Bitcoin (BTC) has been on an upward trend in recent weeks, showing positive price movements that appear quite appealing to investors.

According to a recent CryptoQuant analysis, a key metric, “active address momentum,” paints a bullish picture for the cryptocurrency.

Active Address Momentum Signals Upward Market Structure

Active addresses represent the number of unique addresses conducting transactions on the Bitcoin network, providing insights into network activity and investor engagement.

By applying a 30-day moving average (30DMA) and a 365-day moving average (365DMA) to this indicator, the CryptoQuant analyst could assess the network’s growing momentum.

The analyst emphasized that the 30DMA has sharply risen recently and is closing in on the 365DMA. If a “golden cross” occurs, where the 30DMA surpasses the 365DMA, it could signal a further bullish trend for Bitcoin, dent reveals.

The CryptoQuant analyst added that Bitcoin has seen high transaction volumes since the second half of the year, supporting increased network activity.

While the current upward momentum is encouraging, the analyst also warned of potential volatility due to a “rising wedge” formation in Bitcoin’s price chart—a pattern that could lead to significant price swings if the wedge continues to tighten.

Bitcoin Rally To $90,000 In Sight?

Bitcoin’s recent price performance has added to the optimism among investors. Over the past week, the cryptocurrency has surged by over 10%, and it has continued its upward trajectory, rising by an additional 1.98% in the past 24 hours to trade at $68,708 at the time of writing.

This upward movement has helped Bitcoin break through a major resistance zone on its daily chart, sparking predictions of even higher prices.

One notable prediction came from crypto analyst Javon Marks, who recently shared his outlook on X. Marks highlighted that Bitcoin has broken out of a “descending broadening wedge” pattern. Statistically, this pattern suggests that when the resisting line is broken, the price objective is reached in 81% of cases.

In Bitcoin’s case, Marks believes that this breakout could push the price of Bitcoin to a range between $90,000 and even more than $96,000.

#Bitcoin (BTC) is now broken out of the displayed ‘descending broadening wedge’ pattern and statistics from this type of pattern states that in 81% of cases, the pattern’s price objective is reached when the resisting line is broken.

Bitcoin’s Price Objective:

$90,000-$96,000+ https://t.co/lPZZtJm7pi pic.twitter.com/hudApLSlDj

— JAVONMARKS (@JavonTM1) October 17, 2024

Featured image created with DALL-E, Chart from TradingView

El Salvador’s misguided critics got some new ammunition this week.

A recent survey revealed just 7.5% of Salvadorans use Bitcoin for transactions, and that 92% of Salvadorans do not. But while some (cue: Steve Hanke) may look at these numbers and think “Oh, well that experiment failed,” I disagree.

Even putting aside the increased tourism, business activity, and international notoriety, El Salvador’s Bitcoin legal tender law has been a success.

El Salvador currently has a population of around 6.3 million, meaning 475,000 (7.5%) people are now using Bitcoin for transactions. The fact that almost half a million citizens now use BTC in their daily life for transactions is pretty impressive, but the Lindy effect means we can expect this figure to increase with time.

Considering the history of El Salvador, it was obvious from the beginning that the entire country was not going to start using this new payments technology from day one. El Salvador has a history of failed currency regimes. It takes time for any new system to build trust.

As I pointed out three years ago, I believe Bitcoin needs to become a store of value first before it can become a medium of exchange. Bitcoin today, even with it being a $1.4 trillion dollar asset, is still just a drop in the ocean compared to vast global wealth.

There is still a common consensus in the general public that Bitcoin is risky to get into, and that will need to change before more people in more countries start using it on a daily basis.

Bitcoin is still a new asset class that is growing up. The more it grows up, the more credibility it earns, the more price increases, the more innovation happens that sprouts new transactional and custody solutions to meet non-technical people where they are.

This will take a long time, but it’s a process that is underway.

I see many Bitcoiners online who are so bullish that they believe that adoption as an everyday transaction method will happen suddenly over the next few years, but this discounts real-world data, like this survey, which shows the process is much slower.

All this is to say that if Bitcoin is going to see worldwide merchant adoption and use by everyday individuals, we’re going to need to see a much higher price, Bitcoin will need to be easier to use, and more trusted than it is today.

Exactly how long will it take? I don’t know for certain. But if you think of it as a loading bar, we’re already 7.5% complete on our way to 100% of Salvadorans transacting in Bitcoin.

Remember, this is progress. Nothing happens overnight.

This article is a Take. Opinions expressed are entirely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.