This is simply a regular investigation by CoinDesk expert and Chartered Market Technician Omkar Godbole.
Major cryptocurrencies are looking bullish, with marketplace person bitcoin (BTC) exhibiting a classical inverse head-and-shoulders breakout that could propel it toward $120,000.
But there's a catch. The regular illustration for the S&P 500 E-Mini futures is displaying a bearish pattern, indicating a imaginable sell-off that could measurement connected the cryptocurrency marketplace and trap bulls connected the incorrect broadside of the market.
S&P 500 hits grounds precocious with rising wedge
The E-mini futures person risen astir 5% to a grounds precocious of $6,542 since Aug. 1. The dilatory ascent has taken the signifier of a rising wedge signifier identified by converging trendlines connecting July 31 and Aug. 15 highs and lows reached connected Aug. 1 and Aug. 22.
The converging trendlines bespeak that bullish momentum is waning, expanding the likelihood of a sell-off.
When asked to place and analyse the signifier connected the S&P 500 futures, Google Gemini replied, "When a rising wedge, which is simply a bearish reversal pattern, appears aft an extended rally to grounds highs, it importantly increases the probability of a crisp downside move. It suggests that buyers are exhausted and that the rally is moving connected fumes. The signifier indicates that the marketplace is mounting up for a large inclination reversal alternatively than a elemental pullback."
Cryptocurrencies are known to intimately way Wall Street sentiment, which means that a imaginable diminution successful the S&P 500 could measurement connected bitcoin and different cryptocurrencies.

Inflation eyed
The likelihood of a breakdown successful the S&P 500 could emergence sharply if Thursday’s U.S. user terms scale (CPI) prints hotter than expected. Such a result, combined with the recent labour marketplace weakness, whitethorn rekindle fears of stagflation—the worst-case script for hazard assets—putting further unit connected equities and cryptocurrencies alike.
The median forecast for the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) successful August 2025 is simply a 2.9% year-over-year summation (not seasonally adjusted), according to FactSet. If this estimation holds true, it volition beryllium the highest yearly emergence since January 2025, erstwhile the CPI reached 3.0% and good supra the Fed's 2% target. Additionally, this 2.9% fig would surpass the trailing twelve-month mean ostentation complaint of 2.6%.
More importantly, the median estimation (year-over-year, not seasonally adjusted) for the halfway CPI, which excludes nutrient and energy, is 3.1%.
BTC, ETH options are already biased bearish
The 25-delta hazard reversals tied to Deribit-lited bitcoin and ether options were antagonistic retired to December expiry, according to information root Amberdata. In different words, abbreviated and near-dated BTC and ETH puts traded astatine a premium to calls, reflecting a bias for downside protection.
A enactment enactment protects the purchaser from a diminution successful the worth of the underlying asset. A telephone provides an asymmetric bullish exposure. The 25-delta hazard reversal involves the simultaneous acquisition of a enactment enactment and merchantability of a call, oregon vice versa.
According to Options Insights' Founder, Imran Lakha, the enactment bias successful BTC is apt due to institutions placing semipermanent hedges. Flows person continued to inclination little connected the over-the-counter tech level Paradigm.
"Flows again featured the [ETH] 26 Sep 4k put, lifted up to 73v," Paradigm noted.
XRP is indecisive, DOGE looks north
While BTC's inverse head-and-shoulders breakout suggests a beardown bullish direction, XRP's terms enactment appears indecisive.
The payments-focused cryptocurrency remains locked successful a descending triangle and continues to commercialized wrong the Ichimoku cloud. Together, these indicators suggest a play of consolidation and uncertainty.

A breakout from the triangle mightiness invitation stronger buying pressure, perchance starring to a re-test of $3.38, the plaything precocious from Aug. 8. That said, the descending triangle, by itself, is mostly considered a bearish pattern. That's due to the fact that the downward-sloping trendline connecting little highs indicates that sellers are progressively getting stronger and could soon penetrate the horizontal enactment level.
Speaking of DOGE, it has retaken the bullish trendline from June lows, trapping sellers connected the incorrect broadside of the market. Additionally, prices person crossed into bullish territory supra the Ichimoku cloud, which suggests scope for a trial of the July precocious of 28.76 cents.

However, traders inactive need to ticker out for a potential rising wedge breakdown in S&P 500 futures, arsenic a reversal determination could cap gains in DOGE and weigh connected its price momentum.