Key Takeaways:

BTC liquidation levels, onchain data, and chart setups converge at the $100K target.

Profitability has surged, suggesting a rebound in market confidence.

BTC breakout patterns point to $100K as a short-squeeze and euphoria magnet.

Bitcoin (BTC) is flashing multiple technical and onchain signals suggesting that a rally to $100,000 is possible by May. Here are five charts making the case for a near-term breakout.

BTC double-bottom hints at $100,600 target

BTC’s daily chart has formed a textbook double bottom, confirming a breakout above the neckline resistance at $87,643. The structure projects a measured move to $100,575 or above.

BTC/USD daily price chart. Source: TradingView

Momentum indicators like the relative strength index (RSI) support this thesis, staying in bullish territory with more room to expand. Meanwhile, the 50- and 200-day exponential moving averages (EMAs) have flipped into support, offering additional tailwinds.

Volume has remained steady post-breakout, showing that buyers are still in control. This setup creates a strong foundation for Bitcoin to push toward $100,600.

Bull pennant setup eyes six-figure BTC price

On the hourly timeframe, BTC consolidates inside a bull pennant following a sharp rally. This pattern indicates temporary indecision before the next leg higher. The target sits near $100,900.

BTC/USD hourly price chart. Source: TradingView

The pennant formed after a steep rise, suggesting that BTC price is likely coiling before resuming its up move. Despite the low volume, the structure remains intact and is supported by strong EMA alignment.

A breakout above the pennant’s upper trendline could trigger fresh upside momentum, attracting short-term traders and algorithms targeting round-number breakouts.

Bitcoin’s falling wedge breakout targets $102,000

The three-day chart shows a completed falling wedge breakout, with the price breaking a key resistance zone near $94,000. The projected move targets $102,270.

BTC/USD three-day price chart. Source: TradingView

Falling wedges are typically bullish reversal patterns, and BTC’s clean breakout above the upper trendline adds technical conviction. Price is also riding above the 50-3D EMA, a key trend signal.

Volume surged during the breakout, suggesting strong buyer conviction.

The $94,000-95,000 resistance is now capping Bitcoin’s upside attempts. Breaking it means BTC could deliver its complete measured move toward $100,000 quickly.

Binance heatmap shows liquidity magnet at $100K

Liquidation data reveals a thick cluster of short liquidations around the $100,000 level. These positions often act like a magnet, pulling the price toward them as market makers hunt for liquidity.

BTC/USDT three-month liquidation heatmap. Source: CoinGlass

If BTC continues climbing, it will pressure short sellers who may be forced to exit, triggering a cascade of buy orders.

Related: $635M liquidated in 24H as trader predicts $100K Bitcoin short squeeze

Liquidity maps often front-run price. With such dense activity near six figures, the path of least resistance appears upward in the near term.

Bitcoin profitability increases post-breakout

As of April 23, 87.3% of Bitcoin’s circulating supply was in profit, up from 82.7% when BTC last traded near $94,000 in early March, according to Glassnode data.

The increase indicates that a significant portion of the Bitcoin supply changed hands at lower levels during the March correction, reflecting a fresh wave of accumulation.

BTC percent supply in profit. Source: Glassnode

Historically, when the Percent Supply in Profit remains above 90% for an extended period, markets tend to enter a euphoric phase. With profitability now nearing that threshold, bullish sentiment continues to build.

Combined with bullish chart structures and concentrated short liquidity overhead, BTC remains positioned for a potential move toward $100,000 by May.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

The emerging blockchain industry lags behind the artificial intelligence sector in terms of job creation, but this hiring gap may narrow by 2030.

Blockchain remains one of the smallest sectors in the tech industry, with over 300,000 global jobs, compared to more than 1.5 million in AI and machine learning and 25 million in software development, according to a new Bitget Research report shared with Cointelegraph.

The blockchain sector added around 20,000 new jobs in 2024, according to job listings aggregated from platforms like LinkedIn, Web3 Jobs and Crypto Job List.

Total workforce in tech industry. Source: Bitget Research

While blockchain-based jobs had an average compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 45%, outpacing most traditional tech sectors, it trails the AI industry’s 57% CAGR, according to the report.

The AI industry’s maturity and larger share of venture capital investment are the main reasons behind the hiring discrepancy, Vugar Usi Zade, chief operating officer of Bitget exchange, told Cointelegraph:

“Venture investors put more than $100 billion into AI startups in 2024, with AI-centric titles topping a million vacancies worldwide,” Usi Zade said. “Blockchain companies, meanwhile, advertise barely 20,000 openings and drew only about $5.4 billion in new funding during the same period.”

Regional blockchain market distribution. Source: Bitget Research

Related: Crypto firms moving into Wall Street territory amid ‘growing synergy’

Blockchain may generate over 1 million jobs by 2030

AI-related job listings have risen between 75% to 100% year-over-year, while blockchain job growth remains around the 45% to 60% growth range.

Blockchain vs AI job listings growth. Source: Bitget Research

Blockchain could exceed one million jobs by 2030 if it managed to scale at the same rate as AI-based roles, the report predicted.

More regulatory clarity from bills such as Europe’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) may encourage blockchain firms to increase their hiring efforts, Zade said:

“Europe’s MiCA rule-book, live since December 2024, is already thawing hiring freezes; similar clarity in the United States and Asia would unlock global head-count plans.”

“Second comes enterprise-grade performance: Ethereum’s Dencun upgrade cut typical layer-2 fees by more than 95%, signaling that blockchains can now handle corporate traffic at an acceptable cost,” he added.

Related: Trump fought the bond market, the bond market won: Saifedean Ammous

While blockchain-based jobs are poised for growth, “AI will naturally garner more talent in the next decade,” Jawad Ashraf, CEO of Vanar Chain, told Cointelegraph.

“This is because AI’s market integration has been faster than any other modern technology we can remember,” he said. “If you look at blockchain, we’re still very much focused on integrating with TradFi and broader Web3 markets like gaming, real-world tokenization, etc.”

“Blockchain still hasn’t penetrated the more conventional consumer-oriented markets. It will, in the near future, but we are not there yet,” he added.

Blockchain and AI are not competing for talent

“AI and blockchain aren’t competing for talent — they’re working together to create new opportunities,” Yakov Lebedev, chief business development officer at 3Commas, a trading automation solution, told Cointelegraph.

Combining the two technologies enables “sophisticated financial tools accessible for everyone, not just big institutions, he said, adding:

“Companies are paying top dollar for professionals who understand both AI and blockchain, recognizing the value of this cross-domain expertise.” 

Lebedev added that the integration of blockchain with AI is driving steady job growth in both fields, as financial and tech firms move integrated solutions from pilot programs into core operations.

Thanks to the synergistic benefits of the two technologies, blockchain job growth may start mirroring the AI industry’s, according to Adi Ben-Ari, founder and CEO at Applied Blockchain, an AI-powered blockchain development firm.

AI technology is “probabilistic and introduces uncertainty,” which creates more demand for blockchain and cryptographic technologies, he told Cointelegraph.

“AI produces outcomes that are not always accurate, can be fake, and can sometimes be incorrect,” he said. “This new uncertainty needs to be countered by a technology that brings absolute certainty, and this is where blockchain and cryptography come in.”

Ben-Ari added that blockchain’s ability to secure sensitive information through cryptography would become increasingly important as AI consumes larger amounts of personal data.

LUNA payments to STIX protocol. Source: Basescan

AI agents are already using cryptocurrency for autonomous transactions. On Dec. 16, 2024, Luna, an AI agent on Virtuals Protocol, paid another AI agent from STIX Protocol, in exchange for its image generation services — sending $1.77 worth of Virtual (VIRTUAL) tokens, onchain data shows.

Magazine: Altcoin season to hit in Q2? Mantra’s plan to win trust: Hodler’s Digest, April 13 – 19

Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried, the disgraced co-founder of collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, to a low-security US federal correctional institution

Bankman-Fried was moved to the low-security Terminal Island federal correctional institution. Previously, he was located at the Victorville medium-security facility, a notoriously violent place, according to prison consultant firm Elizabeth Franklin-Best.

Samuel Goldfaden, a partner at the crypto-centric lawfirm, DLT Law told Cointelegraph that while his previous facility was violent, BankmanFried had been held in a safer part of the facility, adding:

“Sam Bankman-Fried spent most of his detention in the more secure dorm units of MDC Brooklyn, reportedly alongside other high-profile inmates such as Sean P. Diddy to ensure his safety.“Terminal Island FCI review. Source: Elizabeth Franklin-Best

In “good” company

Terminal Island is located in San Pedro, California and houses involved in financial crime. According to Franklin, notable inmates at the facility include ormer stockbroker Anthony Elgindy (wire fraud, racketeering, securities fraud and extortion) and internet music entrepreneur Mouli Cohen (wire fraud, money laundering and tax evasion

New York ttorney Aaron Brogan told Cointelegraph that Bankman-Fried’s “non-violent record may well have been incorporated into a risk score” which led him to this low-security facility. His alleged autism, on the other hand, was unlikely to have had an influence despite layers playing it as a card:

“I’ve heard reports that describe Sam as autistic, but that is within a particular subclinical contemporary lens — autism can be a debilitating condition, but Sam graduated from MIT, founded multiple billion-dollar companies, and successfully defrauded millions of people.“

Goldfaden suggested a tie between Bankman-Fried’s interview with political commentator Tucker Carlson, which was not approved by prison authorities and followed by solitary confinement. He highlighted that shortly after the interview,“was transferred, to improved conditions and moved closer to his family.

A win for the FTX co-founder

Brogan pointed out that lower security facilities are usually “nicer” and said that as a result he is less likely to become a victim of violent crime. will probably have a “slightly easier” time communicating with his attorneys.

Still, Brogan said that those are suppositions that are likely to be true, but not guaranteed and the change may be negative for Bankman-Fried instead:

“It is hard to say from the outside, but generally one would expect lower security prisons to make such communication less challenging.“

The timeline of the FTX co-founder’s appeal will not be affected by the move, his pardon-seeking. The move also raises questions about the markedly different safety and rehabilitation environments that inmates guilty of non-violent offences find themselves in.

Still, Brogan said that is “the nature of the United States prison system.” He highlighted that “the prison system treats all inmates unfairly, and almost nobody cares.” He :

“This is a punishment and the mass of people want it to be hard. There is some threshold of human decency, but nothing that has happened to Sam approaches that.“