The first full week of 2019 is in full swing and markets are on the move. The US Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC) may take its time with approving a Bitcoin ETF and is stuck due to the government shutdown. However, Japanese regulators are contemplating an Exchange Traded Fund for the grandaddy of cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin.

Satoshi Nakamoto’s coin (may it be a Japanese individual or a group of developers outside Japan) is celebrating its 10th birthday, and an ETF would be a nice gift. Our charts show it has room to move one step up.

Another positive factor is Ethereum’s Constantinople upgrade. The consensual hard-fork is due for January 16th, and the current King of Altcoins holds onto its gains. Can it push higher? It may need to unshackle itself from a tough area of resistance.

What about Ripple? The third cryptocurrency in market capitalization is surrounded by technical barriers, but the path of least resistance is to the upside.

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BTC/USD has a clear upside target

Bitcoin has an initial resistance line at $4,074 which is the convergence of the Simple Moving Average 5-15m, the Pivot Point one-day Resistance 2, the Bollinger Band 15m-Upper, the PP 1w-R2, and the Fibonacci 161.8% one-day.

The upside target is around $4,265 which is the meeting point of last month’s high, the PP 1w-R3, and the PP 1m-R1.

Looking down, BTC/USD has immediate support at $4,010 where we see the Fibonacci 23.6% one-day, the SMA 50-15m, the Fibonacci 38.2% one-day, the BB 1h-Middle, the SMA 10-1h, the SMA 5-4h, and the SMA 100-15m.

Significant support awaits at $3,840 where we see the confluence of the SMA 50-4h, the SMA 200-1h, the Fibonacci 61.8% one-month, the SMA 10-1d, and the BB 1d-Middle.

ETH/USD needs to escape the $153 magnet

Ethereum is stuck around $153 which is a magnet for Vitalik Buterin’s brainchild. It is a dense cluster of lines including the Fibonacci 38.2% one-day, the previous 4h high, the SMA 10-15m, the SMA 100-1h, the Fibonacci 23.6% one-week, and the Bollinger Band 4h-Middle.

Should it rise, the next level to watch is $161.20 where the PP 1d-R3, the BB 4h-Upper, and last monthly high converge.

Further up, $170 is the target as it is the meeting point of the BB 1d-Upper and the PP 1m-R1.

Support awaits at $149.30 which is the confluence of the Fibonacci 382.% one-week and previous 4h low.

XRP/USD mired in the range

Ripple is stuck in a dense forest of technical levels ranging from $0.3647 to $0.0.3724. These woods include the SMA 100-4h, the previous 1h-high, the BB 15-minute Upper, the Fibonacci 61.8% one-week, the SMA 5-1h, the SMA 10-1d, the SMA 10-15m, the BB 1d-Middle, the Fibonacci 61.8% one-day, the SMA 5-15m, the SMA 200-1h, the Fibonacci 38.2% one-day, the BB 15m-Middle, the all-important Fibonacci 23.6% one-day, the SMA SMA 50-4h, the SMA 10-4h, and many more.

If XRP/USD breaks free, an initial target is $0.3956 where we note the Fibonacci 61.8% one-month.

On the downside, substantial support awaits at $0.3513 which is the confluence of the Fibonacci 38.2% one-month and last week’s low.

As resistance is weaker than support, the bulls may have a better chance to rise.