After Bitcoin Price Breakout, Pending ETF Decision May Cap Gains

Bitcoin’s (BTC) jump to a 15-day high is encouraging, but caution ahead of the US Securities Exchange Commission’s (SEC) imminent decision on a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) could limit further price gains.

The leading cryptocurrency rose to $6,899 on Bitfinex earlier today – the highest level since Aug. 7 – and is accompanied by a 10 percent drop in the BTC/USD shorts, adding credence to our assessment that BTC has been mimicking the price action observed in the run-up to a major rally that occurred on April 12.

More importantly, BTC’s convincing move above $6,600 marks an upside break of the narrowing price range and signals continuation of the rally from the Aug. 14 low of $5,859.

So, it seems safe to say the doors have been opened for the psychological hurdle of $7,000. However, that may be an uphill task in the short term, as investors are likely to adopt a cautious stance ahead of the SEC’s ruling on whether to allow the ETF – due in the next 36 hours….