Bitcoin Reclaims 50-Week Moving Average, Analysts Eye Bear Market End

Bitcoin closed above its 50-week moving average for the first time in 45 weeks, a technical milestone that analysts say has historically marked the end of bear markets, though they caution that a single weekly close is not enough to confirm a new bull cycle. The cryptocurrency ended the week at approximately $81,159 on Coinbase, above its 50-week moving average near $78,788, according to TradingView data. The last weekly close above the level occurred on Nov. 9, 2025. The close was also Bitcoin's highest weekly finish in four months, and the asset gained nearly 6 percent during the week, extending a rebound of roughly 29 percent over the past 35 days. The 50-week moving average tracks Bitcoin's average weekly closing price over roughly a year and is widely used as a proxy for its long-term trend. During prolonged downturns, rallies have often failed below the line, which Galaxy Research head of firmwide research Alex Thorn has described as functioning like a ceiling during bear markets. In a research note, Thorn said that in four of five completed bear markets, once the 50-week average was first broken to the upside, the bear market bottom was definitively in.