be hit.

Analyzing the current status quo, popular trader Marco Johanning identified $66,700 as the “key level” for Bitcoin to flip to support going forward.

“Looking at the range, BTC reclaimed midrange and then sent from there,” he wrote in part of a post on X (formerly Twitter) on the day.

“However, it couldn't flip the next level at 66.7k so far. That's the key level for today.”

Johanning saw two options based on the market’s treatment of the $66,700 mark: “a) Flip 66.7k -> head towards the old trendline and range high,” and “b) Get rejected at 66.7k -> fall back to midrange, potentially with a wick below to close the CME gap.”

“Both scenarios assume that the short-term trend will continue, and we will move towards the range high,” he added.

The post referenced the current liquidity landscape on exchange order books, which continued to show bids and asks tightly wound around spot price.

Data from monitoring resource CoinGlass confirmed on the day that $66,000 and $67,350 formed the biggest support and resistance levels, respectively.

Bollinger Bands reach February breakout zone

Anticipation of a larger BTC price move, meanwhile, lingered in the background.

Related: BTC trades at ‘deep discount’ after halving — 5 things to know in Bitcoin this week

For popular trader and analyst Matthew Hyland, changing Bollinger Bands conditions on 3-day timeframes indicated that a range breakout — either up or down — should come soon enough.

The width of the Bands, a classic volatility indicator, is currently the narrowest since mid-February, when BTC/USD last traded below $50,000.

At the time, Cointelegraph reported on the implications of Bollinger Bands behavior for BTC price action, with analysis seeing an upside “squeeze,” which ultimately became reality.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.