Litecoin (LTC) saw a slight 1.74% price decline over the past 24 hours, with the price dropping from $64.82 down to $63.71 as of September 21, 2023. Despite the minor daily decrease, LTC remains up 1.62% over the past week. However, the is still down 3.05% over the past month and 22.97% over the past 6 months, indicating a longer-term bearish trend.

With a current market capitalization of $4.70 billion, Litecoin ranks among the top 15 largest cryptocurrencies by market cap. Over the previous 24 hours, LTC saw a trading volume of $298.09 million, suggesting decent liquidity.

Traders should watch the key support level near $63 closely. A break below this could signal a further move lower, with the next support around $60. However, if bulls can hold the $63 level, Litecoin could consolidate before attempting to retest overhead resistance around $65.

The slight hourly gain of 0.28% shows very short-term momentum remaining fairly neutral. Intraday traders may look for bullish RSI divergences or key breakouts past $64 to signal entries to ride any near-term upward move. Stops would be wisely placed below the crucial $63 support.

Analyzing the daily and weekly charts, LTC appears range-bound between support around $63 and resistance at $65. The trading range has tightened over the past week, suggesting that a larger breakout may be building.

If overhead resistance at $65 is broken with increased volume, Litecoin could rally back towards the next resistance zone around $68. However, failure to break past $65 could result in a retest of range support around $63.

Bearish Divergence Forming on Higher Timeframes

The daily and weekly charts are showing bearish divergence forming between price and the RSI indicator. This demonstrates that buying momentum is waning even as LTC holds up around current levels.

The negative divergence suggests upside could be limited in the near-term until more buying pressure returns to the market. Traders should watch for a break below $63 support to confirm the divergence. In that scenario, Litecoin may decline towards the 200-day moving average near $55.

The recent price action appears correlated with Bitcoin’s failures to break out above $25,000 resistance. If Bitcoin sees renewed momentum, Litecoin could also breakout towards the upside. The cryptocurrency market remains highly correlated, so traders should keep an eye on Bitcoin’s price action.

LTC Likely to Trade Sideways Before Attempting Rally in 2023

Given the current technical setup, the most likely scenario over the next few months is that Litecoin will continue trading within its defined range between $63 support and $65 resistance. This sideways price action could persist for a number of weeks as buyers and sellers reach an equilibrium.

However, looking ahead to 2023, if the overall cryptocurrency market sentiment improves, Litecoin has a good chance of breaking out towards the upside. The key level to watch will be the $65 resistance – once broken, LTC could embark on a sustained rally back towards the 2022 highs around $90.

With Bitcoin’s next halving event coming in 2024, renewed institutional interest and capital inflows could provide tailwinds for Litecoin over the coming year. The blockchain’s liquidity, faster transaction speeds, and listing on platforms like PayPal also give LTC an advantage.

Patient longer-term investors and swing traders may look to accumulate Litecoin during periods of sideways consolidation, such as the current trading range. Establishing positions during these periods of balanced price action can provide good risk-reward scenarios for riding the next major upside breakout when it does materialize.

Will Litecoin Break Out in 2023 After a Drawn-Out Consolidation?

Litecoin has seen prolonged consolidation during most of 2022 and into 2023 thus far. However, given the bullish macro outlook for cryptocurrencies leading into Bitcoin’s halving in 2024, many analysts believe LTC could be poised for a major breakout next year.

The key question is whether Litecoin will manage to break out from its current trading range between $63 support and $65 resistance in order to embark on a sustained price uptrend. Or will the consolidation last for most of 2023 before any breakout attempt?

There are strong arguments to be made both for and against a Litecoin breakout over the coming months.

On the bullish side, from a technical perspective, prolonged consolidations that form triangle or wedge patterns often result in powerful moves once support or resistance is broken. Additionally, on-chain data shows long-term LTC holders are still accumulating, suggesting smart money is positioning for upside.

However, the failure to break key resistances thus far indicates buyers remain hesitant at higher levels. The bearish divergence on the daily timeframe also signals that upside momentum is waning in the short-term. Plus, macro headwinds like interest rate hikes could continue weighing on risk assets.

Therefore, the prudent approach seems to be patiently waiting for a clear break past $65 before anticipating any upside breakout. Litecoin will likely trade sideways in the coming months, frustrating both bulls and bears alike. But eventually, the coiling should lead to a major move if technicals align with improving sentiment.

Does Litecoin Have an Advantage Over Bitcoin as a Payment Cryptocurrency?

Many investors view Litecoin as a better alternative to Bitcoin for payments and everyday transactions. LTC's faster block times, lower fees, and higher coin supply give it advantages when transferred between exchanges or used for purchases.

However, Bitcoin still retains the first-mover advantage and much greater adoption as digital gold. This raises the question - does Litecoin actually have a real advantage compared to Bitcoin when it comes to using cryptocurrency for payments?

On the one hand, Litecoin’s 2.5 minute block time versus Bitcoin’s 10 minutes enables faster transaction confirmations. LTC transaction fees are also currently a fraction of BTC's, enhancing utility for small purchases. Litecoin also has more circulating supply, lending better to spending.

However, Bitcoin’s Lightning Network is rapidly improving BTC's ability to scale for micro-transactions. And merchants are much more likely to accept Bitcoin payments than Litecoin. Additionally, Bitcoin benefits from a more decentralized and secure network.

While Litecoin compares favorably to Bitcoin on speed and cost, Bitcoin’s brand still eclipses its use-cases as a payment coin. LTC may continue playing a niche role, but likely does not have enough differentiating factors to supersede BTC for transactions long-term. The first-mover remains dominant.

In summary, while Litecoin does hold some advantages, Bitcoin still reigns supreme when analyzing the cryptocurrency payment landscape. LTC can fulfill a role, but likely does not have enough differentiation to displace BTC over the long run.