Bitcoin (BTC) returned above $42,000 on Dec. 5 as analysis remained suspicious of market manipulation.

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed a BTC price rebound taking BTC/USD to highs of $42,498 on Bitstamp.

These beat the 19-month peak set the day prior, with retracements being short-lived amid a general atmosphere of excitement throughout crypto.

As Bitcoin continued to reclaim ground lost in mid-2022, however, warnings over the rallys sustainability continued to flow in. These centered on the behavior of large-volume traders, also known as whales.

In a dedicated thread about the phenomenon on X (formerly Twitter), trading resource Material Indicators explained that from order book liquidity cues, it appeared that these traders could be deliberately coordinating higher prices in order to sell into an uptrend with minimal slippage.

The more liquidity available near the intended selling point, the better value a major sell-off would bring.

We saw the exact game played over the wknd with a $50M buy wall at $35k, and it often works. Now we have $50M stacked at $38.5k, Material Indicators noted, calling current order book action a strategically choreographed distribution game.

The analysis reasoned that a return to $38,500 was unlikely, but that new blocks of bid liquidity including one at $41,500 were not organic.

That said, upside continuation could easily form the norm into next year, as a sense of anticipation over both macroeconomic changes and a United States approval of its first Bitcoin spot price exchange-traded fund (ETF) sets the tone.

With BTC liquidity strategically moving around the game board we are likely to see this rally extend, Material Indicators forecast.

Other market commentators eyed similarly bullish short-term BTC price signals.

Related:Bitcoin short-term holder sales near $5B as profit-taking mimics 2021

Popular trader Daan Crypto Trades noted declining open interest during the consolidation phase, which preceded the days Wall Street open.

For trader, analyst and podcast host Scott Melker, meanwhile, the four-hour chart said it all.

Bitcoin consistently breaks above bearish ascending patterns in a bull market. And this one is currently being retested as support, part of his X commentary on an accompanying graphic.

Zooming out further, the popular social media commentator known as Moustache saw no reason for the current bull market to diverge from previous ones in terms of BTC price patterns.

$48,000 is inevitable. If this is broken, I even see ~$60,000 for Bitcoin in the near future, he argued alongside a chart showing price phases divided into waves.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

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BTC price sets new 19-month high in 'choreographed' Bitcoin whale move - Cointelegraph