Bitwise's year-end barrage of ETF paperwork should have been a perfect spark for “alt season.” On Dec. 30, the issuer filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to launch 11 single-token “strategy” ETFs tied to Aave, Uniswap, Zcash, NEAR, Starknet, Sui, Bittensor, Tron, and other protocols. Each fund would allocate about 60% of its […]
The post Bitwise just filed for 11 new crypto ETFs, and the market’s silence exposes a brutal new reality appeared first on CryptoSlate.
At the start of 2025, crypto's biggest names issued bold forecasts: Bitcoin to $200,000, Ethereum to $7,000, a US strategic reserve, and stablecoins going mainstream. Twelve months later, the scoreboard reveals a pattern. The price targets mostly crashed and burned, while the structural calls on regulation, ETFs, and payments infrastructure quietly came true. Here's who […]
The post Which predictions landed this year? One ignored model actually nailed the 2025 market cycle appeared first on CryptoSlate.
If you followed Bitcoin ETFs day to day in 2025, you probably developed the same habit everyone did: you checked the print at night, read one sentence about “risk-on” or “risk-off,” then tried to map a clean story onto a messy market. The problem is that daily flows are noisy by design. They're the residue […]
The post Bitcoin ETF fatigue is real, ignoring noise, these are the 10 days that mattered in 2025 appeared first on CryptoSlate.
According to Farside Investors data, US investors put close to $32 billion into US crypto exchange-traded funds in 2025 even as markets lost steam late in the year. Related Reading: Crypto Headed For A $10 Trillion Future? Hoskinson Says RWA Is The Key Spot Bitcoin ETFs drew the biggest share, with $21.4 billion in net inflows. That is smaller than the $35 billion that poured into Bitcoin ETFs in 2024. Blackrock Dominates Flows BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF, IBIT, accounted for most of the activity. Reports show IBIT took in about $24.7 billion. That makes its inflows roughly five times larger than the nearest rival, Fidelity’s FBTC. Market watchers noted IBIT ranked near the top among all ETF flows, placing behind only a few broad index funds and a big treasury bond fund. If IBIT’s number is removed, the wider spot Bitcoin ETF group actually finished the year with about $3 billion in combined outflows. Grayscale’s Bitcoin product lost nearly $4 billion on the year. Bitcoin’s price was lower than at the start of 2025; it began the year around $93,500. Ethereum Interest Strong But Cooling Based on reports, interest in Ethereum ETFs was real, but the momentum looks uneven. BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust, ETHA, sits at nearly $12.6 billion in inflows. Fidelity’s FETH follows at $2.6 billion, while Grayscale’s Ethereum Mini Trust ETF holds about $1.5 billion. Still, public on-chain data showed little renewed demand for spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs in the last month of the year, suggesting flows may slow into 2026. Ether ETFs benefited from being new and giving investors a regulated way to own ETH, but recent days have seen quieter buying. Spot Ether ETFs, which only became widely tradable after their July 2024 launch, gathered $9.6 billion in their first full year. Spot Solana ETFs, launched in late October, added $765 million through year end. Altcoin ETFs Show Curiosity, Not Frenzy Litecoin and XRP ETFs also began trading in the latter half of the year, giving investors more choices for regulated altcoin exposure. The sums are small compared with Bitcoin and Ether. Solana’s $765 million is an example of early interest that has not yet turned into a large, steady stream of assets. These products are being tested by the market. Related Reading: Gold And Stocks Ran Ahead, But Bitcoin May Close The Gap In 2026 Global Flows Tell A Different Story Industry trackers reported that crypto ETFs listed worldwide experienced $2.95 billion in net outflows in November, and there was about $179 billion invested in crypto ETFs globally at the end of that month. Regulators and exchanges moved faster this year under new SEC leadership that was more open to approvals, which in turn helped institutional adoption in the US. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
The exchange-traded funds will invest both directly and indirectly in the tokens.
Investor Paul Barron’s hint at “big news” has reignited attention on XRP exchange-traded funds this week, sending the community into speculation over possible upcoming announcements or launches. Related Reading: Crypto Heat Fizzling Out? US Search Interest Plunges As Retail Shy Away Traders and holders reacted fast on social channels, pushing chatter and price focus higher even as specifics remain unclear. ETF Flows Heat Up According to data shared by Nate Geraci, President of NovaDius Wealth, Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs dominated year-to-date inflows. BlackRock’s IBIT Bitcoin ETF led with $25 billion in inflows. Grayscale’s Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF followed at $1.11 billion. Fidelity and VanEck posted $477 million and $305 million respectively. On the Ethereum side, BlackRock’s offerings recorded about $9.12 billion. A Solana staking ETF from Bitwise pulled in $839 million. These numbers show where most large investors are putting money right now. Expect some big news this week $XRP ETFs https://t.co/3BY5XJosPx — PaulBarron (@paulbarron) December 29, 2025 Community Reaction And Speculation Barron’s remark has been read by many as a hint at another XRP-related announcement. Some expect a new ETF launch; others are watching for updates from issuers already in the market. That talk has helped push attention — and inflows — to XRP products that only debuted late in the year. XRP Ledger Tokenization Surge Based on reports from rwa.xyz, on-chain data indicates tokenized real-world assets on the XRP Ledger rose by 2,200% in 2025. The network saw about 23x growth in the value of native real-world assets, including stablecoins, and crossed the $500 million threshold. Themes around RWA tokenization were widely discussed this year by figures such as BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and former SEC Chair Paul Atkins, and the XRPL appears to be drawing benefit from that interest. XRP ETFs Show Early Strength Canary’s XRP ETF (XRPC) registered $384 million in year-to-date inflows after launching in November. Other XRP spot funds have built sizable holdings too: 21Shares holds about $250 million, Bitwise roughly $227 million, Grayscale around $244 million, and Franklin about $206 million. Based on reports, all of these XRP spot ETFs launched in November and December and now tally roughly $1.24 billion in total assets under management with cumulative inflows near $1.14 billion. For a new category, that level of money moving in over a short span is notable; some industry voices point out the total might have been higher if market mood had not cooled recently. Reports also say XRP ETFs pulled in over $1 billion through 21 days of steady inflows. Pending Products And Rumors WisdomTree’s XRP ETF is among the pending offerings that market watchers expect to arrive next. At the same time, talk about a BlackRock XRP ETF has circulated widely. There is currently no public filing tied to a BlackRock XRP product, and reports caution that such expectations are premature without official filings or approvals. Related Reading: Bitcoin Rules The Decade: Outshines Gold And Silver, Analyst Says Current flows note that XRP’s ETF debut has shifted part of investor focus from pure crypto bets to spot ETF allocations and tokenization themes. Whether Barron’s hinted “big news” becomes a concrete catalyst will depend on filings and formal product launches. For now, the mix of solid early inflows and rapid XRPL tokenization growth has put XRP squarely in the conversation among ETF-focused investors and network adopters. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
Crypto is seeing a shuffling of cards of sorts. Long-term holders of Bitcoin have eased up on selling after months of steady reductions, while large Ethereum wallets have been piling on more tokens, according to recent reports. Related Reading: Bitcoin Rules The Decade: Outshines Gold And Silver, Analyst Says Traders remain careful as prices swing and data gives mixed signals about where money is moving next. According to on-chain figures cited in market commentary, wallets that have held Bitcoin for at least 155 days cut their total from nearly 15 million coins in mid-July to a little over 14 million in December. Ether Whales Increase Holdings Based on reports quoting CryptoQuant and a crypto newsletter, addresses holding large amounts of ether have added around 120,000 ETH since Dec.26. Analysts at Milk Road said wallets with 1,000+ ETH now control roughly 70% of the supply, and that share has been climbing since late 2024. Heavy concentration can point to strong conviction from a few players, and it can also leave the market exposed if those same wallets move to sell. Both outcomes would shape liquidity and price swings. Long-term holders have stopped selling $BTC for the first time since July 2025. Things are looking good for a relief rally here. pic.twitter.com/t7Sl2hS9Ub — Ted (@TedPillows) December 29, 2025 Long-Term Bitcoin Holders Pause Selling Crypto investor Ted Pillows was quoted on X saying long-term holders “have stopped selling Bitcoin for the first time since July 2025,” a point that market watchers flagged as a possible turning point in holder behavior. That change in activity is often read as a sign of exhaustion after a long stretch of distribution. It can mean sellers are done for now, but it does not guarantee a fresh uptrend. Capital Moves And Market Chops Garrett Jin, formerly of exchange BitForex, suggested that some capital may be shifting from metals into crypto after a short squeeze in precious metals. Reports referenced gains in silver and platinum as part of the backdrop. At the same time, bitcoin traded in a tight range recently, bouncing between $86,740 and $90,060 over seven days, a pattern that has kept many traders on edge. Silver’s price rose by more than 1,570% this year, a figure that would represent an extreme move and which will need independent confirmation. Meanwhile, bitcoin remains well below its record highs. Some analysts argue that lukewarm ETF demand and market mechanics, including derivatives and liquidity patterns, play a larger role in price action than headline sentiment. Related Reading: Crypto Heat Fizzling Out? US Search Interest Plunges As Retail Shy Away Taken together, the data points to a market that is stabilizing more than rallying decisively. Large ether holders are buying, long-term bitcoin owners have paused selling, and US flows look soft. Featured image from GaijinPot Blog, chart from TradingView
XRP is trading around $1.87 and has slipped below the $2 mark after a recent slide. According to market trackers, the token is down about 30% in the fourth quarter of 2025, yet some analysts say the current weakness may be part of a larger build-up that has preceded strong rallies before. Investors and commentators are watching price action closely as debate grows over whether the token is setting up for a sharp rebound or more weakness. Related Reading: Bitcoin Forecasts For 2026 Range From $65K To $250K As Sentiment Hits ‘Extreme Fear’ Historical Accumulation Patterns Based on reports from chart watchers, XRP has shown what some call repeatable accumulation phases in past cycles. One run of consolidation unfolded from early 2015 through early 2017. During that span a steep drop took XRP from $0.00885 to $0.005, and later it rallied hard, climbing to about $3.30 by January 2018. A second cycle ran from mid-2023 into late 2024, where an August to November slide saw prices fall from $0.62 to $0.50, before a quick push up to roughly $3.4 in January 2025. Analysts point to these past moves as a pattern that could provide clues about what happens next. Recent Downtrend And Support Levels Reports show that since October 2025, XRP has fallen from about $2.8 to the current price near $1.84. Technical commentators have highlighted that the $1.8–$2 band, which acted as resistance earlier, may now be acting as support after recent trading. One analyst framed the present setup as an ABC reset, a short-term corrective structure that sometimes precedes renewed upward movement. Still, traders are split; some see a base forming, while others view the decline as evidence of continued selling pressure. The most hated $XRP rally is about to start! ???? pic.twitter.com/HTwbTIwxZ2 — STEPH IS CRYPTO (@Steph_iscrypto) December 16, 2025 Market Voices And Possible Catalysts According to community commentators, legal and market actions could influence XRP’s next leg. The potential end of a long-running SEC case, the arrival of XRP-focused ETFs, and pending legislation known as the Clarity Act were all cited as items that might change investor sentiment. One market watcher went so far as to say this could become the “most hated” rally, a phrase meant to describe a sudden surge that comes while many remain doubtful and frustrated. Utility Versus Price Several observers have urged a focus on real-world use. According to Aljarrah, the token’s value comes from practical utility and improved liquidity, which allows larger transfers with fewer tokens and makes the payment rails more efficient. People obsess over price, but XRP’s value is in its utility. A higher price strengthens liquidity, efficiency, and adoption. Let the tech and leadership do the work, short-term noise doesn’t matter. — Black Swan Capitalist (@VersanAljarrah) December 21, 2025 Related Reading: Big Bet On Ethereum: CEO Sees 10X TVL Growth In 2026 Price moves matter, he said, but not as speculation—rather as a factor that can broaden adoption by improving liquidity and network function. Traders should note that past patterns do not guarantee future results. While the accumulation thesis rests on historical parallels and technical charts, the market remains sensitive to news and flows. Selling now could mean missing gains if a rally follows, some warn; others say patience and careful sizing remain essential. For investors, the coming weeks may tell whether the current slump is the end of a retracement or the start of another climb. Featured image from LumerB/Getty Images, chart from TradingView
XRP is slowly entering one of the most important structural phases in its history. Price action has been mostly bearish and sentiment across the broader crypto market has been cautious, but on-chain data tells a very different story. Data from Glassnode shows XRP balances on centralized exchanges falling to around 1.5 billion XRP, their lowest in over a year. This trend is unfolding alongside accumulation from newly launched XRP ETFs, creating conditions that could change the altcoin’s price dynamics heading into 2026. Related Reading: Bitcoin Forecasts For 2026 Range From $65K To $250K As Sentiment Hits ‘Extreme Fear’ XRP Exchange Balances Fall To Multi-Year Lows Data from Glassnode’s XRP balance on exchanges metric points to a clear and persistent downtrend in balances held on crypto exchanges throughout 2025. Earlier in the year, about 4 billion XRP sat on centralized platforms. Since then, balances have steadily declined, with a particularly sharp drop visible in the fourth quarter of the year. As it stands, exchange-held XRP has compressed toward the 1.5 billion mark, one of the lowest levels recorded in recent years. This decline has occurred despite the current downtrend in XRP’s price action, meaning that some holders are increasingly opting to move tokens into longer-term custody, even as some others are selling off their holdings. This trend is important for bullish momentum, as falling exchange balances reduce near-term sell pressure and make cryptocurrencies more sensitive to incoming demand. At the center of this supply contraction are US-based Spot XRP ETFs, which have risen as a powerful new source of demand. Market estimates indicate that about 750 million XRP have been absorbed by the six Spot ETF products since the first one launched in November. As ETFs continue pulling XRP off exchanges, the pool of liquid supply available to the spot market keeps shrinking. This dynamic does not force an immediate price response, but it changes the balance between supply and demand, and we could start to see the effects on the crypto in 2026. Related Reading: Big Bet On Ethereum: CEO Sees 10X TVL Growth In 2026 Weekly Chart Points To Exhaustion As XRP Sits On Support While on-chain data highlights tightening supply, technical conditions are beginning to reflect a similar theme. Crypto analyst Steph Is Crypto recently pointed out that XRP is now sitting on an important horizontal support zone on the weekly timeframe. The chart shows XRP’s price action is now compressing into the $1.90 to $2.00 range after an extended decline from mid-2025 highs near $3.50, placing XRP back at a level that previously acted as a launch point earlier in the cycle. Furthermore, the weekly Stochastic RSI is now in extreme oversold territory and this means that selling pressure has already done much of its work. Steph’s analysis noted that turning points tend to form when downside momentum is exhausted and there is little energy left for sellers to continue pushing price lower. Based on this, traders can expect XRP to transition into bullish momentum in early 2026. Featured image from Gemini, chart from TradingView
According to Cryptowzrd’s latest technical outlook, Ethereum ended the session with an indecisive close, offering little clarity on immediate direction. With the weekend likely to bring thinner liquidity, patience remains key as the focus shifts to waiting for a cleaner structure and a more reliable scalp opportunity to emerge. Tight Ranges Signal Indecision As Volatility Wanes Cryptowzrd went on to explain that Ethereum’s daily candle closed indecisively, mirroring the lack of clear direction seen across the broader market. ETHBTC also ended the session without conviction, reinforcing the idea that momentum remains muted for now. Related Reading: $6 Billion In Ethereum Options: What This Means For Price The uncertainty extended to the higher timeframes as well, with the weekly candle closing indecisively across most ETF and CME charts. This type of price behavior suggests hesitation among market participants, making it challenging to establish a strong directional bias in the near term. According to the update, healthier price action from ETHBTC will be required before Ethereum can develop a clearer trend. That process may take time, as the pair often leads Ethereum’s relative strength and overall structure. At the time of the post, Ethereum was trading close to the $2,800 support target zone. Holding this area maintains the broader structure, while a stronger bullish push in the future could open the door for a move toward the $3,700 resistance region. For now, the focus shifts to the lower time frame charts over the weekend, where short-term scalp opportunities may emerge. However, expectations remain measured given the indecisive conditions and typically lower liquidity during weekend sessions. Range-Bound Action Keeps Ethereum Traders On The Sidelines In a conclusive summary, the analyst observed that the intraday chart remains characterized by choppy and sluggish price action. The market is currently confined to a narrow range, lacking the decisive momentum required to establish a clear trend. This period of consolidation suggests a “wait-and-see” approach is necessary as the asset stabilizes between its immediate boundaries. Related Reading: Ethereum Traders Chase Upside With Historic Leverage – Breakout Fuel Or Fragile Setup? Specific price triggers have been identified to determine the next major move. A break below the $2,880 support level would likely signal a shift toward further bearish decline, whereas a move above the $3,060 resistance would open the door for sustained upside and new long opportunities. Ultimately, the analyst emphasizes the importance of patience, noting that the current market environment requires a more mature chart structure before the next high-probability trade can be executed. Until the price breaks out of this intraday range and develops a more defined pattern, the strategy remains defensive to avoid the risks associated with the current volatility. Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com
Bitcoin ETF headlines have turned into a scoreboard with “record inflows,” “largest outflows ever,” and “institutions dumping.” The problem is that most stories isolate a single day or a single fund. Without context on cumulative flows, fund cohorts, and custody plumbing, they say very little about how much spot Bitcoin is actually changing hands, or […]
The post Bitcoin ETF “record outflows” are deceptive as crypto products absorbed $46.7 billion in 2025 appeared first on CryptoSlate.
If 2024 was the year of the crypto reawakening, 2025 was the year the plumbing finally got permitted. This year, the emerging industry entered January with tentative optimism and exited December with federal statutes. As a result, the narrative shifted definitively from “crypto as a casino” to “crypto as capital markets infrastructure.” During this period, […]
The post The top 12 crypto winners of 2025: who got it right this year? appeared first on CryptoSlate.
Two months after Trump’s tariff headline detonated a historic liquidation cascade, Bitcoin is still stuck in a different kind of market, one with less leverage, thinner liquidity, and a weaker bid from ETFs Bitcoin is sitting in the mid $80,000s again, and the vibe feels nothing like early October, when everyone was still talking like […]
The post Crypto traders say “something broke” after in October, the data says the market really did change appeared first on CryptoSlate.
The crypto market in 2025 looked nothing like it did in 2021. No parabolic rallies, no Reddit threads going vertical, no NFT floor prices exploding, Google Trends stayed quiet. Instead, the dominant crypto narrative of 2025 was written in 13F filings, custody agreements, and tokenized Treasury flows. BlackRock's spot Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) held 776,100 BTC […]
The post Bitcoin’s market “plumbing” is now owned by these major banks that are controlling the price action appeared first on CryptoSlate.
Expectations around XRP exchange-traded funds were seen as a turning point that could unlock new institutional demand and change XRP’s price structure in favor of buyers. However, recent on-chain data suggests the price response has diverged immensely from that narrative. Metrics tracked by the on-chain analytics platform CryptoQuant point to a very different dynamic unfolding beneath the surface, one that explains why the altcoin continues to struggle for traction despite headline optimism and inflows into Spot XRP ETFs. Related Reading: Banks Could Favor A Higher XRP Price, Finance Expert Says Whale Exchange Inflows Expose Supply Pressure Data from on-chain analytics platform CryptoQuant reveals an interesting trend among XRP whale addresses and their activity on crypto exchange Binance. A closer look at the Binance Inflow-Value Band chart shows that recent XRP deposits to exchanges are overwhelmingly concentrated in the 100,000 to 1 million XRP range and transactions exceeding 1 million coins. These are not retail-sized movements. They reflect activity from large holders moving significant balances onto exchanges, and this behavior aligns with distribution or preparation for selling. The chart showing the exchange inflow into Binance makes this pattern clear, with repeated inflow spikes driven almost entirely by these higher-value bands, while smaller transaction sizes are comparatively lower. The chart image below shows inflows in chunks between 100,000 XRP and 1 million XRP in purple and inflows of chunks more than 1 million XRP in light blue. Most of the inflows into Binance in the past few days have been characterized by these two cohorts, with a few instances of inflows in chunks between 10,000 XRP and 100,000 XRP. XRP Ledger: Exchange Inflow Value Bands – Binance. Source: CryptoQuant This imbalance means that supply is being added to the market by whales at a pace that smaller buyers cannot absorb, and this is why inflows into Spot XRP ETFs have failed to have a positive effect on the altcoin’s price action. Lower Highs, Lower Lows Confirm Supply Overpowering Demand As shown in the price action overlaid in the chart above, the coin printed repeatedly lower highs and lower lows after major exchange deposits. This happens because of the relatively low numbers of new spot buyers on Binance, and even moderate selling pressure has been enough to cap rallies. As it stands, the crypto is facing selling pressure every time it approaches $1.95. Based on the intensity of exchange inflows and the market’s reaction, the first meaningful support zone is between $1.82 and $1.87. However, if large inflows persist, the data suggests the XRP price could continue declining to the $1.50 to $1.66 range. Related Reading: Bitcoin Feels The Weight Of Quantum Risk Concerns, Industry Leaders Warn The interpretation is that the ETF trend did not translate into sustained spot demand for XRP. Instead, whales who accumulated XRP ahead of ETF approval expectations appear to have used the resulting attention as an opportunity to dump their holdings. That said, inflows into Spot XRP ETFs may have helped limit deeper downside, as data from SoSoValue shows these funds recorded $82.04 million in inflows over the recent week. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
Four XRP spot ETFs now trade in the US, with combined assets of $941.7 million as of Dec. 18. Grayscale's GXRP holds $148.1 million, Canary Capital's XRPC $373.6 million, Franklin Templeton's XRPZ $189 million, and Bitwise's XRP ETF $215.6 million. That stack grew from roughly $336 million at launch in November to current levels in […]
The post XRP ETFs are booming, but a quiet $15 billion payment layer matters more than the price appeared first on CryptoSlate.
Bitcoin’s ETF data is doing that annoying thing where it looks terrifying if you only read the headline. Big chunks of ETF buyers are sitting on losses, and every red flow day gets framed as the start of a stampede. But if you look closely at the numbers, they tell a different story. Outflows are […]
The post Bitcoin ETF outflows look terrifying, but a hidden derivatives pattern proves the smart money isn’t actually fleeing appeared first on CryptoSlate.
XRP-linked exchange-traded funds reached about $60 million in assets under management on December 17, according to market reports, even as XRP’s spot price slid. Related Reading: 5,606 Bitcoin: Lightning Network Sets Fresh Capacity Record At the time of reporting, XRP was trading around $1.86, down more than 8% in the last week. That gap between ETF growth and a falling spot price has left some investors puzzled. ETF Flows And How They Work According to Chad Steingraber, the way ETFs operate helps explain the disconnect. ETF shares trade on exchanges like regular stocks during market hours. Fund managers then tally net flows at the end of the trading day and arrange purchases of the underlying XRP after the market closes. Because of that timing, ETF inflows do not always translate into instant buying pressure on the spot market. Officially crossed $60Million! Record day! https://t.co/Nub2m5MK0Y pic.twitter.com/xg2zgecq24 — Chad Steingraber (@ChadSteingraber) December 18, 2025 Institutional Processes Take Time Based on reports, part of the picture is the nature of institutional decision-making. Large funds tend to move slowly. They run checks, review risk, and take time to approve new positions. That process can take months or longer. So an increase in ETF AUM can reflect careful planning and staged capital allocations rather than a rush of short-term bets. Price Action Shows Technical Weakness On charts, XRP has been under pressure for months. Traders watching longer time frames point to a steady downtrend and multiple warnings of a broader pullback since mid-year. The token has slid about 12% over the past month. Support between $1.80 and $1.90 is now being tested. A sustained break below $1.80 would likely shift focus to $1.60, and then to a wider support band near $1.30 to $1.40 if selling continues. ETF Growth Still Small In Context While $60 million sounds meaningful, that sum is small compared with AUM levels seen in larger crypto ETFs, and it may not be enough on its own to move markets. ETF structures differ, too. Some managers may hedge, use staged buys, or employ other tactics that change how and when they add XRP to reserves. These operational choices can mute any immediate impact on price. ???? Among top cap assets, here are the amount of non-empty wallets on each network currently: ???? Ethereum $ETH: 167.96M ???? Bitcoin $BTC: 57.62M ???? Tether $USDT: 9.63M ???? Dogecoin $DOGE: 8.13M ???? XRP Ledger $XRP: 7.41M ???? Cardano $ADA: 4.54M ???? USD Coin $USDC: 4.39M ???? ChainLink… pic.twitter.com/ciRBUp4GxE — Santiment (@santimentfeed) December 18, 2025 Non-Empty XRP Wallets Steadily Climbing Meanwhile, reports show that the number of non-empty wallets on the XRP Ledger has been climbing. Santiment has highlighted rising counts of addresses holding some XRP. Over the past month, while the token fell in price, on-chain wallet activity suggested accumulation by some holders. That pattern raises questions about whether larger buyers are quietly adding to positions. Related Reading: UK Crypto Ownership Takes Biggest Hit Since 2021, Regulator Says What This Means For Traders For now, markets show mixed signals. ETF AUM growth points to rising institutional involvement over time. Price action, however, signals caution. Traders and investors will be watching whether end-of-day ETF purchases increase demand on the spot market, and whether the $1.80 level holds. The coming days and weeks may help reveal whether AUM gains translate into broader buying or if technical pressure continues to dominate. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
Fidelity’s Jurrien Timmer said Bitcoin may have completed another halving cycle in both price and time, and he placed support in the $65,000–$75,000 zone. Sharing a “Bitcoin analogs” chart, the Fidelity director of global macro wrote, “While I remain a secular bull on Bitcoin, my concern is that Bitcoin may well have ended another 4-year […]
The post Fidelity’s latest Bitcoin chart pattern signals a 2026 “off-year” that could drag prices down to this brutal support level appeared first on CryptoSlate.
US spot crypto ETFs have attracted more than $70 billion in net inflows since January 2024, making traditional financial investment vehicles the primary entry point for new money into the emerging industry. That surge, driven by products linked to Bitcoin, Ethereum, and more recently Solana and XRP, has validated the industry’s view that many investors […]
The post Crypto index ETFs will dominate 2026 because the SEC is about to break the single-asset model appeared first on CryptoSlate.
Gold and silver hit fresh highs on Tuesday while Bitcoin slid back under $89,000, sending a clear message that some investors are favoring metal over riskier bets. Related Reading: Russia Rejects Crypto As Legal Tender, Finance Official Confirms According to Reuters and market data, gold traded above $4,330 an ounce and silver pushed past $66 an ounce in what market participants called a strong run for bullion. Reports have disclosed that silver’s rally has lifted local prices in India to about ₹2.06 lakh per kilogram. Metals Rally, Hit New Highs Silver’s advance has been dramatic. It is up roughly 120-130% year-to-date, a jump that outpaces gold by a wide margin. Traders point to a mix of stronger industrial demand from solar and electronics, tighter supplies, and flows into safe assets as reasons behind the move. Gold buyers have also been encouraged by signs that US inflation may cool and by shifting expectations for central bank policy, which tends to support non-yielding assets when real yields fall. JUST IN ????: Silver soars to $66 for the first time in history ???????????? pic.twitter.com/YGCrB5VDPH — Barchart (@Barchart) December 17, 2025 Safe Haven Demand And Industrial Use Some investors are treating metals as a hedge. Others want exposure linked to real economy needs. Both forces are at work. Analysts say silver’s dual role — as an industrial metal and as a store of value — is amplifying moves. Energy prices and supply reports have added pressure on markets, and that has upped demand for physical metal in several trading hubs. Bitcoin Slips Under Key Level Bitcoin fell below $89,000 and was trading nearer to $88,450 in mid-session, giving back gains from earlier months. Based on reports and market feeds, BTC is about 7% lower year-to-date and roughly 30% below its October 2025 peak above $126,000. Some crypto funds recorded outflows recently, and several traders described market tone as risk-off, which has weighed on digital assets this week. Liquidity, ETF Flows And Sentiment ETF flows played a role. Where money leaves ETFs, prices can feel the impact quickly. Margin calls, profit taking after a volatile run, and investors moving to what they see as safer stores of value have all been cited by sources watching the tape. Technical levels near $84,000 to $85,000 are now being watched for support, while resistance sits close to $90,000 to $92,000. Related Reading: 5,606 Bitcoin: Lightning Network Sets Fresh Capacity Record Markets Eye Data And Policy Moves Economic reports and central bank signals are next on traders’ calendars. US inflation prints and comments from global central banks have been flagged as possible triggers for fresh moves in both metals and crypto. Investors also noted that equity weakness, especially in some large tech names, has nudged money toward hard assets and away from riskier positions. Several market strategists said that policy shifts overseas, including from the Bank of Japan, could further change global liquidity and investor choices. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
The SEC's approval of generic listing standards for crypto ETPs on Sept. 17 cut the launch timeline to 75 days and opened the door to plain-vanilla products. Bitwise predicts more than 100 crypto-linked ETFs will launch in 2026. James Seyffart, senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg, backed the call but added a caveat: “We're going to […]
The post 100 new crypto ETFs in 2026 will share a terrifying “single point of failure” that could freeze 85% of global assets appeared first on CryptoSlate.
Bitcoin is trading near $86,000 as losses build across ETFs, treasury companies, and miners. According to Checkonchain’s Dec. 15 “System Stress” note, investors are carrying about $100 billion in unrealized losses. Miners are pulling back hashrate, many treasury-company stocks are trading below their Bitcoin book value, and about 60% of spot Bitcoin ETF inflows are […]
The post Bitcoin ETFs are 60% underwater, creating a $100 billion distressed house of cards appeared first on CryptoSlate.
Crypto markets saw a modest lift after the US Federal Reserve made another move on rates, and traders are watching for a clearer follow-through. According to reports, the Fed has carried out three consecutive interest rate cuts totaling 0.75% from September to December. The move was widely expected. Still, market responses have been mixed and somewhat choppy. Related Reading: American Bitcoin Makes Big Buy, Adds 416 BTC To Its Stack Fed Moves And Market Takeaway According to CoinEx chief analyst Jeff Ko, much of the Fed’s action was already priced in, and the updated dot plot leaned a bit more hawkish than some had hoped. Ko pointed to $40 billion in short-term Treasury purchases as a technical step to ease liquidity and lower short-term rates, not as a broad stimulus program. Markets took the measures as mildly positive. US stocks rose, and that helped Bitcoin find some footing after an early dip. Santiment And The Short-Term Reaction Based on reports from onchain analytics firm Santiment, each cut has prompted a classic “buy the rumor, sell the news” move where initial optimism is followed by short selling. ???????? The US Fed made three strategic cuts over the past 3 months, resulting in a total of an 0.75% reduction to interest rates. 1⃣ September 17, 2025: Fed lowered the target range to 4.00 %–4.25 % (from 4.25 %+) at the 16–17 Sep meeting. 2⃣ October 29, 2025: Fed cut the rate to… pic.twitter.com/X6DWypvq5t — Santiment (@santimentfeed) December 11, 2025 Cuts are seen as bullish for crypto over the long haul, yet they have triggered brief pullbacks in practice. Santiment adds that a small wave of FUD or retail selling often signals that the mild post-cut downswing is finished and a bounce may follow once things calm down. Technical Levels Traders Are Watching Bitcoin was volatile in the aftermath. It fell under $90,000 then popped to $93,500 on Coinbase before settling near $92,300 at the time of reporting. Key resistance sits between $97,000 and $108,000. On the daily chart, BTC remains inside a small rising channel that sits within a larger downtrend, and technical traders note that a MACD histogram is approaching a positive crossover — a sign some see as possible renewed momentum. ETF activity has been tepid, with only $219 million in net inflows since late November, which keeps some investors cautious. Related Reading: Is Dogecoin Waking Up? Critical On-Chain Metric Explodes Higher Dollar Weakness And Equity Signals A weaker dollar has been part of the backdrop; the DXY index fell to 98.36 and is showing bearish momentum on its own MACD. Nasdaq’s move back above its 50-, 100- and 200-day simple moving averages helped lift risk assets briefly, and that has supported Bitcoin’s rebound attempts. Yet correlation with equities remains uneven — losses in stocks tend to hit Bitcoin harder than gains help it, creating an asymmetric risk profile for traders. Featured image from Impossible Images, chart from TradingView
The most unusual trend in the crypto market this month is not Bitcoin’s price action, but the mechanics of XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF) flows. For 18 consecutive trading sessions, the four products have absorbed steady demand, accumulating roughly $954 million in inflows without a single outflow since launch. The streak stands out amid the volatile […]
The post XRP ETFs absorbed nearly $1 billion in 18 days, yet the price is flashing a major warning signal appeared first on CryptoSlate.
BlackRock filed for a staking-enabled Ethereum (ETH) trust on Dec. 5, which reframes the question of what kind of risk stack institutional investors will accept. The document outlines a structure that requires allocators to price three distinct failure modes simultaneously. First, protocol-level slashing penalties can hit the trust’s vault account with no guarantee of full […]
The post BlackRock’s move into Ethereum staking signals a brutal new fee regime that mid-tier operators won’t survive appeared first on CryptoSlate.
Bitcoin’s on-exchange supply has dropped sharply, and traders are taking note. According to Santiment, more than 403,000 BTC have left exchanges since December 7, 2024 — roughly 2% of Bitcoin’s total supply. Related Reading: Banking Meets Bitcoin: French Banking Giant Offers Crypto To Millions That shift, measured against an on-exchange balance of about 2.11 million BTC in late November, is being seen as a sign that fewer coins are poised for quick sale. Exchange Balances Shrink Santiment said lower exchange balances have historically been linked with fewer sudden sell-offs, an observation many market watchers find encouraging. The math is straightforward: when a big chunk of supply sits outside exchanges, there is less immediately available stock to meet selling pressure. ???? As Bitcoin’s market value hovers around $90K, crypto’s top market cap continues to see its supply moving away from exchanges. Over the past year, there has been: ???? A net total of -403.2K $BTC moving off exchanges ???? A net reduction of -2.09% of $BTC‘s entire supply moving… pic.twitter.com/Y0JTC880Np — Santiment (@santimentfeed) December 8, 2025 Institutions Step In Based on reports from BitcoinTresuries.Net and others, exchange outflows are not only going to private cold wallets. ETFs and public firms are also accumulating. BitBo lists ETFs holding over 1.5 million BTC and public companies holding over 1 million. Combined, those holdings represent nearly 11% of the total Bitcoin supply. According to analysts, institutional vehicles have quietly absorbed a lot of coins, changing where Bitcoin sits and who can sell it. Supply Moves Matter This is more than bookkeeping. Coins locked in institutional or self-custodied vaults are not sold on a whim. That makes available supply tighter. At the same time, coins leaving exchanges can lead to sharper price moves when demand surges because the pool of sellable coins is smaller. Some of the effects are already visible on price charts; others may show up later if buying pressure picks up. Price Action And Macro Focus Bitcoin traded near $90,650 with a small rise of 0.28% in recent action. Year-to-date gains stand at 11%. The market swung from a daily low of $89,540 to a high of $92,290, showing active trading around current levels. Traders are watching a Federal Reserve meeting closely, and the outcome is expected to drive short-term volatility. Interest-rate cues often move broader markets, and crypto is no exception. Related Reading: All-In On XRP: Why This Leading Investor Sold His Entire Bitcoin Stack Market Outlook And Risks Overall, the move off exchanges looks like a bullish backdrop because it reduces immediate selling liquidity. Still, that same scarcity can make prices more sensitive to changes in demand, which raises the possibility of sharper swings. Analysts will be watching whether ETFs and public firms continue to add to their holdings or start to slow down purchases. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
XRP Spot ETFs have nearly crossed the $1 billion mark in assets under management (AUM), marking one of the quickest ramps since Ethereum, according to Ripple’s CEO. Related Reading: All-In On XRP: Why This Leading Investor Sold His Entire Bitcoin Stack Rapid Fund Growth In Weeks According to the disclosure, the four XRP ETF products now hold about $1.23B in total net assets, which equals 597 million XRP at a reported XRP price of $2.06. Reports have disclosed a fresh inflow of $30 million on Monday, Dec. 8, and the cumulative net inflow into these products stands close to $935 million. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse highlighted that the collective figure reached the $1 billion level in under four weeks after the first fund hit the market. Canary Capital Leads With Heavy Flows Canary Capital’s XRPC grabbed the most attention at launch, bringing roughly $245 million in net flows on its debut day on Nov. 13. Canary’s fund holds about 335.889 million XRP, valued at approximately $691 million, which represents 56% of the combined assets across the four funds. ????
Fundstrat’s Tom Lee told attendees at Binance Blockchain Week that he believes the worst leg of the recent crypto slump is likely over and that markets may be ready for a gradual recovery. He pointed to weakening selling pressure and growing underlying activity as reasons for cautious optimism. Related Reading: A New Era Begins: CFTC Approves Spot Bitcoin On Regulated US Markets Market Sentiment May Be Near A Turning Point According to Lee, mood on the street turned darker after October, with many investors showing fatigue after steady losses. He said the current selling looks closer to exhaustion than to the start of another major decline. Trading desks have cut back. Volume has thinned. Sentiment is low. Lee argued that often, when pessimism peaks, conditions for a reversal begin to form. Bitcoin Drawdowns Are Not Uncommon Based on reports, Bitcoin has fallen about 36% from its all-time high in the recent retreat. That size of drop has happened in prior cycles, including 2017 and 2021, and has been followed by rallies that reached new records. “Crypto prices likely bottomed. The best years of growth are still ahead: there is 200x adoption to come.” – Tom Lee, Chairman of Bitmine pic.twitter.com/fPWbWdaosO — Binance (@binance) December 4, 2025 Lee pointed to long-term returns for bitcoin and ether compared with some traditional assets over the last decade, saying crypto’s gains were larger. He used that history to support the idea that patient holders have been rewarded after past stress. Tokenization Could Be A Major Story In 2026 Lee also presented tokenization as a key theme for the future. He said large institutions are preparing to move more financial products on-chain and that, if real estate joins the shift, close to a quadrillion dollars in assets could eventually be tokenized. Stablecoins were cited as an early example of why tokenized instruments can attract demand. He suggested that a broader institutional push could add steady interest to the market over time. BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF Was Highlighted As A Signal Reports have disclosed that BlackRock’s bitcoin ETF has become one of the firm’s top fee-earning products, a fact Lee used to show growing involvement from legacy finance. That kind of institutional participation, he argued, points to deeper engagement from big players who were previously on the sidelines. Related Reading: Bitcoin Crash Fails To Shake Ripple CEO — He Still Calls For $180K Adoption Gap Suggests Large Upside According to Lee, only 4.4 million bitcoin wallets hold more than $10,000 in BTC, while nearly 900 million people globally have more than $10,000 in retirement savings. He said that gap shows how early the market still is and argued that if just a fraction of those savers put money into bitcoin, adoption could expand by as much as 200 times. The figure is speculative, he acknowledged, but he used it to show the potential scale for future demand. What This Means For Investors Now Lee questioned whether the old four-year cycle should be used as a strict guide. He suggested recent moves were driven more by de-leveraging and structural shifts than by the halving rhythm that shaped earlier cycles. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
XRP is showing one of the clearest splits in crypto this quarter between what people say and what they do with their money. Social data tracking bullish and bearish commentary indicates that the mood around the asset has entered a new Fear zone, even as the XRP Ledger (XRPL) logs its most active stretch of […]
The post XRP sentiment has collapsed, but a “Fear Zone” signal hints that retail sellers are making a costly error appeared first on CryptoSlate.