'If you’re not accumulating bitcoin at this stage, then when,' asks prominent analyst
Analysis
Price Impact
MedThe analyst suggests bitcoin is in a bottoming formation, implying potential for future price appreciation. however, the analysis also cautions that time, rather than price, might be the more frustrating factor for bulls in the short term, indicating a potentially drawn-out recovery. the mention of 'accumulating' and 'dollar cost averaging' suggests a positive outlook but with patience required.
Trustworthiness
MedThe analyst, james check, is described as a 'prominent onchain analyst,' which lends credibility. the analysis is based on 'mean reversion models, from technical to onchain,' which are standard tools in market analysis. however, the prediction acknowledges the possibility of further price drops and references the potentially frustrating nature of prolonged bottoming processes, similar to 2022. this balanced perspective increases trustworthiness.
Price Direction
BullishThe analyst explicitly states that 'bitcoin is exhibiting textbook bottom formation characteristics across multiple indicators, trading at levels that historically precede significant recoveries.' they also advise 'ignoring the bears... and quietly dollar cost averaging [and] stacking sats from here on,' which is a strong bullish signal for accumulation.
Time Effect
LongThe article highlights that 'time — not price — is likely to be the bigger test for bitcoin bulls.' it draws a parallel to 2022, where the actual cycle low took months to form after initial bottoming signs. this suggests that while the outlook is bullish, the recovery might not be immediate and could involve a period of sideways movement or gradual gains.
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Markets Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email 'If you’re not accumulating bitcoin at this stage, then when,' asks prominent analyst Time, not price, is probably going to be more frustrating for bulls from here, wrote James Check, but bitcoin has been mostly de-risked at this point. By Stephen Alpher Feb 24, 2026, 1:48 p.m. Make us preferred on Google Bitcoin bottoming process becomes clear (Shutterstock) What to know : Bitcoin appears to be bottoming based on any number of indicators, wrote James Check. As in 2022, it could be several months of bouncing around before the actual cycle low is in place. Bitcoin is exhibiting textbook bottom formation characteristics across multiple indicators, trading at levels that historically precede significant recoveries, according to prominent onchain analyst James Check . Time — not price — is, however, likely to be the bigger test for bitcoin bulls. "Every mean reversion model, from technical to onchain is trading within bottom formation levels, typically seen after the price capitulation event (which December 2018 and June 2022 were examples of)," wrote Check on Tuesday morning as bitcoin plunged through $63,000, seemingly on its way to testing the Feb. 5 panic low of $60,000. STORY CONTINUES BELOW Don't miss another story. Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today . See all newsletters Sign me up By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms & conditions and privacy policy . "Either Bitcoin is dead, will no longer mean revert, and all your models are broken," Check continued. "Or you should be ignoring the bears ... and quietly dollar cost averaging [and] stacking sats from here on." While Check allows that it's possible or even likely that the price of bitcoin could fall even further from here, it's time that will play the key factor. He reminds of the brutal 2022 bear market. Folks remember the price low around $15,600 in December of that year, but bitcoin essentially bottomed six months earlier at about $17,600. The rest was just waiting, and then a final liquidity flush (surrounding the FTX collapse). "This is literally what a de-risked setup looks like for bitcoin," concluded Check. "If you're not actively accumulating bitcoin at this stage, then when?" Bitcoin News market analysis More For You Cipher Digital rebrands as it pivots from bitcoin mining to HPC, shares slide By James Van Straten | Edited by Sheldon Reback 41 minutes ago Revenue and adjusted EPS come in below estimates as company leans into large scale data center buildout. What to know : Cipher Digital fell short of analysts' revenue and EPS estimates in the fourth quarter. The company, formerly Cipher Mining, rebranded to reflect a pivot from bitcoin production to high-performance computing. The shares fell 5% in pre-market trading. Read full story Latest Crypto News Cipher Digital rebrands as it pivots from bitcoin mining to HPC, shares slide 41 minutes ago Canton advances cross-border repo to free up $300 trillion assets via tokenization 49 minutes ago Over 400,000 BTC bought between $60k and $70k during bitcoin’s latest downturn 1 hour ago Bitcoin teeters near $63,000 as pippin's rally shows froth remains 1 hour ago The ghost of the iPhone: Why Michael Saylor thinks bitcoin is mirroring Apple’s legendary ‘valley of despair’ 1 hour ago Crypto markets bleed as bitcoin hovers above liquidation zone 2 hours ago Top Stories Putting the treasury to work: The Ethereum Foundation just staked 70,000 ETH to fund its future 3 hours ago Jane Street faces claims of insider trading that sped up Terraform's 2022 collapse 8 hours ago Hong Kong's RedotPay said to plan blockbuster $1 billion IPO in New York: Bloomberg 4 hours ago Step Finance shuts operations after $27 million January hack 3 hours ago Canaan buys Cipher’s 49% of West Texas mining venture for $39.75 million in stock 3 hours ago Bitcoin's price discovery is moving to Chicago 6 hours ago