TLDR
- Bitcoin’s futures market sentiment shifted bullish with funding rates turning positive.
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Rising Bitcoin inflows to exchanges may signal selling pressure ahead of the rally.
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Traders are betting on short-term upside with buy volume dominating the market.
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CryptoQuant warns that Bitcoin may face resistance between $75,000 and $85,000.
Bitcoin traders have turned bullish ahead of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision this week, according to CryptoQuant. The on-chain analytics firm observed that traders in the perpetual futures markets have recently increased long positions, indicating expectations of further short-term price appreciation.
Julio Moreno, CryptoQuant’s head of research, stated that funding rates for Bitcoin flipped from “extremely negative” to “mostly positive” between March 13 and March 15. This shift suggests that traders are willing to pay to open and maintain long positions. The positive funding rates are often seen as a signal of increasing optimism in the market.
Traders are turning bullish ahead of the Fed.
Shorts were cleared as BTC reclaimed $70K, with fresh longs building above $73K.
Positioning has flipped. Long positions are now dominating the perpetual futures market. pic.twitter.com/O3xjvBGoZf
— CryptoQuant.com (@cryptoquant_com) March 17, 2026
CryptoQuant also noted that the buy volume in the perpetual futures market has outpaced sell volume. The ratio of buy orders to sell orders for both Bitcoin and Ethereum has remained above 1, showing that demand for Bitcoin is rising. This uptick in buying activity reinforces the idea that traders expect higher prices in the short term, at least until the Fed’s rate decision.
Bitcoin Could Encounter Resistance at Key Price Levels
Despite the bullish sentiment, CryptoQuant cautioned that Bitcoin could face resistance levels if the rally continues. According to the firm, Bitcoin may hit resistance at $75,000, a price level historically acting as resistance during bear markets. The $75,000 price level corresponds to the lower band of the Traders’ On-chain Realized Price (the dotted blue line).
Beyond this, CryptoQuant pointed to a second resistance level around $85,000. This level coincides with the Traders’ On-chain Realized Price (the violet line), which has previously acted as a barrier in past price rallies. Notably, this level was a resistance point in January 2026 when Bitcoin surged from $80,000 to $98,000.
“Should Bitcoin continue to rally, it could first encounter resistance at the $75,000 level. If it manages to break through that, the next level of resistance would be around $85,000,” Moreno wrote in a report published on March 17.
Rising Inflows to Exchanges Indicate Potential Selling Pressure
CryptoQuant also observed a significant increase in Bitcoin inflows to exchanges, which may signal potential selling pressure. On March 16, hourly Bitcoin inflows to exchanges reached 6,100 BTC, the highest since February 20, 2026. Notably, large deposits accounted for 63% of these inflows, the highest percentage since at least October 15, 2025.
Historically, large inflows to exchanges are often associated with increased selling activity, as investors typically move their assets to trading platforms when they plan to sell. This trend could put downward pressure on Bitcoin’s price if traders begin to liquidate their positions.
Moreno explained that such spikes in inflows could create short-term selling pressure, especially if Bitcoin’s price continues to rise. However, if the buying momentum outweighs these selling pressures, Bitcoin may be able to break through the resistance levels mentioned earlier.
