Bitcoin Analyst Warns BTC Risks $15,000 Shakeout Within Next Five Months

Bitcoin rebounded after the crypto market’s deleveraging in 2022, but its price remains sensitive to capital flows and technical support levels. The pseudonymous analyst PlanB assesses market cycles using realized price and the 200-week moving average. Investors often use these indicators to gauge whether a bear market has bottomed, drawing attention to the latest warning.

Bitcoin fell 20.5% in June and ended the month at $58,526, marking its worst June performance since June 2022. PlanB said the price remained above realized price but was below the 200-week moving average, suggesting a bottom might not yet have formed. Bitcoin could fall further to $52,000, the analyst warned.

The market has remained focused on the risk of a pullback since Bitcoin reached an all-time high of about $126,000 in October 2025. Crypto analyst Doctor Profit, who predicted that peak, is now warning about a technical pattern on the daily chart. Bear flags typically signal that a decline could resume after a period of consolidation, drawing investors’ attention.

As of July 20, 2026, Doctor Profit said Bitcoin’s daily chart was forming a large bearish flag. If the price breaks lower and confirms the pattern, the initial target range would be $54,000–$56,000. If selling pressure persists, Bitcoin could subsequently test the $40,000–$50,000 range in search of a bottom.

Bitcoin has remained under pressure amid threats from U.S. tariff policy and a broader selloff in risk assets. Because BTC is widely viewed as a gauge of risk appetite in crypto markets, its sharp decline has weighed on the sector and prompted investors to seek refuge in stablecoins, rapidly worsening market sentiment.

As of Feb. 23, 2026, the Crypto Fear & Greed Index had fallen to 5, placing it in the “extreme fear” zone. Polymarket traders put the probability of BTC falling below $55,000 at 72%, up from the 66%–70% shown in related reports, signaling expectations that the selloff could continue.

Atlas Capital was co-founded by Nouriel Roubini, the economist known as “Dr. Doom” who warned of the 2008 financial crisis. CEO Reza Bundy views Bitcoin as a risk asset that behaves more like technology stocks. His forecast underscores the cryptocurrency’s continued sensitivity to equity markets, global liquidity and confidence in fiat currencies.

Speaking at the Proof of Talk conference in Paris on June 4, 2026, Bundy said Bitcoin could fall as much as 70% over the next six months to $26,000–$30,000 if equities undergo a severe correction. He nevertheless remained bullish on long-term demand, forecasting that Bitcoin could eventually reach $150,000–$500,000.