Highlights
- Trader Michaël van de Poppe says LINK has started an uptrend against Bitcoin and is a dip-buying candidate.
- His near-term target is a break of the 2,400-satoshi level on the LINK/BTC pair.
- He projects that level translating to LINK above $20 on the dollar pair.
- LINK has already climbed roughly 17% over the past week, trading near $11.35-$11.72 across major exchanges.
LINK Starts Outperforming Bitcoin
Chainlink is showing early signs of relative strength against Bitcoin, according to trader Michaël van de Poppe, who told followers that $LINK has started an uptrend vs. $BTC and that dips are worth buying at current levels. The call comes as LINK has already posted a sharp move in dollar terms: the token was trading around $11.35 on Coinbase and in a broader $11.30-$11.72 range across major exchanges, up roughly 17% from about $9.66 a week earlier. That move follows a stretch in early August when LINK traded closer to $8.13-$8.20, still roughly 84% below its 2021 all-time high.
The Levels Traders Are Watching
Van de Poppe's thesis centers on the LINK/BTC pair rather than the dollar chart alone — a distinction technical traders use to separate genuine relative strength from a token simply following Bitcoin higher or lower. His first target is a break above the 2,400-satoshi level, which he says would open the door for LINK to push past $20 in dollar terms, more than 75% above current prices. The setup builds on a broader pattern flagged elsewhere in the market: other traders have pointed to Bitcoin's recent liquidity sweep as a signal that capital could rotate into altcoins that have lagged BTC through the year, and a Chainlink breakout against Bitcoin would fit squarely into that rotation narrative.
Why a BTC-Pair Breakout Matters
Related: Trader Says BTC's Liquidity Sweep Clears the Way for Altcoins to Outperform
For altcoins broadly, a sustained move higher against Bitcoin — not just against the dollar — is typically read as the clearer signal of genuine capital rotation, since a token can rise in dollar terms purely because Bitcoin itself is rallying. Chainlink's oracle network remains foundational infrastructure for a large share of DeFi price feeds and cross-chain messaging, giving LINK a structural role that some traders argue justifies renewed accumulation whenever it underperforms for extended stretches, as it has for most of the past several years relative to its 2021 peak. Whether the current bounce marks the start of a durable trend or another failed relief rally will likely hinge on whether LINK can hold gains if Bitcoin itself turns volatile again.
What to Watch Next
The immediate technical marker is the 2,400-satoshi level on the LINK/BTC chart; a clean break and hold above it is the confirmation van de Poppe is using to validate the broader uptrend call, with $20 as the dollar-denominated follow-through target. A failure to clear that level, or a reversal back toward the $8-9 range LINK occupied earlier in August, would undercut the rotation thesis.
FAQ
What is the LINK/BTC pair and why does it matter?
It measures Chainlink's price directly against Bitcoin rather than the US dollar, which traders use to judge whether a token is genuinely gaining strength or just following Bitcoin's own moves.
What price level is the trader watching?
Michaël van de Poppe is watching a break above 2,400 satoshis on the LINK/BTC pair as confirmation of the uptrend, with an associated dollar target above $20.
How has LINK performed recently?
LINK is up roughly 17% over the past week, trading in the $11.30-$11.72 range as of late August 2026, up from levels near $8.13-$8.20 in early August.
Is $20 a near-term or long-term target?
It's framed as the target tied to a break of the 2,400-satoshi level rather than a specific date, meaning it depends on the LINK/BTC breakout actually confirming.
