Could Japan Be the Catalyst for the Next Major Bitcoin Price Move?

By Afe Funbi

Bitcoin is stuck between two very different narratives right now. On one side, you’ve got the technical breakdown that Crypto Patel is pointing out on the higher timeframes. 

On the other, there’s the short-term question everyone is asking: can this support actually hold? And on top of all that, macro uncertainty is hanging over the market like a cloud.

The Bitcoin chart shows a crack in the bigger structure

When you look at Crypto Patel’s long-term chart, the message is pretty clear. The BTC price has slipped below a major trendline that had been guiding the broader uptrend for months. 

That’s why his comment about a possible move toward $44,000 got people talking. It’s not a bold prediction, but more a reminder of how far price can fall when an important structure gives way.

What do you think?$BTC is Broken the HTF Long-term support trendline.

So Next Stop $44000? pic.twitter.com/qCjykrGIBx

— Crypto Patel (@CryptoPatel) January 23, 2026

What makes it more interesting is how the chart also shows earlier breakout and retest behavior. In the past, BTC broke above key zones, came back to test them, and then kept moving higher. 

The concern now is that this time, instead of retesting and bouncing, the BTC price may be shifting into a phase where the whole trend gets re-evaluated.

Where the BTC price is trying to stabilize

Van de Poppe’s 4-hour chart tells a much more short-term story. After selling off hard from the mid-$90,000s, the BTC price dropped straight into a demand zone around the high-$80,000s. 

The bounce that followed doesn’t really scream “trend reversal” just yet. It feels more like the market catching its breath. Price is still sitting below the short-term moving average on his chart, and the structure looks messy.

The markets aren’t going anywhere until Japan comes in.

A very positive GDP number in the US as growth accelerates, yet #Bitcoin continues to fall.

Tomorrow will be an important day. pic.twitter.com/o3c5R2Y687

— Michaël van de Poppe (@CryptoMichNL) January 22, 2026

Van de Poppe’s comment about Japan sums up the broader mood pretty well. Even with strong growth numbers coming out of the US, the BTC price is still slipping. That tells you something bigger is at play. 

With Japan potentially stepping in as the next macro catalyst, traders are bracing for another wave of volatility. In situations like this, charts can take a back seat for a moment. Big macro moves have a way of pushing price through support levels faster than most technical setups can react.

So what really matters next for the BTC price?

If the BTC price manages to hold that high-$80,000s demand zone and starts printing higher lows on the lower timeframes, this whole drop could start to look like a liquidation flush followed by some base-building.

But if that zone gives way cleanly, the narrative changes fast. At that point, the move stops looking like just a pullback and starts looking like a proper trend break, which is where Crypto Patel’s deeper downside view suddenly doesn’t sound so dramatic anymore.

According to CoinCodex’s Bitcoin price prediction algorithm, BTC could rally higher in the coming weeks, with the cryptocurrency forecasted to reach $ 104,415 by February.

Source:: Could Japan Be the Catalyst for the Next Major Bitcoin Price Move?