For most of this cycle, the LINK price has followed a pretty familiar script on the LINK/BTC chart. It rallies, runs into resistance, then slowly rolls over and heads lower again.
That’s why Michaël van de Poppe’s comment stands out this time. When he says the chart is forming the first higher low since the bear market, it’s not just talk. You can see it clearly on the chart.
Instead of a breakdown into brand-new lows beneath the region of $12.00-$12.50, LINK saw a price action lower into a region of support around $13.70. This in itself does not mean a reversal of the trend but does indicate that some form of change is taking place beneath the surface level of the market action. Such change usually happens before a major movement and not after.
Why This Higher Low Matters More Than It Looks
Looking at the right side of the chart shared by Michaël, the LINK price pushed sharply into support, printed a long downside wick near $13.70, and then bounced. That zone has now turned into a base, and sellers haven’t been able to force a breakdown below it so far. That’s a big difference compared to earlier phases of the downtrend.
In previous attempts, every bounce eventually gave way to lower lows under $13.00. This time, the LINK price stopped higher and started consolidating above support. That tells you buyers are stepping in earlier, which is often how trend changes begin.
As long as LINK holds above the $13.50–$13.70 region, pullbacks start to look more like healthy retests rather than warning signs.
The Level That Decides Everything for LINK
Still, the chart makes one thing very clear. The LINK price has a major hurdle overhead. The prior swing high around $16.50–$17.00 is the level that needs to break to actually flip the trend. Until that happens, this move remains a recovery phase, not a confirmed reversal.
There’s also a key moving average cutting through the chart near $15.00 that has capped upside for months. The LINK price is now pressing into that area again. A clean break and hold above $15.00 would increase the chances of a push toward $17.00. If that level rejects price again, LINK could spend more time ranging between $13.70 and $15.00.
What’s Next for LINK?
Momentum indicators aren’t showing extreme conditions right now, and that’s not a bad thing. The LINK price isn’t overheated above $18.00, nor is it collapsing under support. It’s sitting in a decision zone where the market has to prove whether this higher low actually matters.
If this base continues to hold and the LINK price starts challenging $16.50 and beyond, the structure finally begins to change. Until then, this is the quiet phase, where the chart builds pressure before revealing its next real direction.