Bitcoin Cash (BCH) has emerged as a standout performer among Layer-1 altcoins in 2025, with its price rising nearly 32% year-to-date to trade above $570, outperforming rivals like Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), and Tron (TRX). This growth has occurred largely outside the institutional narrative surrounding ETFs and strategic reserves that has benefited other major altcoins.
Analysts are now closely watching whether BCH can achieve a decisive breakout above a critical long-term resistance zone between $610 and $650, which has capped its price since July 2024. Investor Karamata predicts that a break above this zone could trigger a significant price surge, potentially pushing BCH toward a two-year high above $720.
On-chain data provides bullish signals for a potential breakout. In December 2025, Bitcoin Cash's average transaction value spiked to a record high above $1.34 million, indicating substantial capital inflows, likely from large investors or 'whales'. Data from CryptoQuant further shows that whale activity has dominated the BCH order book in recent months, coinciding with the price challenging the $600 resistance level.
Beyond trading metrics, BCH maintains strong fundamentals for real-world use, ranking as the fourth most widely accepted cryptocurrency for payments with 2,468 merchants, according to Cryptwerk.
However, the path to a breakout is not without risks. Despite a 22.2% rally since mid-November 2024, BCH has been unable to decisively break the $624 resistance. Short-term trading data reveals bearish pressures: the spot Cumulative Volume Delta (CVD) has declined over the past three days, indicating selling pressure, and Open Interest dropped nearly 20% following a recent rejection at the range highs, signaling waning speculative confidence.
Trading analysis suggests the price is currently consolidating in a short-term range between $575 and $597. While the rising On-Balance Volume (OBV) suggests underlying buyer strength, analysts caution that buying at range highs is risky. A move above $605 would invalidate the short-term bearish outlook, but until a confirmed breakout and successful retest of $624 as support occurs, the immediate outlook remains cautious due to liquidity constraints and fearful market sentiment.
