Week Ahead: Crypto market volatility likely to come back as BTC halving looms

Source Fxstreet
  • Bitcoin's recent tumble seems to have spiked volatility as BTC remains rangebound.
  • Ahead of Bitcoin's fourth halving, some altcoins are likely to yield unusually high returns. 
  • Major altcoins have like AXS & IMX have multi-million dollar token unlocks this week.

This week’s outlook is interesting since Bitcoin (BTC) has swept the range low on the daily time frame. This development, coupled with the upcoming halving event, suggests that a short-term correction play is in the works.

Going forward, investors need to monitor buy-the-dip opportunities closely since BTC tends to continue its bull run after halving. 

Read more: Bitcoin halving: Altcoin rally looks likely, historical data shows

Bitcoin’s breakdown

Bitcoin (BTC) has breached the $70,000 level and crashed nearly 15% over the weekend. This move has swept the range low, as discussed in a previous article. But the down move failed to dip into the weekly imbalance, extending from $53,120 to $59,111. 

With no major macroeconomic event to influence the directional bias, the sideways movement is likely to continue. 

BTC/USDT 1-day chart

BTC/USDT 1-day chart

Also read: Bitcoin Weekly Forecast: BTC’s rangebound movement leaves traders confused

This week’s crypto events 

Monday, April 15: 

  • Stacks (STX) – Nakamoto Upgrade

Tuesday, April 16: 

  • Arbitrum (ARB) – $107 million unlock
  • Axie Infinity (AXS) – $78 million unlock
  • Fetch.AI (FET), SingularityNET (AGIX), and Ocean Protocol (OCEAN) merger voting ends.

Thursday, April 18: 

  • Manta (MANTA) – $44 million unlock

Friday, April 19: 

  • ImmutableX (IMX) – $73 million unlock
  • Coinbase vs. SEC lawsuit – Submit case management plan deadline

Saturday, April 20:

  • Dogecoin (DOGE) day 
  • Bitcoin Halving (Approximate ETA)

Altcoins to watch

  • Bitcoin halving: This event could benefit BTC-related altcoins like Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Bitcoin SV (BSV) and Stacks (STX). 
  • Ordinal Tokens: Originals or similar tokens launched on the Bitcoin blockchain will likely see a similar boom. Some of these lesser-known, highly risky and volatile tokens include Pups (PUPS), SatoshiVM (SAVM) and Orange (ORNG).

Top 3 Reads

  1. Bitcoin price tanks to $62K ascribed to geopolitical tension a week to BTC halving
  2. Ethereum price stagnates as EIP-3074 brings smart contract functionalities to wallets
  3. XRP price tests $0.60 support as AMM makes comeback on XRPLedger
Disclaimer: For information purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
placeholder
Gold Falls Below $4,100, Risks Dropping to $4,000 as High Oil Prices Reinforce Expectations of High Fed Rates During the Asian session on October 22, gold prices (XAUUSD) weakened further in intraday trade, with spot gold falling below the $4,100 mark to hit a low of $4,066.56, its lowest level s
Author  TradingKey
10 hours ago
During the Asian session on October 22, gold prices (XAUUSD) weakened further in intraday trade, with spot gold falling below the $4,100 mark to hit a low of $4,066.56, its lowest level s
placeholder
The Fed will sit still on October 28 — but 100 of 100 economists now expect a December hikeA Reuters poll run October 16-20 found 94 of 100 economists expecting the Fed to hold at 3.75-4.00% on October 28 — and all 100 expecting a hike in December, against less than half a month earlier. The market is close to the same price, with CME FedWatch at roughly 17% for October and 82.8% for December. With the Fed in blackout since October 17, here are the five dates that decide the rest of the year, what each one is priced for, and the two directions each can take.
Author  Irene Q.
14 hours ago
A Reuters poll run October 16-20 found 94 of 100 economists expecting the Fed to hold at 3.75-4.00% on October 28 — and all 100 expecting a hike in December, against less than half a month earlier. The market is close to the same price, with CME FedWatch at roughly 17% for October and 82.8% for December. With the Fed in blackout since October 17, here are the five dates that decide the rest of the year, what each one is priced for, and the two directions each can take.
placeholder
Meta's AI bill just hit $145 billion — and it issued a new share class to pay for itMeta reported record third-quarter revenue of $64.60 billion, up 26% from a year earlier, and raised full-year 2026 capital expenditure guidance to $135-145 billion from $130-145 billion. To fund that build-out without touching Mark Zuckerberg's voting control, the company announced a 2-for-1 stock split that hands every Class A holder a new non-voting Class C share. Here are the four lines that matter, the peer group that is being re-rated alongside it, and the bull and bear cases.
Author  Irene Q.
14 hours ago
Meta reported record third-quarter revenue of $64.60 billion, up 26% from a year earlier, and raised full-year 2026 capital expenditure guidance to $135-145 billion from $130-145 billion. To fund that build-out without touching Mark Zuckerberg's voting control, the company announced a 2-for-1 stock split that hands every Class A holder a new non-voting Class C share. Here are the four lines that matter, the peer group that is being re-rated alongside it, and the bull and bear cases.
placeholder
Gold Price Analysis Today | Forex Gold Analysis | XAU/USD Analysis - October 22, 2026Get the latest gold price analysis, forex gold insights, and XAU/USD analysis for October 22, 2026. Read on for the details.
Author  Mitrade
18 hours ago
Get the latest gold price analysis, forex gold insights, and XAU/USD analysis for October 22, 2026. Read on for the details.
placeholder
Today’s Market Recap: All Three Major U.S. Indexes Close Higher,SpaceX Up About 7.8% After Earnings, Supermicro Earnings Lift AI Stocksthe three major U.S. stock indices all closed higher. SpaceX (SPCX) beat expectations with its third-quarter earnings, an
Author  TradingKey
19 hours ago
the three major U.S. stock indices all closed higher. SpaceX (SPCX) beat expectations with its third-quarter earnings, an
Related Instrument
goTop
quote