With the Federal Reserve set to announce its latest policy decision, markets are calm but not relaxed. Interest rates are widely expected to stay where they are, yet Bitcoin traders are paying close attention to what comes next. Veteran financial trader Matthew Dixon said interest rates are likely to remain unchanged at the upcoming FOMC …
Whale-sized Bitcoin holders are piling up more coins even as prices wobble. According to blockchain tracker Santiment, wallets holding at least 1,000 BTC added 104,340 BTC in recent weeks. Related Reading: Gold Becomes The Whale Safe Haven As Bitcoin Takes A Back Seat Reports note that total supply held by these large wallets hit 7.17 million BTC, the highest level since September 15, 2025. Mid-sized holders joined in too, adding roughly $3.21 billion worth of Bitcoin between January 10 and January 19. Small retail wallets moved the other way, offloading about 132 BTC, worth around $11.66 million. Whales Push Their Stakes Higher The numbers point to patient buying by big players. Large transfers of $1 million or more have climbed to a two-month high, which suggests heavy participants are active on the network again. According to Santiment, this kind of flow is often tied to institutions and wealthy investors moving coins between custody, exchanges, and private wallets. Some of those moves are driven by strategic choices; some are meant to secure holdings. Either way, a growing pile in whale hands changes where supply sits. Smaller holders are stepping back, while the so-called smart money increases exposure. Reports say mid-sized wallets — those holding between 10 and 10,000 BTC — were net buyers in the same stretch. ???? Large Bitcoin whales are accumulating at an encouraging pace, wallets with at least 1K $BTC have collectively accumulated 104,340 more coins (a +1.5% rise). Additionally, the amount of $1M+ daily transfers is back up to 2-month high levels. ???? Chart: https://t.co/CJOfiOBbWU pic.twitter.com/4loxDFtUdb — Santiment (@santimentfeed) January 25, 2026 Price Action And Market Signals Bitcoin’s price has not matched the upbeat on-chain action. Trading was around $87,730 at one point, with intraday swings between $86,500 and $87,500. The alpha crypto asset was down about 0.5% over 24 hours and roughly 5.4% over the prior week. Volumes have ticked up, though, which makes the case that some investors are stepping in at these levels. The picture is mixed: on-chain accumulation suggests a base is being formed, but macro headlines keep the market on edge. On-Chain Strength Versus Headlines A growing stash by big holders can support a future rally if external stress eases. Yet prices move on more than Bitcoin flows. Large transfers and rising accumulation mean demand exists under the surface, but that demand has yet to fully push the market higher. Macro Risks And Market Jitters Geopolitical worries are casting a long shadow. Reports say US President Donald Trump has moved warships toward areas of tension, and prediction markets show a significant chance that the US could strike Iran by June. Trade friction with Canada over recent auto rules has raised fresh political noise, and Polymarket shows the probability of a US government shutdown above 70%. These are real risks that can lift oil, rattle markets, and sap appetite for risk assets. Related Reading: Money Keeps Leaving: Bitcoin ETFs Shed $1.72 Billion In Just 5 Sessions Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
Powell could signal a "dovish pause," but his comments on other issues may temper the bullish reaction in BTC and other risk assets.
Crypto analyst TARA has predicted that the Bitcoin price will still rally despite bearish signals that have surfaced. She highlighted why the flagship crypto could reach this level and what could happen once it touches the price target. Analyst Predicts Bitcoin Price Surge To $99,000 In an X post, TARA opined that the Bitcoin price will reach $99,300, even though the flagship crypto is printing a bearish candlestick. She stated that BTC wants to touch this price target before it retraces deeper so that the correction does not break the critical support at $90,000. The analyst added that retracement levels for BTC will continue to be adjusted, with the new 2026 high above $97,000, while revealing subwaves on the way to the full target at $103,000. Related Reading: Analyst Outlines The Bulllish And Bearish Scenarios For Bitcoin – Here’s What To Know Notably, crypto traders are currently betting on the Bitcoin price rallying past the $99,000 level and reaching the psychological $100,000 level. Polymarket data shows a 48% chance that BTC will rally to $100,000 this month. This follows the flagship crypto’s recent rally from around $92,000 to above $97,000 following the release of the soft CPI inflation data earlier this week. The spot Bitcoin ETFs have also contributed to the Bitcoin price surge to start the year. In an X post, Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas highlighted that ETFs recorded net inflows of $843 million on January 14 and now boast 1-week net inflows of $1 billion and $1.5 billion year-to-date (YTD). With BTC rallying to $97,000 after trading sideways towards the end of last year, Balchunas opined that the buyers may have exhausted the sellers. Arthur Hayes Predicts Bitcoin Rally On Rising Liquidity In his latest blog post, BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes predicted that the Bitcoin price could sustain this rally as dollar liquidity rapidly increases. Hayes expects dollar liquidity to increase as U.S. President Donald Trump finds more ways to inject liquidity into the economy. The BitMEX co-founder highlighted how Trump plans to lower mortgage rates, which could cause Americans to borrow more. Related Reading: What’s Going On With Bitcoin And The Stock Market? Analyst Breaks It Down Hayes also mentioned that the liquidity in 2025 didn’t support crypto portfolios, which is why the Bitcoin price underperformed. He urged market participants not to draw wrong conclusions from the 2025 underperformance, as it was always a liquidity story rather than a cyclical bear market, as some analysts suggested. More liquidity could also flow into the market as Trump nominates a rate-cut advocate to replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell. This could lead to larger rate cuts, which would be bullish for the Bitcoin price and the broader crypto market. At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price is trading at around $95,300, down in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview.com
Bitcoin pushed past $95,000 on Tuesday, drawing attention from traders and analysts who say real buying of the coin, rather than bets on derivatives, is driving the move. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s New Power Buyers: Companies Bought 3 Times What Miners Produced According to figures from Coingecko, the cryptocurrency was trading at $95,250 at the time of publication, after a 4.50% gain over 24 hours. Reports have disclosed that $269 million in Bitcoin short positions were wiped out in that span, a wave of liquidations that helped add upward momentum. Spot Buying Fuels The Move Several market watchers pointed to spot purchases as the main force. Crypto analyst Will Clemente posted on X that the rally appears to be “led by spot buying.” That matters because buying the actual asset signals direct demand for Bitcoin itself, not just betting via futures or options. Short sellers were hit hard; their positions were closed out as prices jumped, and that squeeze added fuel to the advance. Seems like this rally on Bitcoin is led by spot buying and getting faded by perps as funding goes negative while open interest rises + most spot volume in days. (disclosure currently long btc) pic.twitter.com/pL9C8GFJYR — Will (@WClementeIII) January 13, 2026 Calls For $100k And The Odds Some traders are now predicting a quick run to six figures, saying that it is quite clear Bitcoin could reach $100K in the coming weeks and that any dips should be bought. Based on reports from Polymarket, the prediction markets place about 51% odds on Bitcoin reclaiming $100,000 by Feb. 1 and show a 23% chance of a $105,000 print. Bitcoin last fell below $100,000 on Nov. 13, leaving a resistance level that bulls want to clear. History Gives A Mixed Signal January’s record for Bitcoin has been modest on average, delivering roughly a 4% gain since 2013. February has tended to be stronger, with an average return of 13%. These averages do not guarantee the path ahead, but they give traders a context for how the market has behaved in recent years. Market moves can be quick. They can also stall. Macro Risks And Technical Levels Traders were watching $90,000 as an important support level while Bitcoin cruised past $95k ahead of US inflation data that could shift bets about rate cuts. Safe-haven demand has been in play as geopolitics and questions about central bank independence weigh on global markets. Price action is currently tight, with many saying the market sits inside a narrow band and will likely break out one way or the other. ???? Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies are rebounding. $94K has just been crossed again for $BTC, and there will likely be retail FOMO creeping in if crypto’s top asset begins teasing $100K in the next few days. ???? In the chart below, high spikes of: ???? #Lower or… pic.twitter.com/5pcwtB0mls — Santiment (@santimentfeed) January 13, 2026 Retail FOMO Could Add Fuel Meanwhile, crypto sentiment tracker Santiment warned that renewed teasing of $100K could pull retail traders back in, sparking fresh FOMO across the market. Related Reading: Futures Frenzy Pushed Crypto Exchange Volume To Nearly $80 Trillion In 2025 If that happens, more buying from everyday investors could push prices higher quickly. But flows can reverse fast too, and large macro surprises or a loss of momentum would test the bulls. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
Markets pulled $454 million from crypto exchange-traded products last week as investors stepped back amid rising bets that the US Federal Reserve may not cut rates soon. Related Reading: CZ Fuels Optimism As Binance Coin’s $1,000 Target Trends According to CoinShares data and market reports, the move erased much of the early-week gains that had pushed roughly $1.5 billion into the sector during the first two trading days. The shift was sharp and broad, though a few assets saw money flow in. Smart Money Flees Bitcoin While Some Altcoins Attract Cash Bitcoin-linked products bore the brunt of withdrawals, with about $405 million leaving Bitcoin ETPs. Ethereum funds were also hit, posting roughly $116 million in outflows. Multi-asset crypto products reported net redemptions near $21 million. Based on reports, these outflows came as recent inflation and jobs data made investors lower the odds of a March Fed rate cut, weakening appetite for risk assets that had been boosted by earlier optimism. Selective Inflows Show Pockets Of Interest But not all tokens were abandoned. XRP funds drew around $46 million in fresh money, while Solana products attracted about $33 million. Smaller tokens, including some newer layer-one projects, picked up modest flows as investors hunted for opportunities beyond the main leaders. Total assets under management across global crypto ETPs remained near $182 billion, a figure that shows scale despite the weekly redemptions. Regional Patterns Reveal US Outflows And Overseas Inflows According to regional flow data, US-linked crypto investment products saw roughly $569 million exit last week. That outflow contrasted with inflows in some European and North American markets: Germany attracted about $59 million, Canada added $25 million, and Switzerland drew roughly $21 million. The pattern suggests capital moved away from US vehicles and into other jurisdictions where investor appetite held up better. What Traders And Analysts Are Saying Based on reports from market analysts, the reversal came as traders reassessed the timing of monetary easing. With inflation readings remaining firmer than expected and the labor market showing resilience, market pricing shifted and risk assets were repriced. Some analysts warned that volatility could persist while others noted that pockets of demand for specific altcoins might support short-term rallies. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s Next Peak Might Ignite ADA’s Rally, Says Cardano Creator According to observers, the outflows highlight how sensitive crypto fund flows are to macroeconomic signals. While $454 million is a meaningful weekly move, the sector’s overall AUM near $182 billion means a single week does not rewrite the market picture. Investors will likely watch upcoming economic releases and Fed communications closely; fund flows are expected to respond quickly to any sign that rate-cut hopes are returning or fading further. Featured image from Gemini, chart from TradingView
The Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin prices are rising today, with the flagship crypto rising to as high as $93,000. This market rally comes on the back of several factors, including the U.S.-Venezuela escalations, which have increased risk sentiment. Why The Bitcoin, Ethereum, And Dogecoin Prices Are Up In an X post, market commentator The Kobeissi Letter noted that risky assets seem to be gaining momentum despite the U.S. capture of former Venezuelan president Maduro. This suggests risk sentiment may be back after the year-end decline in 2025, which has contributed to the recent rise in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin prices. Related Reading: Here’s How Much BlackRock Spent Buying Bitcoin And Ethereum In 2025 The Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin prices are also rising on the back of an increase in the M2 money supply, which now stands at $22.4 trillion, according to data from the St. Louis Fed. This is bullish for crypto assets as some of this liquidity is expected to flow into the crypto ecosystem. Meanwhile, the U.S. debt continues to rise, standing at $38.6 trillion, a development that is bullish for crypto as investors hedge against inflation by allocating to these asset classes. Meanwhile, it is worth noting that the Fed has also been carrying out its Reserve Management Purchases (RMP), which experts such as James Lavish have described as a form of quantitative easing (QE), which is positive for the prices of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin. BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes has even predicted that BTC could rally to as high as $200,000 on the back of this move from the Fed. Meanwhile, the Fed has also been injecting liquidity into the economy through the New York Fed’s repo operations. Crypto Bulls Are Back In Control Market analyst Ted Pilliows also suggested that the crypto bulls are back in control, which is why the Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin prices are rising. In an X post, he noted that BTC has large sell orders from the $92,000 to $95,000 level on Binance. Ted added that if bulls push BTC above the $95,000 level, there is very little resistance until $100,000, suggesting a rally to this psychological level could be on the cards. Related Reading: Dogecoin Reclaiming $0.128 Support Could Signal The Perfect Chance For Long Positions In another X post, the market analyst noted that the Coinbase Bitcoin premium is recovering, with institutional demand for BTC picking up again. SoSoValue data show that Bitcoin ETFs recorded a daily net inflow of $471.14 million on January 2, their largest since December 17. A sustained daily net inflow could lead to higher prices for BTC, which is also a positive for the Ethereum and Dogecoin prices. At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price is trading at around $92,400, up in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Pngtree, chart from Tradingview.com
Prediction markets and analyst desks are sending different signals about Bitcoin’s near-term path. Traders on Polymarket appear cautious, while some big-name firms keep calling for big gains in 2026. Related Reading: Crypto Exchange Korbit Fined $1.90 Million By South Korean Regulators Market Odds And Trader Caution According to Polymarket prices, Bitcoin has just a 23% chance of reaching $150,000 before 2027. The odds are higher at lower targets: 47% for $120,000, 35% for $130,000 and 29% for $140,000. Traders are most comfortable with $100,000, which carries about an 80% chance. That spread shows bettors are pricing risk tightly as the clock runs toward the new year. Bitcoin closed 2025 in the red, a fact that has likely cooled some enthusiasm. Reports have disclosed that gold and silver hit fresh highs in the fourth quarter of 2025, while crypto prices held mostly flat. The old four-year halving cycle that many chartists relied on is being questioned, and that doubt is being priced in. Technical Signals Based on the latest Bitcoin price outlook, BTC is expected to climb 3% to about $91,815 by February 1, 2026. Technical signals point to a Bearish mood, while the Fear & Greed Index stands at 28, reflecting Fear. Over the past 30 days, Bitcoin posted gains on 15 of those days, or 50%, with price swings averaging 2%. Policy Shifts Could Change The Math US President Donald Trump is expected to name a new Federal Reserve chair soon, and many market participants are betting that interest rates will be cut afterward. That idea has already helped send precious metals higher. At the same time, regulators in Washington are pushing crypto bills such as the GENIUS Act and the CLARITY Act, which backers say could give clearer rules and, in time, more institutional interest. Analysts Still Offer Bullish Targets Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has publicly predicted that Bitcoin could reach $180,000 by the end of 2026, citing stronger institutional interest and better regulatory clarity as reasons for his bullish outlook. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s Bear Market Might Not Be New: Data Points To A 2-Month Slide Analysts at JPMorgan have suggested a theoretical Bitcoin price around $170,000 in 2026, based on a model comparing Bitcoin’s behavior to gold and assuming continued capital flows into the crypto market. Grayscale’s 2026 digital asset outlook expects Bitcoin to exceed its previous all-time high in the first half of 2026, implying a move above its record peak of around $126,000 (though not giving a specific numerical target, the implication is toward significant upward momentum). Policymakers, traders and analysts are all weighing different risks. Market prices reflect caution today, while forecasts offer a brighter view for the months ahead. Which one proves right will depend on policy moves, investor appetite and whether new trading patterns replace the cycle many thought they could count on. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
The Federal Reserve’s December meeting minutes highlight a steady but moderate U.S. economic growth, with the labor market slowing and wage increases staying in line with last year. Officials warned that a potential government shutdown could drag on near-term GDP. Looking ahead, the Fed expects growth to run slightly above potential after 2025, with inflation …
Bitcoin and the broader cryptocurrency market are entering the New Year under pressure after the Federal Reserve released the minutes from its December policy meeting. While the Fed delivered a rate cut last month, the message that followed was far less supportive for risk assets. Policymakers made it clear they see little urgency to ease …
The idea that Bitcoin’s halving operates on a fixed four-year timetable has become one of the most oversimplified narratives in the crypto markets. While the halving still reduces new supply, its influence is no longer confined to predictable timelines or uniform outcomes. As BTC matures into a globally traded asset, the forces shaping its market behavior have expanded beyond the event. How The Cycle Narrative Became Oversimplified In an X post, an analyst known as Deg_ape revealed that the Bitcoin halving cycle was never a rigid four-year clock. BTC’s cycle has always been about phase transitions, shifting liquidity conditions, and market behavior, but never about buying every four years and selling four years later. This cycle actually maps macro bear phases that expand, contract, overlap, and stretch based on macro flows and positioning. Related Reading: Bitcoin Bullish Structure Weakens As Inter-Exchange Liquidity Touches Red Zone – Details The four-year cycle still exists, but it is not a linear process. Deg_ape explains that BTC halvings act as a structural anchor, not a price guarantee. This is why market tops usually arrive later than most expect and why bear markets last longer than people can tolerate. Trying to time the BTC market cycle without understanding that these phase dynamics can lead to expensive mistakes. Kyle Chassé has pointed out that Bitcoin dipped, and traders stopped watching the printer, which is a big mistake. This is the most dangerous divergence in the market as price is down, but liquidity is vertical. While traders were panicking and selling their slips, the US Treasury and the Fed quietly injected around $130 billion of fresh liquidity into the system. This shows that liquidity would lead the price, but it won’t do it instantly. There’s a big lag as liquidity will flood the market first, then the assets will reprice. However, a red candle on a green liquidity chart isn’t a crash, but a mispricing. While the printer is screaming up, the price chart is whispering down. Why Retail Holders Are Capitulating At A Historic Rate A crypto analyst known as OnChainCollege outlined that retail holders are under pressure. On-chain data shows the deepest 30-day balance decline among retail wallets since 2018, a level typically associated with periods of extreme fear and capitulation. While retail balances are falling sharply, larger holder cohorts are quietly absorbing the difference. Related Reading: Bitcoin Bullish Exhaustion? BTC Whales Close Long Positions After Extreme Upside Bets The market sentiment has split into two groups with polar-opposite perspectives from retail that are reacting to price action against larger holders that are responding to structure, liquidity, and long-term positioning. In the meantime, the OG whales have continued to distribute throughout this bull market, but Mega whales and institutional participants are stepping in as the marginal buyers. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview.com
The race to replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is heating up, with President Donald Trump expanding his shortlist to include current Fed Governor Christopher Waller. The move highlights Trump’s main objective: appointing a Fed Chair who supports deep interest rate cuts to boost economic growth. With Powell’s term ending in May next year, the …
Michael Arrington, the founder of TechCrunch and CrunchBase, has placed XRP among his largest personal crypto holdings, according to a recent social post. Related Reading: Ethereum Meets Wall Street: JPMorgan Rolls Out Tokenized Fund He listed XRP as one of his top five positions by dollar value, alongside Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and Immutable. The disclosure landed plenty of attention online and reignited debate about who is buying what and why. Arrington’s Holdings And Community Reaction Reports have disclosed that his post drew heavy engagement, with replies running the gamut from Bitcoin-only stances to more mixed portfolios. Several industry figures echoed Arrington’s mix; Tony Edward, for example, listed XRP with BTC and ETH when discussing core positions. The debate was loud and fast on social feeds. Some users framed the move as a vote of confidence. Others warned that one investor’s choices do not equal a market-wide shift. Tell me your top five crypto holdings (by total dollar value). Mine are XRP, BTC, ETH and IMX — Michael Arrington ????☠️ (@arrington) December 13, 2025 Institutional Moves Follow Based on reports, Arrington’s public support is tied to direct institutional activity. In October, Arrington Capital joined Ripple and SBI Holdings to back an initiative by Evernorth aimed at building a large institutional XRP treasury. The project, which has been described in some circles as among the biggest of its kind, aims to increase institutional use of XRP and to support on-ledger activity such as decentralized finance and lending. That involvement means Arrington is more than a vocal supporter; he is also tied to projects that could change how institutions use the token. XRP Market Moves And Key Figures XRP’s market picture has been mixed. As of December 16, 2025, the token was trading around $1.98, having held in a roughly $2.00 to $2.20 band in recent sessions. There was a small daily lift of about 1.2% to roughly $2.08 on Monday, which helped the token cover some ground after early-December weakness. The year has seen bigger swings: XRP peaked near $3.65 in July before giving back some gains. Activity in regulated derivatives has also grown. Reports point to XRP futures on the CME reaching a record open interest of roughly $3 billion in late October 2025, a figure that market watchers say reflects rising institutional appetite for regulated exposure. Related Reading: Analyst: Bitcoin’s Cycle Is Intact, Yet No Longer Purely Market-Driven A Past Claim That No Longer Holds Arrington has previously highlighted XRP’s strong performance. In March, he tweeted that XRP had been the best-performing major asset across multiple time frames — 90 days, 180 days, one year and three years. That claim no longer lines up with current rankings. Performance metrics have shifted since then, and the statement has been overtaken by later results. Featured image from Bitpanda Blog, chart from TradingView
Custodia Bank, a Wyoming-chartered crypto-focused bank, has taken its legal fight with the US Federal Reserve to the next level. After years of pushback, the bank is now asking the full Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals to review the Fed’s refusal to grant it a master account. The case has become a flashpoint for a …
Bitcoin risks a further drop toward the $70,000 area if the Bank of Japan follows through with an expected interest-rate rise on Dec. 19, analysts focused on macro forces warned. Related Reading: Analyst: Bitcoin’s Cycle Is Intact, Yet No Longer Purely Market-Driven According to multiple macro-focused voices, the move could sap global liquidity and put fresh downward pressure on risk assets, with some traders already bracing for a sharp pullback. Japan’s policy shift matters because higher rates tend to strengthen the yen and raise the cost of borrowing. When that happens, traders who previously borrowed cheaply in yen to invest elsewhere are often forced to unwind those positions. That process can pull money out of global markets in a short period of time, and Bitcoin has often felt that impact as investors cut exposure during risk-off stretches. BOJ Tightening Drains Global Liquidity According to AndrewBTC, every BOJ hike since 2024 has coincided with Bitcoin drawdowns of more than 20%. Based on reports, the analyst pointed to declines of roughly 23% in March 2024, 26% in July 2024, and 31% in January 2025. ???? BREAKING: JAPAN WILL CRASH $BTC Bank of Japan is set to hike rates +25 bps on Dec 19. Japan = largest holder of US government debt ???????? ???? Look at the $BTC chart: Every BoJ rate hike → Bitcoin dumps over 20%+???? • March 2024 → -23% • July 2024 → -26% • January 2025 →… pic.twitter.com/grN3QRNUg4 — AndrewBTC (@cryptoctlt) December 13, 2025 Traders are not only watching central bank calendars. Bitcoin’s daily chart also flashed a classic bear flag formation after a steep fall from the $105,000–$110,000 area in November. Market Positioning Widens Ahead Of Key Data Bitcoin slipped below $90,000 in thin trading on Sunday, a move that traders took as a cautionary sign rather than a definitive trigger. Based on reports, Ether held up better than many altcoins, suggesting selective risk taking in the market. Traders are positioning before a busy slate of US data and central bank events that could sway flows. Analyst EX bluntly warned BTC will collapse “below $70,000” under the stated macro conditions, a stark forecast that highlights how crowded bets can amplify moves when liquidity is pulled. EVERY TIME JAPAN HIKES RATES, BITCOIN DUMPS 20–25% NEXT WEEK, THEY WILL HIKE RATES TO 75 BPS AGAIN. IF THE PATTERN HOLDS, $BTC WILL DUMP BELOW $70,000 ON DECEMBER 19. POSITION ACCORDINGLY. pic.twitter.com/IWU8JbXjn3 — ΞX (@rektbyEX) December 13, 2025 Related Reading: Bitcoin Pulls Back Under $89K, Michael Saylor Smells Opportunity What This Means For Investors The story tying BOJ policy to Bitcoin’s swings is simple in outline: when funding costs in Japan rise, global borrowing becomes pricier, and risk assets can be sold as positions are reduced. That dynamic helps explain why past BOJ moves lined up with 20-30% declines in Bitcoin. Still, markets often try to price events ahead of time; a hike that’s already built into prices may have a smaller effect than one that comes as a surprise. Featured image from Nikkei Asia, chart from TradingView
Crypto pundit Crypto Wimar has explained why the Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP prices crashed, highlighting the continuous selling pressure. The crypto market is also at risk of further downward pressure due to macro factors such as the impending Japan rate hike. Why The Bitcoin, Ethereum, And XRP Prices Crashed In an X post, Crypto Wimar revealed that Wintermute has dumped 40% of its holdings over the last three weeks, which has contributed to the crash in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP prices. The crypto pundit further noted that the market maker is still dumping millions in BTC and ETH on Binance, which puts these coins at risk of further declines. Related Reading: What’s Happening With The Bitcoin, Ethereum, And Dogecoin Prices Recently? The Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP prices are also crashing as crypto market investors brace for a Japan interest rate hike by the BOJ at their December 19 meeting. Polymarket data shows that there is currently a 97.4% chance that the BOJ will increase rates by 25 basis points. A Japan rate hike impacts the crypto market as it puts the yen carry trade in focus, with investors moving to sell their assets before the yen strengthens and their debt becomes more expensive. Meanwhile, it is worth mentioning that the Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP prices have crashed after every Fed rate cut this year. This similar price action is playing out as the Fed lowered rates by 25 bps last week. These crypto assets had seen a notable rebound prior to the Fed rate decision last week, indicating that the cut was already priced in. Demand for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP also appears to be dwindling, even among institutional investors. Crypto analytics platform CryptoQuant stated that Bitcoin treasury growth is losing momentum, noting that the accumulation pace is slowing despite the fact that 117 new companies added BTC to their treasuries this year. Ethereum treasury company BitMine is also the only company that has continued to accumulate ETH at an impressive pace amid this market downturn. BTC At Risk Of Drop Below $50,000 Crypto analyst Titan of Crypto has indicated that the Bitcoin price could still drop below $50,000, which also puts Ethereum and XRP at risk of crashing. In an X post, the analyst raised the possibility that a BTC bear pennant is forming. Related Reading: Why Is The Bitcoin Price Down Again? Analyst Calls Out Trading Desk For Triggering Crashes He noted that this is not a structure that market investors will typically want to see in a bull market. Titan of Crypto added that the structure is still developing, but it is one that is worth monitoring closely. Meanwhile, the analyst’s accompanying chart showed that the Bitcoin price could drop below $50,000 as soon as February next year. It is worth mentioning that veteran trader Peter Brandt had also earlier predicted that BTC could drop below $50,000 based on his belief that the flagship crypto is already in a bear market. Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com
Strategy chair Michael Saylor signaled that his firm may add to its Bitcoin holdings just as the market slid again on Sunday, a move that kept traders on edge and fed fresh debate over what is driving the declines. Related Reading: Analyst: Bitcoin’s Cycle Is Intact, Yet No Longer Purely Market-Driven Back To More Orange Dots According to a post on X, Saylor shared a chart with the phrase “Back to More Orange Dots,” a shorthand that investors interpret as fresh buying. Based on reports tracked by SaylorTracker, Strategy bought 10,624 BTC on Dec. 12 — its biggest single purchase since late July. The firm now holds about 660,624 BTC, which at current prices is worth roughly $58.5 billion, and its average cost per coin stands at $74,696. ₿ack to More Orange Dots. pic.twitter.com/rBi1aagDVO — Michael Saylor (@saylor) December 14, 2025 Sunday Wick, Low Liquidity Bitcoin briefly dipped to a two-week low near $87,750 in late trading on Sunday, before climbing back above $89,000 by the time of writing. Traders pointed to a familiar pattern: quick wick-downs on weekends when liquidity is thin. Ether showed relative strength while major altcoins lagged, and market participants were seen positioning ahead of a packed calendar of US data and central bank decisions this week. Analysts Eye Bank Of Japan According to analyst commentary, some market participants blame the selling on expectations around the Bank Of Japan. People are seriously underestimating what the bank is about to do to crypto, said one analyst using the handle NoLimit. Justin d’Anethan, head of research at Arctic Digital, said the slide toward $88,000 “feels like a defeat,” and linked the move to fear of a carry trade unwind tied to Japanese rate expectations. Markets May Have Priced It In Sykodelic, another market watcher, argued that Japan’s actions are largely priced in. “Markets are forward-thinking, forward-moving. They move in anticipation of events, not when those events happen,” they wrote. Based on that view, the recent drop is less about a fresh shock and more about ordinary back-and-forth: macro funds trimming exposure, short-term traders taking profit, and buyers stepping in at lower levels. Related Reading: Bitcoin Headed For $200 Trillion? CEO Makes Bold Prediction That push-and-pull helps explain why Bitcoin keeps snapping lower on thin pockets of liquidity but does not break decisively below key support. Meanwhile, the tension between long-term holders — represented by companies like Strategy — and short-term macro flows is shaping price action. There is no sign yet of widespread liquidations or a funding crisis, which suggests the declines are measured rather than chaotic. Featured image from Australian Farmers, chart from TradingView
Kevin Hassett, a leading contender for the next US Federal Reserve chair, has stated that the central bank does not take instructions from the White House and that Donald Trump’s views on interest rates will not shape monetary policy. Hassett said the Federal Reserve is designed to operate independently and bases its decisions on economic …
A new public company with a big Bitcoin stash is pitching a bold claim. Twenty One Capital, which listed on the New York Stock Exchange on December 9, arrived with close to $4 billion Bitcoin treasury and now holds the third-largest BTC reserve among public firms. According to the firm’s CEO, Jack Mallers, Bitcoin’s role could expand far beyond a speculative holding. Related Reading: Solana’s Long-Awaited Firedancer Launch Sparks 5% Rally CEO Sees Bitcoin As A Reserve Asset Mallers told viewers on theCUBE+NYSE Wired that Bitcoin has compounded holders’ portfolios at roughly 50% a year over the past five to 10 years. Based on reports, he expects that the current $2 trillion market for Bitcoin could grow to between $20 trillion and $200 trillion. He argued Bitcoin might become the next global reserve asset as finance “recollateralizes” itself away from traditional treasuries and government debt. If supply then stood at 20 million tokens when a 100x market rise happened, Bitcoin would trade near $10 million per coin. At a present price of $92,270, that outcome would equal an increase of about 10,730%. Market Signals Remain Mixed Short-term market signs are not all in favor of a big rally. According to market watchers, the Federal Reserve’s recent rate cut barely moved Bitcoin, leaving price action largely flat and directionless. The MACD histogram, however, is showing hints of bullish momentum in some technical reads, which suggests buyers may be warming up. The dollar index is showing signs of weakness, which often helps assets like Bitcoin. ETF flows keep disappointing. Without steady inflows from funds, big narratives can struggle to turn into lasting price gains. Product Push Aimed At Liquidity Without Selling Twenty One Capital says it wants to offer services that let holders tap liquidity without selling their coins. The firm plans to start in credit and lending and has said it will roll out products in partnership with Tether. Related Reading: Do Kwon Falls Hard — Terraform Labs Chief Gets 15 Years For Wire Fraud Mallers described the company as more than a balance-sheet accumulator; he compared their ambitions to Coinbase while stressing a narrower focus on Bitcoin services. If executed, these offerings could change how holders manage risk and cash needs. Big Numbers And Big Questions The projection to $200 trillion is headline-grabbing. It is a vision, not a forecast, and it hinges on major shifts in global finance and adoption. Reports note that other industry figures have offered similar long-term targets, which means the idea is not unique but remains highly debated. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
The Bitcoin’s behavior around US Federal Reserve announcements has become one of the most consistent market patterns of the year. After every FOMC update, the world’s largest cryptocurrency has reacted with a noticeable downside move, underscoring how closely the asset is now tied to shifting interest-rate expectations and broader macro sentiment. What Future FOMC Meetings Could Mean For Bitcoin In an X post, analyst CryptoMichNL has mentioned that the Federal Reserve (FED) is preparing to update the printer from 2021 liquidity settings toward a more supportive 2025 stance. However, this doesn’t mean it will have an immediate impact on the markets, as these things take time. As a result of the update, Bitcoin has dropped after every Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting in 2025, but these moves are primarily aimed at flushing out longs through high liquidations. Related Reading: Bitcoin In An Opportunity Zone? Hash Ribbons Flash New Buy Signal According to the expert, the actual move on the markets and the direction should come in the next 1-2 weeks, which would give a better outlook going into 2026. The bullish trend has remained intact, and the thesis is still valid. However, BTC shouldn’t break the lows during the FOMC flush. Instead, it should break the $92,000 resistance zone to retest the $100,000 level. Bitcoin is still moving in a choppy pattern, driven by illiquid order books and fast moves in both directions. CryptoMichNL has also highlighted that BTC is still in for a new upward breakout in the coming days to weeks. Despite the volatility, BTC has continued to form higher lows, which is a clear sign that an upward structure is building. CryptoMichNL noted that, as the price doesn’t break down anymore, the heavy correction in the market was highly manipulated and not organic, which is very natural for the market to return to normal. Why Bitcoin Market Structure Remains Intact Despite Deep Pullback Bitcoin has not proven to be any different from the cycle. A full-time crypto trader and investor, Daan Crypto Trades, pointed out that the good initial bounce is right off the 0.382 Fibonacci retracement level, which is taken from the entire cycle move. Realistically, that was the lowest the price could go without breaking the broader weekly market structure. Related Reading: Did 2025 Mark A Bear Market For Bitcoin? Predictions Point To A $150,000 Rally In 2026 According to Daan, the invalidation is clearly the higher-timeframe outlook, and the November lows would become a very uncomfortable place for the bulls. As the year comes to an end, a lot of the 4-year cycle selling should also be diminishing. Meanwhile, Q1 2026 is shaping up to be extremely important as it will likely reveal where the BTC cycle will move next. Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com
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
Bitcoin has a historical tendency to punish consensus, but the price action following the Federal Reserve’s December meeting offered a particularly sharp lesson in market structure over macro headlines. On paper, the setup appeared constructive: The central bank delivered its third rate cut of the year, trimming the benchmark by 25 basis points, while Chair […]
The post Bitcoin flashes rare liquidity warning because the Fed’s $40 billion “stimulus” is actually a trap appeared first on CryptoSlate.
The Federal Reserve begins Treasury bill purchases later Friday, starting with $8.2 billion as part of its reserve management program.
Bitcoin is trading in a world where headlines still scream “bull” or “bear” while the underlying structure quietly refuses to play along. After spiking to an all-time high in the $124,000–$126,000 zone in early October and then shedding roughly a third of its value into November, BTC now sits in the low-$90,000s, still dominant but clearly winded. Into that confusion steps pseudonymous renowned crypto industry veteran plur daddy (@plur_daddy) who suggests the market may be in neither regime at all. “Because of the 4 year cycle, all crypto market participants are primed to view the market as either in a bull or bear phase,” he wrote on X. “What if, as a part of the market maturing, we are simply in an extended consolidation window where overhead supply is being absorbed?” It is a simple framing shift with fairly big implications. He points to gold, which “chopped between $1,650–2,050 from April 2020 to March 2024,” and argues it is “logical to assume that as BTC evolves, it will exhibit more gold-like behaviors.” In other words: not dead, not euphoric, just… stuck in a fat, liquidity-soaked range where supply changes hands from weak to strong for longer than traders raised on clean halving cycles are emotionally prepared to tolerate. Related Reading: Standard Chartered Cuts 2026 Bitcoin Price Prediction By 50% The range dynamics are already visible at the top end. According to plur, “sellers emerged aggressively whenever price entered the $120k range.” He notes there are “strong arguments” those sellers were driven by the four-year cycle meme, but “equally good arguments” they were reacting to more prosaic considerations: age, price, liquidity, thesis change, and “emerging tail risks.” If BTC revisits that zone, he thinks it is “rational for people to front run that, which helps reinforce the range.” Classic reflexivity: people remembering the last top create the next one. On the downside, he is not in the doom camp. “This also dovetails with my intuitive feeling that the lows may be in, or at the least not significantly lower than what we have seen, but upside also being capped,” he wrote, adding that liquidity conditions are “poised to moderately improve,” creating room for a bounce – just not necessarily a new regime. Or as he put it with some restraint, he’d “be cautious about betting on regime change.” Bitcoin Market Puzzled: QE Or Not QE? That “moderate improvement” is not theoretical. Yesterday’s FOMC meeting delivered a 25-basis-point rate cut, taking the Fed funds target to 3.50–3.75%, alongside a surprise announcement: roughly $40 billion a month in “reserve management purchases” (RMPs) of short-dated Treasuries, starting December 12 and guided to remain elevated for several months. The official line is that this is a technical step to keep reserves “ample” and repo markets functioning, not a new round of QE. Macro voices on X are, unsurprisingly, not unified on that distinction. Plur Daddy added via X: “This is different from QE because the main way that QE works is through pulling duration out of the market, forcing market participants to move up the risk curve. However, they snuck in there that they may buy up to 3 year treasury notes, which means some duration will be getting taken out. This is more bullish than expected, and helps bridge market liquidity into the new year.” Miad Kasravi (@ZFXtrading) insists, “FED is NOT doing QE. Just expanding balance sheet via Money-market displacement,” arguing that when the Fed buys bills, the prior holder gets cash that “has to go somewhere” and “some of it seeps into credit, equities, crypto.” Related Reading: Wall Street Giant Bernstein Predicts Bitcoin Price To Hit $1 Million By 2033 LondonCryptoClub takes the gloves off. In his view, the Fed is “basically going to print money to keep funding this deficit for as long and as large as needed,” adding that “the debasement trade is on autopilot mode.” He backs Lyn Alden’s earlier remark that “it’s money printing. Whether it’s QE or not is more semantics. Fed won’t call it QE since it’s not duration and it’s not for economic stimulus.” Lyn Alden nails it Markets are going to tie themselves up arguing over the semantics and overcomplicating it Yet they’re printing money and monetising the deficit It’s all the same thing. Admittedly, this is QE-lite…for now at least Believe it or not, market participants… https://t.co/cf7QLogWom — LondonCryptoClub (@LDNCryptoClub) December 10, 2025 Peter Schiff, predictably but not entirely irrationally, commented via X: “QE by any other name is still inflation. The Fed just announced it will be buying T-bills “on an ongoing basis.” Given that long-term rates will rise on this inflationary policy shift, it won’t be long before the Fed expands and extends QE5 to longer-dated maturities. Got gold?” So The Takeaway Is? As Plur notes, these operations expand bank reserves and ease repo stress; the Fed will primarily buy T-bills, but “they may buy up to 3 year treasury notes, which means some duration will be getting taken out.” That edges the program closer to “QE-lite” than pure plumbing. It is supportive for risk assets and it arrives precisely during the year-end liquidity doldrums, with further balance-sheet expansion mechanisms waiting in the wings. For Bitcoin, the uncomfortable answer right now is that both things can be true: the “debasement trade” is structurally alive, while price action behaves like a large, semi-institutional asset digesting a brutal rally and a fresh macro shock. Another six to eighteen months of rangebound churn, as plur suggests, “wouldn’t be strange at all.” Whether you label that bull, bear, or just purgatory is mostly a narrative choice. Markets, frankly, will trade it the same either way. At press time, BTC traded at $90,060. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
Bitcoin’s price action in the past two weeks has opened a new phase of stress among traders, with on-chain data showing realized losses climbing to heights last observed in 2022. Glassnode’s latest Week-On-Chain report shows Bitcoin is trading above an important cost-basis level but is also visibly straining under intensified loss realization, fading demand and weakening liquidity, which has placed short-term investors in a difficult position. Realized Losses Return To Deep Territory According to Glassnode, realized losses among Bitcoin entities have risen massively, and is now almost at the same magnitudes recorded during the deep retracements of the 2022 bear market. Particularly, the Relative Unrealized Loss (30D-SMA) has climbed to 4.4% after nearly two years below 2%. Related Reading: The Current Bitcoin Price Pump Will End In A Crash – Here’s When To Start Selling The escalation in loss realization reflects how the recent drawdown below $90,000 has forced a large number of market participants to offload coins at prices below their acquisition cost. This, in turn, has disrupted the gradual improvement in profitability seen earlier in the year. Bitcoin’s recent bounce from the November 22 low to above $92,000 hasn’t eased the strain on holders. Glassnode noted that entities are still locking in losses at an increasing pace, with the 30-day average of realized losses now at around $555 million per day. These conditions mean that investors are losing confidence in short-term upside prospects for Bitcoin and choose to reduce exposure, even at unfavorable prices. Therefore, the report noted that resolving it will require a renewed wave of liquidity and demand to rebuild confidence. Glassnode also highlights a sharp rise in profit-taking among long-term holders, whose realized gains have climbed to roughly $1 billion per day and briefly set a new record above $1.3 billion. Even with this elevated level of distribution, Bitcoin is currently positioned just above the True Market Mean, which is a long-standing cost-basis benchmark that serves as a point of structural support. The recent price downturn below $90,000 has pushed this zone close to its limits, but the glimpse of demand reflected around it suggests that price could revisit the 0.75 quantile near $95,000 and possibly approach the short-term holder cost basis as well. Spot ETF, Futures, And Options Markets Indicate Weakness Glassnode’s report points to persistent softness across ETF flows, which have cooled notably after a period of strong inflows earlier in the year. This slowdown represents a reduction in one of the largest and most immediate sources of buy-side liquidity for Bitcoin. Related Reading: Why Is The Bitcoin Price Down Again? Analyst Calls Out Trading Desk For Triggering Crashes Spot market liquidity has also faded, with order books on major exchanges near the lower bound of their 30-day range. This has created an environment where trading activity has weakened through November and into December, and fewer liquidity flows are available to absorb volatility or sustain directional moves. Derivatives positioning reflects similar caution, with funding rates pinned near neutral. Futures open interest has also been subdued and has failed to meaningfully rebuild since the breakdown below $90,000. Across all major venues, the tone is the same: liquidity is lighter, sentiment is softening, and participants are leaning defensive rather than pursuing short-term rallies. The attention is now on how Bitcoin will respond in the aftermath of the Federal Reserve’s recent rate cut. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview.com
Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Strategy, told attendees at Binance Blockchain Week that the wall of skepticism inside big banks is breaking down faster than he once expected. Related Reading: All-In On XRP: Why This Leading Investor Sold His Entire Bitcoin Stack He said he had thought it might take four to eight years for major financial firms to move fully into Bitcoin. Now, he says, that timeline is compressing and the shift is visible right away. Banking Giants Reverse Course According to Saylor, the past 12 months have seen heavy hitters — including Citibank, BNY, Bank of America, PNC, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Vanguard — shift from hostility to a more welcoming stance on crypto. Reports have disclosed that Vanguard has enabled clients to trade ETF shares linked to XRP and Bitcoin through its platform. Saylor added that internal plans are in motion at several institutions to roll out custody services and credit lines tied to crypto holdings. Loans Backed By Bitcoin Based on Saylor’s remarks, Charles Schwab is preparing to offer Bitcoin custody and to extend credit against BTC as soon as next year, and Citibank is said to be moving in a similar direction. He recalled earlier struggles to secure bank loans using Bitcoin as collateral and said lenders have flipped their approach within roughly six months. According to him, eight of the top 10 US banks are now issuing credit backed by Bitcoin, a claim that highlights how quickly attitudes appear to be changing inside the industry. Political Climate Could Be Speeding Things Up Saylor pointed to policy shifts under US President Donald Trump as a factor that has encouraged banks to leave the sidelines. Many firms were already experimenting with blockchain years ago — Goldman Sachs, for example, issued one of the first Bitcoin-backed loans in 2022 — but a friendlier regulatory tone, he said, has accelerated planning and product development. Still, banks face legal, operational and risk hurdles before these services reach broad retail customers. Markets Watching Fed Announcement Meanwhile, traders and analysts are watching the Federal Open Market Committee. The Fed is expected to cut rates by 0.25%, bringing the target to 3.5%–3.75%, a move that often boosts risk assets like Bitcoin. Volatility is likely around the announcement, and some market players warn that early rallies can reverse quickly when the Fed provides forward guidance. Related Reading: NFT Slump Worsens With Monthly Sales Hitting Rock Bottom Technical Signals And Sentiment Bitcoin’s own moves were discussed alongside the banking story. The crypto fear gauge hit 10 this week, signaling extreme fear, and price rebounded from $86,700 to roughly $92,300. One analyst flagged resistance near $94,200 and suggested a clean breakout could open a path toward $103,000. Another observer noted Bitcoin has lagged the Nasdaq’s recovery, a divergence that could work in either direction if markets shift. Featured image from The Information, chart from TradingView
In a move that could signal a bullish shift for Bitcoin (BTC) and the broader cryptocurrency market, the Federal Reserve (Fed) announced a 25 basis points (bps) interest rate cut, bringing the new rate range to 3.5% to 3.75%. Bitcoin Poised To Surge Toward $100,000? Kevin Hassett, the White House economic adviser and a leading candidate to become the next Fed chair, commented to the Wall Street Journal CEO Council that there is “plenty of room” for additional interest rate cuts. He stated, “If the data suggests that we could do it, then — like right now, I think there’s plenty of room to do it.” Hassett, who is President Donald Trump’s preferred choice for the Fed chair position after Jerome Powell’s tenure concludes, has been critical of Powell for being “too late” in lowering rates. Related Reading: Crypto Market Structure Talks: Senator Lummis Addresses Latest Legislation Plans While the last rate cut in October had minimal impact on the Bitcoin price, analyst Michael van de Poppe believes that the current rate cut could significantly benefit the cryptocurrency. He characterized it as a “great move” for Bitcoin and noted that a breakout above $92,000 might be indicative of future bullish momentum. Van de Poppe expressed optimism about Bitcoin’s ability to maintain the support level between $91,500 and $92,000, suggesting that if it does, there could be a pathway for Bitcoin to approach the $100,000 mark. Can BTC Avoid Historical 10% Decline? Market expert Ash Crypto pointed out that historically, each of the last four times the Fed slashed rates by 25 bps, Bitcoin experienced a 5% to 10% decline shortly thereafter. Despite this pattern, Ash noted that the current market setup differs from previous scenarios, suggesting that different dynamics could be at play. Related Reading: Ethereum Price Climbs Toward $3,300 For The First Time Since November: What’s Driving The Surge? Several positive factors underpinning this optimism include the conclusion of quantitative tightening (QT) after a three-year period. Should Powell hint at the possibility of quantitative easing (QE) in his forthcoming remarks, it could spur a further bullish trend in the market. Additionally, with this being the third rate cut, Ash asserted that there is potential for increased liquidity to flow back into the markets, which historically benefits risk assets like Bitcoin. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com
Despite a noticeable cooldown in trading volumes, Bitcoin’s underlying market structure has continued to strengthen. The price action has stabilized within a narrow range as long-term holders maintain firm conviction. As more BTC flows into cold storage and supply on exchanges tightens, the market is transitioning from hype-driven swings to steady structural support. How The Price Compression Builds Energy For A Larger Move CIO and founder of MNFund and MNCapital, CryptoMichNL, emphasized that Bitcoin shares a strong correlation with the Nasdaq. While Nasdaq continues to show steady resilience, BTC has stalled behind. This mismatch creates a mispricing and market divergence, which is why the path toward $100,000 remains wide open and why the 4-year cycle thesis doesn’t hold up. Related Reading: Did 2025 Mark A Bear Market For Bitcoin? Predictions Point To A $150,000 Rally In 2026 Recently, BTC saw a massive correction, dropping from $115,000 to $80,000 in just two weeks. During that same liquidation period, what LVisserLabs calls the rotation between Pure Vol vs. Pure Profitability or Beta vs. Quality has fallen sharply. Beta here refers to high-volatility, high-beta stocks, which are essentially tech stocks that drive the markets. Meanwhile, Quality means more risk-off assets, including high-quality, profitable, and stable companies. Currently, BTC has stalled after the sell-off, and the Beta assets have recovered substantially, implying that the stocks have inverted their loss with the big drop and are now grinding upwards, signaling that risk-on appetite is clearly back. With this kind of structural divergence, it’s likely that in the coming weeks or months, BTC will grind upward to $110,000 and $115,000 levels, reversing the drop as the entire correction was a little dubious. CryptoMichNL advised that instead of relying on a time-based sounding the 4-year cycle assumption, it is better to focus on the charts and macro relationships that directly influence BTC price. On-Chain Activity Shows Clear Confidence From Big Money The ambassador of StandXOfficial and the KOL of Binance, who is also an advisor at KOLsAgency, Investor Ucan, has highlighted that the evidence of Bitcoin’s latest upward move is already on-chain. The last six hours have revealed a clear surge of institutional demand. On-chain data shows that Binance purchased 7,298 BTC, Coinbase bought 1,362 BTC, Wintermute bought 2,174 BTC, BlacRock bought 1,362 BTC, and an unknown whale bought 6,192 BTC. In total, 20,438 BTC were purchased in just six hours, valued at approximately $1.9 billion. Related Reading: Bitcoin Settles In Consolidation Zone – Levels To Watch Ucan noted that the timing of this purchase is what stands out. These inflows hit the market hours before the Federal Reserve’s upcoming employment data was released. Institutional is clearly expecting a supportive outcome. A positive print refers to easing expectations and fresh liquidity on the horizon. Retail traders are reacting, and the institutions are anticipating early. If the Fed confirms what these flows imply, today’s buying won’t look like simple momentum, but preparation. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview.com
Bitcoin climbed to a three-week high on Tuesday before slipping back, a move that has traders and analysts watching closely. Related Reading: NFT Slump Worsens With Monthly Sales Hitting Rock Bottom According to TradingView data, Bitcoin price topped out at $94,600 late in the session — its highest level since November 25 — then eased to about $92,450 at the time of reporting. Santiment, a blockchain analytics firm, said social chatter calling for “higher” and “above” exploded during the spike, but market action remained uneven. Bitcoin: Trader Frenzy And Skepticism Reports have disclosed that the surge drew heavy retail attention and a flurry of social-media posts urging more buying. Some market watchers questioned how organic the rise was. A well-known long-term investor using the handle “NoLimit” told his 53,000 X followers that the $94,000 push looked engineered: big buys packed into a few minutes, thin order books, then little follow-through. ???? Bitcoin enjoyed a much needed rebound back to $94.6K today, reinvigorating traders, causing them to FOMO back in and expect higher prices. According to our social data scraping X, Reddit, Telegram, & other data, calls for “higher” & “above” exploded. ???? High bars indicate… pic.twitter.com/o3U3yWkwkk — Santiment (@santimentfeed) December 9, 2025 That pattern, he argued, is how larger traders can create short-term fear of missing out so they can sell into strength. Santiment also highlighted a behavioral twist: smaller traders appear to pile in after spikes, often leaving them on the wrong side of moves. Volatility followed the high, as prices pulled back by a couple thousand dollars within hours. Exchange order depth and timing of large blocks, analysts say, matter a lot when liquidity is shallow. Fed Decision Could Shift Momentum The US central bank meeting this week is a key wildcard. Market pricing on CME Group futures showed an 88% chance of a 0.25% rate cut, which many traders think helped fuel the rally. Yet some analysts warned that any sign of hesitation about future cuts could dampen risk appetite. Beyond US policy, next week’s potential Bank of Japan rate action is being watched because a tighter stance there could lift yields and pull capital back to Japan, tightening global liquidity. That kind of flow can pressure risky assets across markets. Liquidity, Institutions And The Bigger Picture Meanwhile, long-term holders pared back supply after a 36% correction from the all-time high, and some addresses now hold levels seen in March. Jessica Gonzales, an analyst cited in reports, said M2 money supply sits at about $22.3 trillion and stablecoin reserves remain elevated, suggesting there is capital around but not necessarily evenly distributed in markets. Institutional moves also feature: big firms such as BlackRock and Strategy have expanded crypto exposure, which could add a steadier buyer base — or simply shift where risk sits. Related Reading: Institutions Scoop Up 9,000 Ether, Fueling Bullish Signals What Traders Should Watch Short-term traders should track order-book depth, large trade clusters, and how price reacts to any Fed wording about future cuts. The next 25 days were flagged as especially important by several observers because liquidity swings and regulatory updates could flip the narrative fast. If a true broad-based bid forms, prices could move quickly. If the Fed signals caution, the opposite could happen. Featured image from Gemini, chart from TradingView
The Federal Open Market Committee will release its policy decision today at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, followed by Chair Jerome Powell’s press conference at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time. During this event, the Fed will also share updated economic projections, including its outlook for growth, inflation, jobs, and future interest rates. Markets are watching closely, as …