Bitcoin's ability to break through the $84,000-$85,000 range has emerged as a key variable for the near-term trend.

On Oct. 12 (local time), blockchain outlet CoinPost reported that Darkfost, a contributing analyst at on-chain analytics firm CryptoQuant, pointed to the band as a major resistance level based on bitcoin’s acquisition price distribution.

Darkfost analysed that when bitcoin was priced at $83,000, 53 percent of total inflows came in at price levels higher than that. That means investors who bought at the current level hold bitcoin at a more favourable price than more than half of all investors. Acquisition price distribution is an on-chain metric that aggregates the price levels at which bitcoin in circulation was purchased.

In that metric, $84,000-$85,000 appeared as the largest price cluster. Darkfost said it is a range where many investors may move to trade, and called it a level bitcoin must "clearly break." When prices return to levels where past buying was concentrated, investors may sell to get back to breakeven, making it likely to act as resistance.

On the downside, the $77,000-$79,000 range was presented as a leading support candidate. Darkfost said he viewed the band as support that could prevent a price decline. The market is therefore watching the two levels as a benchmark for bitcoin’s near-term trading range.

Bitcoin traded around $83,600 at the time of writing. That is about 34 percent below the record high of $126,080 set on Oct. 6, 2025. With the gap to the previous high still large, whether bitcoin can absorb overhead supply could be a yardstick for judging the durability of any rebound.

Attention is also on the timing of the analysis. On Oct. 10-11 last year, markets plunged after U.S. President Donald Trump announced tariffs on China, triggering more than $19 billion (about 25.37 trillion won) in forced liquidations across the broader crypto market. The post containing this analysis was uploaded over the weekend a year after that selloff occurred.

Acquisition price distribution is used as an indicator that shows investors’ actual purchase levels beyond simple price points. If bitcoin breaks above $85,000, it could signal that it has absorbed a major supply zone. If it falls below $77,000-$79,000, it may face a renewed test of whether support is weakening. The market is expected to keep watching buying and selling moves around the two levels for the time being.