Bitcoin Tests $78.6K Resistance for the Seventh Time as Liquidity Builds Above

Table of Contents Bitcoin is testing a key daily resistance at $78,657 on May 2. Since April 22, the price has challenged this zone seven times without a confirmed breakout. The Spot Taker CVD shows active buy-side demand, yet resistance keeps absorbing it. Derivative data adds tension to the picture. A dense liquidity zone between $79.5K and $81K sits just above. This makes the current level critical for Bitcoin’s next major directional move. The Spot Taker CVD is currently green, confirming buy-side dominance in spot markets. Even so, Bitcoin has not broken above $78,657 with clear conviction. Source: Cryptoquant The resistance zone continues absorbing incoming demand at a steady pace. Spot buyers remain active but not yet strong enough to force a clean breakout. Meanwhile, Open Interest recorded only a minor decline during this period. It dropped from 26.737M to 26.552M, a fall of roughly 185M, or just 0.69%. During that same window, the price moved from $78,480 up to $78,585. The recent advance was not driven by a fresh expansion in leveraged futures positions. The pattern of rising prices alongside declining open interest points to spot-led action. When spot demand drives a move rather than futures, the resulting structure tends to be more stable. A breakout could also occur through aggressive futures inflows. However, spot support would give any breakout a higher structural quality. Crypto analyst Carmelo Alemán observed that buy-dominant spot activity aligned with minimal open interest change. This setup separates the current attempt from previous failed bids at $78,657. It points to organic demand rather than speculative positioning. Buyers appear to be gradually building pressure at a firm resistance level. The 1-minute Funding Rates showed extreme negative readings on May 1, briefly touching near -2.24%. This means short traders were paying long traders at a highly unusual rate. Source: Cryptoquant Such sharp funding episodes often reflect short-term market stress. They can also set up rapid price moves when short positions get squeezed. The Estimated Leverage Ratio currently sits near 0.245, moderate but elevated versus earlier weekly lows. The market is not overly stretched at this reading. That said, any sharp directional move could still trigger meaningful liquidations on either side of the market. On the liquidity heatmap, the zone from $79.5K to $81K appears clearly loaded. Leveraged positions at 5x and 10x are concentrated throughout this range. If Bitcoin breaks above $78.6K, this liquidity cluster becomes the immediate upside target. Price momentum could accelerate sharply once the breakout pulls in those positions. Beyond the $79.5K–$81K zone, $82K emerges as the next natural target for Bitcoin. Yet a clear risk follows any sweep of that liquidity cluster. As leveraged positions close within that range, upside momentum may begin to fade. A price correction remains possible once the market digests the liquidity sweep above $78.6K.