Bitcoin stayed above $80,000 after April US employment figures came in stronger than expected, dampening expectations for near-term Federal Reserve rate cuts. The Labor Department reported 115,000 jobs added with unemployment steady at 4.3%, while the CME FedWatch Tool showed just a 6% chance of a June cut. Traders are watching whether the $80,000 area remains a durable support zone or signals a deeper pullback.

At Consensus 2026, Bitmine Technology chairman Tom Lee said Bitcoin could finish late 2026 in a $150,000–$200,000 range and move “well past all-time highs.” He also projected Ethereum could reach $9,000–$12,000 into year-end as BTC trades near the $79,000–$80,000 area and analysts watch whether support holds.

US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded a sixth straight week of net inflows, with the six-week stretch from the week of April 2 through Friday totaling $3.4 billion. Weekly inflows ranged from $22.34 million (week of April 2) to $996.38 million (week of April 17), while the latest week added $622.75 million.

A stronger U.S. employment report in April shifted rate expectations, with 115,000 jobs added and unemployment at 4.3%. Rate-hike probabilities for 2026 increased to 20.8% while Bitcoin's positioning as a debasement hedge strengthened, alongside $1.25 billion in net BTC ETF inflows so far in May and a 16.5% Q2 rise in the BTC/XAU ratio.

A CryptoQuant market analyst argues that Bitcoin's bottom call needs one additional confirmation: reclaiming $88,880 and holding above it. The analyst says a brief touch is insufficient, and points to holder cost-basis bands at $88,880, $93,400, and $111,800 as potential sell-pressure zones. In the same analysis, Bitcoin was trading near $80,250, leaving the confirmation level roughly $8,000 higher.

On May 8, 2026, GoMining announced GoBTC Pay, a protocol aimed at enabling native, instant Bitcoin payments directly on Bitcoin's base layer. The company said it has launched a dedicated mining pool to prioritize confirmations, with a goal of achieving a 12-hour final on-chain settlement by the end of 2026. GoMining added that the initiative extends its ecosystem of 5 million users into everyday merchant payments.

Bitcoin briefly dipped below $80,000 as selling pressure and derivatives unwinds intensified, while Ethereum fell under $2,300. The move followed a surge in profit-taking—14,600 BTC realized gains on May 4—alongside about $331 million in liquidations over the past 24 hours, with nearly $100 million in a two-hour span. Price later hovered near $80,200 as traders watched the $80,000–$82,000 resistance area.

Bitcoin hovered around $80,000 after failing to hold $82,500 on Friday, following $268 million of net outflows from US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs on Thursday. Over the same 24-hour window, $270 million in leveraged long BTC futures were liquidated, while mixed positioning among top traders added to near-term caution.