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Bitcoin Holds Bullish Structure as Spot Demand Strengthens 

March 17, 2026

News

Bitcoin is showing renewed signs of strength, with rising spot demand and an emerging technical breakout suggesting the current rally may still have room to run.

Two developments are supporting the bullish outlook: increasing buy-side activity in spot markets and a breakout from a classic continuation pattern known as a bull flag. Together, these signals suggest buyers remain active beneath the surface of the market.

Recent market data indicates that spot buying is playing a key role in supporting Bitcoin’s price action.

Market observers tracking Cumulative Volume Delta (CVD), a measure of aggressive buying versus selling, have noted increasing buying pressure in both spot and futures markets.

When CVD rises, it indicates that buyers are hitting market orders more aggressively than sellers.

In the current structure:

  • Spot CVD is rising sharply, suggesting direct accumulation of Bitcoin by investors
  • Futures CVD is also climbing, indicating leveraged traders are increasingly opening long positions

This combination is often seen in strong trending markets. However, analysts generally place more weight on spot demand because it reflects actual capital entering the market, rather than leveraged speculative activity.

When spot buying leads the move, rallies tend to be more stable. By contrast, when price rises primarily on leveraged futures positioning, markets can become vulnerable to rapid liquidations if sentiment shifts.

At present, the alignment between rising spot demand and expanding futures positioning suggests the current move higher is being supported by genuine market accumulation.

From a technical perspective, Bitcoin has also broken out of a bull flag pattern on the four-hour chart, a formation commonly associated with trend continuation.

A bull flag typically forms after a sharp upward move, when price enters a brief consolidation phase within a downward-sloping channel. This structure represents a temporary pause before the market potentially resumes the previous trend.

In Bitcoin’s case:

  • The market rallied strongly before entering a period of consolidation
  • Price then moved within a descending channel for several sessions
  • Bitcoin has now broken above the upper boundary of that structure, signalling a potential continuation of the broader upward move
  • The breakout also occurred near a previously tested resistance level. Once that level was cleared, the market structure shifted from consolidation back to an upward trend

Another factor drawing attention from traders is the presence of a CME futures gap above current prices.

CME gaps occur when Bitcoin’s spot market moves significantly while the Chicago Mercantile Exchange futures market is closed, creating a gap between closing and reopening prices on the futures chart.

Historically, these gaps are often revisited by the market, which is why they tend to attract attention from technical traders.

With the bull flag now resolved to the upside, some analysts believe the next phase of Bitcoin’s move could involve a push towards this CME gap level, provided momentum remains intact.

While short-term technical signals are encouraging, the sustainability of Bitcoin’s move will likely depend on whether spot demand continues to absorb supply.

For now, the market structure suggests:

  • Spot accumulation is increasing
  • Futures traders are positioning for further upside
  • Technical patterns support trend continuation

If these dynamics remain aligned, Bitcoin may continue to push higher in the near term, as traders watch to see whether momentum can extend towards the next technical targets.

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