Bitcoin             failed to keep gains above the 10-DMA earlier this week, which triggered a more aggressive sell-off. The coin has extended its slide to the $6,000 key figure on Thursday and remains under pressure. The digital currency is still vulnerable to further losses and could challenge the important support in the nearest future if the bulls don’t enter the game at this stage.

On the one hand, the pair’s inability to stage a convincing and sustainable ascent deters long term buyers who start to doubt that the asset could get back to its previous highs, registered in mid-December. The virtual currency still looks unattractive for bulls and draws sellers on rallies.

On the other hand, bitcoin             has been steady in the $6,000-$7,000 range over the past few weeks, which highlights some stabilization of the market. In time, lower volatility coupled with higher security levels could attract institutional investors to the industry. In the short term, BTCUSD             needs to regain the $6,400 area to resume the rebound and get back above the 10-DMA.