Historically, Bitcoin has needed anywhere between 20 and 30 attempts to push past major round-number price levels, a pattern driven by human psychology. In the world of cryptocurrency, these round-number thresholds often carry disproportionate psychological weight, leading to panic selling when prices stagnate near these key levels.

At the same time, some traders anticipate these reactions and position themselves accordingly, creating a feedback loop that turns these psychological barriers into almost self-fulfilling prophecies.

Currently, Bitcoin is testing the psychological $100,000 resistance level, and while earlier analyses have suggested factors like profit-taking, capitulation from short-term holders, and insufficient demand to propel prices further, it’s also important to consider if a recurring pattern exists.

A closer examination of historical price movements, using data from Glassnode, reveals that Bitcoin typically requires multiple attempts to breach these psychological barriers. The analysis specifically looked at instances where Bitcoin came within 2% of a $10,000 multiple.

Bitcoin first closed above the $10,000 threshold in December 2017. However, after the market collapsed, it spent years struggling to reclaim that level. Bitcoin closed within 2% of the $10,000 mark 21 times before it was able to definitively break through. This was one of Bitcoin’s longest periods within a narrow price range.

For each subsequent $10,000 increment, Bitcoin again closed within 2% of the price range between 15 and 30 times before successfully surpassing it. This pattern continued all the way up to $70,000.

However, the trend began to change after Donald Trump’s election in November. Bitcoin broke through the $80,000 level and tested $90,000 just three times before it finally surged past it.

This leaves the $100,000 mark as uncharted territory. Bitcoin has closed within 2% of this price point twice already, on November 21 and 22. The big question now is whether Bitcoin will return to the historical pattern of requiring 20 attempts to break through, or if it will defy expectations and break through on the third attempt.