Veteran trader Peter Brandt has outlined two potential downside zones for Bitcoin, signaling targets near $81,852 and $59,403 per BTC. Ripple completed a $500 million share sale at a $40 billion valuation, while Bitcoin and XRP gained Wall Street exposure via Bitwise’s 10 Crypto Index Fund listing on NYSE Arca. Shiba Inu saw a surge in whale transfers, a 1.06 trillion SHIB rise on exchanges and an eight-trillion-token outflow from centralized platforms, pointing to shifting volatility and positioning.

Solana’s validator set has reportedly shrunk by 68% over the past two years, leaving about 800 active nodes and stirring concerns over network security. At the same time, the SOL stake needed for a validator to break even has tripled to roughly $17 million per block, intensifying pressure on operators amid one of the asset’s weakest quarters since 2022.

U.S. banking trade groups challenged the OCC's approval of national trust charters for crypto firms, while regulators and institutions advanced integration. Itaú Unibanco has recently advised clients to allocate up to 3% to Bitcoin, and TRM Labs reported that more than 38% of Venezuelan crypto traffic used a single P2P venue as stablecoins filled banking gaps.

Blockstream CEO Adam Back used a social media post to counter claims that a quantum computer could crack early Bitcoin wallets and crash the market. He argued Bitcoin's security relies on digital signatures using secp256k1 rather than data encryption, and judged a meaningful quantum threat unlikely for 20–40 years, while Vitalik Buterin and Anatoly Yakovenko warned of nearer-term risks.

Gulf equities retreated on Sunday after crude ended the week down 4% and profit-taking curbed risk appetite. Saudi Arabia's main index fell 1.2% to 10,589, with Al Rajhi Bank down 1.3% and Saudi Basic Industries Corp off 1.2%. Qatar slipped 0.4% to 10,855, while Kuwait and Oman edged up 0.1%.

According to Cryptopolitan, Apple, Microsoft, Meta and Disney are setting up internal energy trading operations as AI data centers push US electricity demand far beyond the patterns of the past decade. Federal approvals and new job listings show these companies moving into wholesale power markets to manage rising costs, stricter utility contracts and the risk of paying for unused capacity, while building teams to handle both short-term load balancing and long-term power purchase deals.

According to recent on-chain and liquidity metrics, Bitcoin has traded for much of the past month without a clear trend and repeatedly failed to reclaim the $94k zone. Despite signs of accumulation and global M2 liquidity hitting record highs, demand indicators remain negative, holders face deep unrealized losses, and analysts suggest a move back above $100k would require large capital inflows that are not yet visible.

On December 14, 2025, Fed chair contender Kevin Hassett said interest‑rate decisions would remain with the FOMC, even if he becomes chair, and that a president's views carry no formal weight. He addressed inflation data discussed in the interview—CPI up 3% year over year and PCE up 2.8%—and highlighted item‑level shifts in drugs, gas, eggs, and groceries.