Bitcoin Bull Score Jumps to 80; Weekly Close Above $83,000 Seen as Key Confirmation

Bitcoin's momentum signal is flashing brighter, but analysts say the market still needs a higher weekly finish to validate a new bull phase. CryptoQuant's Bull Score surged from 30 to 80 over the past week, following an approximately 24% rally. The model combines spot and futures demand, investor profitability, network activity and liquidity, and now shows eight of 10 indicators in bullish territory. CryptoQuant said the rapid upswing points to broad improvement across market segments, marking the strongest reading since October 2025. Bitcoin rose from below $64,000 to briefly top $80,000 during the move. CoinGecko had BTC around $79,000 at the time of reporting. CryptoQuant cautioned that an intraday break above $80,000 is not enough to confirm a new cycle: it wants a weekly close above the 365-day moving average, currently near $83,000. LMAX Group strategist Joel Kruger cited the same area as a key hurdle, highlighting the May 2026 high at $82,820. He said a clean break above that region would strengthen the case that a meaningful cycle low is in place and could shift focus to a push through $100,000 and, ultimately, the 2025 record high. In the near term, analysts see $77,000–$80,000 as an important support zone after Bitcoin's strongest weekly advance since March 2023. A failure to hold that range could bring $70,000 back into view, while a sustained breakout could keep the $80,000–$90,000 corridor in play. CryptoQuant reiterated that a brief move through the $82.8K–$83K band is insufficient unless BTC stays above the 365-day MA into the weekly close. Flow data suggests the rally has been supported by cash demand as well as derivatives positioning. CryptoQuant said spot and futures demand strengthened at the same time for the first time since early October 2025, a constructive mix because spot buying reflects direct inflows while futures can include short-lived leveraged activity. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs were a notable source of demand. Net inflows totaled about $1.9 billion in the week ending Aug. 21, the strongest weekly intake since October 2025 and the fifth consecutive positive week. Prior daily figures cited included roughly $517 million on Aug. 19 and $606 million on Aug. 20. SoSoValue reported an additional $337.56 million of inflows on Aug. 24, led by BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust at $208.9 million and Fidelity's Wise Origin at $104.6 million. Still, several shorter-term measures point to potential overheating and profit-taking risk. Traders' unrealized profit margin rose to 20.5%, the highest since June 2025. CryptoQuant compared the level to early May, when BTC traded near $82,000 before later falling by roughly 30%. Short-term holder whales realized about $1.2 billion in profits from Aug. 20–22, including a single-day peak of $614 million on Aug. 20. Exchange inflows also increased, with roughly 53,000 BTC transferred to trading venues, the largest deposit total since June. While deposits do not automatically signal selling, they can raise potential sell-side supply. CryptoQuant characterizes the move as an early-stage recovery rather than a confirmed bull market. The firm says confirmation requires a weekly close above the 365-day moving average near $83,000, or a decisive break above the May 2026 high around $82,820. Until then, traders are likely to focus on the $77,000–$80,000 support band, ETF inflows, and whether realized gains and exchange deposits translate into renewed selling pressure.