The crypto market traded in a risk-off pullback this week, rebounding modestly from early December's sharp drawdown amid the Federal Reserve's third consecutive 25 basis point rate cut to 3.50-3.75% on December 10, but facing renewed pressure from AI sector jitters, tariff threats, and cooling ETF momentum. Total market cap slipped to $3.16 trillion, down 2.8% over the past 24 hours but up 1.2% week-over-week, as daily volumes held at $154 billion with rotations out of high-beta altcoins toward established infrastructure plays like privacy coins, AI networks, and stablecoins.
In this environment, catalysts like Zcash's dynamic fee proposal and 12% surge, Bittensor's impending halving reducing emissions by 50%, and STABLE's post-net launch, bucking broader caution with double-digit gains. These highlight renewed privacy demand, AI scarcity narratives, and stablecoin maturation as resilient gems in a market eyeing macro clarity for year-end liquidity.
Key Crypto Market Highlights From the Past Week
Over the last seven days (December 4-11, 2025), the market eked out a tentative recovery with Bitcoin up 1.5% to $92,276 after dipping below $90,000 on AI profit-taking, Ethereum dipping 0.6% to $3,196 amid post-Fusaka upgrade consolidation, and XRP ETFs surpassing $900 million in cumulative inflows.
This week, four tokens shone as high-momentum gems fueled by protocol upgrades, scarcity events, and adoption milestones. Key watchpoints: ETF AUM trends, AI subnet growth, stablecoin volumes, and privacy fee reforms amid Fed pivot.
This week, four crypto tokens stood out due to price momentum, adoption, and notable ecosystem activity. Investors and traders should be aware of the following:
• Zcash dynamic fee proposal sparks a 12% rally: Shielded Labs unveiled a roadmap for dynamic fees using mining difficulty heuristics, addressing congestion as ZEC trades at $395 amid ETF filing buzz.
• Bittensor halving set for December 14: First emission cut from 7,200 to 3,600 TAO daily mirrors Bitcoin scarcity, boosting hype after the dTAO upgrade with subnet market cap hitting $4.4B.
• STABLE surged post-mainnet launch in December 2025, with partnerships like Chipper Cash, Alchemy Pay, and Gate.io AMA driving adoption. Volume hit $301M in 24h, with 25,000+ social mentions boosting active wallets and circulation amid seamless fiat-to-stablecoin rails.
• Bitcoin rebounds to $92K pre-Fed: ETF buying and bank embrace, e.g., Strike's NYSE bell, propelled a 10% bounce from $84K lows, eyeing $100K on rate cut liquidity.
What Are the Top Crypto Gainers?
These assets led the market with strong upward momentum and rising liquidity.
| Token | 7D % | Trigger |
| Zcash (ZEC) | 0.12 | Dynamic fee proposal and Grayscale ETF filing drive volume spike to $1.2B. |
| Bittensor (TAO) | 0.088 | Halving anticipation and dTAO subnet rewards lift whale accumulation. |
| Bitcoin Cash (BCH) | 0.109 | Fork upgrade rumors and low-fee narrative amid privacy rotation. |
| AAVE (AAVE) | 0.088 | DeFi lending surge on stablecoin inflows, TVL up 15%. |
| SUI (SUI) | 0.08 | Layer-1 scalability tests pass, drawing $500M in new liquidity. |
What Are the Top Losers in the Crypto Market?
These tokens saw the steepest declines, reflecting rotation out of risk assets and pockets of sell pressure.
| Token | 7D % | Trigger |
| Starknet (STRK) | -20.43% | Risk-off sentiment and ongoing token-unlock pressure post-mainnet delays. |
| Monero (XMR) | -10% | Privacy sector rotation amid traceability debates and regulatory noise. |
| Dash (DASH) | -18.10% | Weak volumes and beta to broader altcoin weakness, no fresh catalysts. |
| Canton (CC) | -18.08% | Extreme fear, options expiry volatility, and post-news profit-taking in enterprise chain. |
| Fetch.ai (FET) | -15% | AI token selloff on profit-taking and ecosystem integration delays. |
What Are the Top Weekly Crypto Gems, Dec 4-11, 2025?
This week's gems spotlight tokens blending privacy innovation, AI scarcity, stable value, and market leadership, showing outsized activity from December 4-11, 2025.
1. Zcash (ZEC)
Source: ZCash
Founded in 2016 by Zooko Wilcox-O'Hearn, Zcash is a privacy-preserving cryptocurrency using zero-knowledge proofs for shielded transactions on a public ledger. Over 30% of supply (4.9M ZEC) now shielded, with upgrades like Sapling slashing fees 30% and Ztarknet enabling private smart contracts. Grayscale's ETF filing and dynamic fee proposal cement institutional appeal.
ZEC powers private payments, DeFi, and NFTs, with optional transparency for versatility. Utility ties demand to adoption in surveillance-resistant finance.
Zcash Price Momentum: What's Driving the ZEC Rally?
ZEC surged 17% this week to $455, fueled by Shielded Labs' dynamic fee roadmap (using mining difficulty for USD-tuned pricing) and Grayscale's ETF conversion filing, spiking volume to $1.2B (+183%) and whale buys of 233K ZEC. Amid privacy debates (Arkham tracing 53% of txs), shielded pools hit 25% supply (+275% YoY), drawing institutional flows and trimming exchange supply by 15%. Fee reforms and ETF tailwinds signal sustained upside.
Zcash (ZEC) Price Forecast: $469 Rejection Caps Rally as Buyers Defend Channel
Zcash is trading near $455, holding inside a rising channel that has supported recovery since late November. Price is consolidating just below $469, where long upper wicks show sellers defending a key horizontal resistance and the descending trendline drawn from the November peak. This cluster continues to limit bullish follow-through.
Zcash (ZEC) Price Chart - Source: Tradingview
The 50-EMA at $409 and 100-EMA at $423 slope upward, confirming a stable bullish structure on pullbacks. Immediate support sits at $423, followed by $389, both reaction zones within the channel. A break below $389 would expose the mid-channel region and weaken momentum.
If buyers can secure a close above $469, the next target aligns with $540, a major resistance zone based on prior swings. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) near 63 signals improving momentum but not yet overbought, allowing room for a continuation if resistance breaks.
ZEC/USDT Potential Trading Opportunity
A breakout above $469 opens a long setup toward $540, while dip-buyers may look for entries at $423–$389 as long as ZEC remains inside the rising channel.
2. Bittensor (TAO)
Source: Bittensor
Launched in 2023, Bittensor is a decentralized AI network with 128+ subnets for collaborative ML models, rewarding via TAO staking. dTAO upgrade (Feb 2025) ties emissions to subnet performance, with $4.4B collective market cap. Halving on Dec 14 cuts issuance 50%, mirroring BTC scarcity.
TAO governs staking, validator rewards, and AI data markets, linking value to subnet utility in decentralized intelligence.
Bittensor Price Momentum: Key Reasons Behind the TAO Hype
TAO rose 8.8% weekly to $303, with $7.6K daily volume (+23%) pre-halving (emissions drop to 3,600 TAO/day). 112,000+ active addresses and $245M on-chain volume highlight subnet traction, boosted by Grayscale Trust filing and EVM integrations, DEX liquidity doubling to 11.6M TAO equivalent.
TAO (TAO/USDT) Price Forecast: Symmetrical Triangle Breakout Eyes $356 Target
TAO is trading near $303, moving steadily within a developing symmetrical triangle that has shaped price action since late November. The pattern is tightening, with higher lows forming along the ascending support line near $287, while repeated rejections around $310–$322 mark a clear resistance zone. This resistance also aligns with the 100-EMA, keeping the upper boundary well-defended.
TAO (TAO/USDT) Price Chart - Source: BingX
A breakout above $322 would confirm the triangle’s bullish continuation and unlock the projected measured move toward $356, which represents roughly a 14–15% upside. If rejection persists, support sits at $287, followed by $270, both strong reaction areas. Candlesticks show tightening ranges, suggesting compression before a directional move.
Read more: Bittensor's First Halving on December 14, 2025. Will TAO Supply Shock Rewrite the AI-Crypto Trade?
TAO/USDT Potential Trade Setup
A confirmed close above $322 signals a long setup toward $337 and $356. A dip toward $287 may offer a secondary buy zone as long as the triangle support holds.
3. Stable (STABLE)
Source: Stable
Founded in 2025 and backed by Bitfinex, PayPal Ventures, and Tether, StableChain is a Layer 1 blockchain optimized for stablecoin payments and settlements, powered by USDT as the native gas token for predictable fees, sub-second finality, and 10k+ TPS. Mainnet launched in December 2025, with partnerships like Chipper Cash for African remittances, Alchemy Pay for Fiat on-ramps, and integrations with Relay, Tenderly, Ormi, Euclid, and Anoma.
STABLE serves as the governance token, enabling voting on protocol decisions, fee structures, and ecosystem grants, linking utility to network growth in stablecoin-focused finance.
Stable Price Momentum: Why Is STABLE Trending This Week?
STABLE surged post-mainnet launch in December 2025, with partnerships like Chipper Cash, Alchemy Pay, and Gate.io AMA driving adoption. Volume hit $301M in 24h, with 25,000+ social mentions boosting active wallets and circulation amid seamless fiat-to-stablecoin rails.
STABLE (STABLE/USDT) Price Forecast: Triple-Bottom Flip Signals Key $0.01545 Breakout Test
STABLE is trading near $0.01377, hovering just below a major decision zone where a triple-bottom support has now turned into resistance around $0.01545. This level sits directly beneath a downward trendline, creating a confluence that has capped every recovery attempt this week. Price remains compressed between declining highs and a flat support band, signaling an impending breakout.
STABLE (STABLE/USDT) Price Chart – Source: BingX
A clean break above $0.01545 would flip structure bullish and expose the next upside targets at $0.01895 and $0.02230, both aligned with prior reaction highs. If rejection continues, immediate support rests at $0.01258, with deeper downside potential toward $0.01020 if the trendline breakdown accelerates. Candlestick behavior shows shrinking ranges, hinting at pressure building before the next move.
STABLE/USDT Potential Trade Idea
A confirmed close above $0.01545 signals a long opportunity toward $0.01895 and $0.02230. A rejection from resistance keeps the short setup valid toward $0.01258 and $0.01020, especially if price remains below the descending trendline.
4. Bitcoin (BTC)
Source: Bitcoin
Launched in 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin is the original decentralized store of value with 21M cap. 2025 saw ETF inflows hit $13B cumulative, MicroStrategy's $962M buy, and bank embrace via Strike's NYSE listing.
BTC secures the network via PoW, with halvings enforcing scarcity; utility as digital gold drives institutional demand.
Bitcoin Price Momentum: What's Driving the BTC Rally?
BTC climbed 1.5% this week to $92,276, propelled by Fed cut expectations and 10% bounce from $84K lows, spiking volume to $1.2B (+183%) and whale accumulation of 10K+ BTC. With ETF AUM at $135B and correlation to S&P at 0.5, reduced leverage ($787B in perps) points to sustained demand.
Bitcoin (BTC/USDT) Price Forecast: Triple-Top Barrier at $94,500 Blocks Breakout Attempt
Bitcoin is trading near $92,540, consolidating just below a triple-top resistance zone at $94,500, which has repeatedly capped upside since late November. This level also sits near the 100-EMA on lower timeframes, making it a significant ceiling for bullish momentum. On the downside, an ascending trendline from December continues to guide higher lows, keeping the broader structure intact.
Bitcoin (BTC/USD) Price Chart – Source: BingX
Immediate support rests at $89,300, the demand zone that caught last week’s pullback. A break below this area would expose $85,690 and $83,910, both strong reaction levels. On the upside, a daily close above $94,500 would confirm a breakout and open the path toward the psychological $100,000 region. Candlesticks show tightening price action, suggesting compression ahead of a directional move.
BTC/USDT Potential Trading Opportunity
A confirmed close above $94,500 signals a long setup targeting $97,250 and $100,000. If price rejects the triple-top zone again, a short setup becomes valid toward $89,300, with deeper downside potential toward $85,690 if the trendline gives way.
Conclusion: What to Watch in the Week Ahead
Markets head into December 15–21 with a dense cluster of catalysts that could drive sharp sector rotations across majors and alt narratives.
1. Solana Breakpoint Conference, Dec 11–13: Alpenglow upgrade and new DeFi/memecoin launches could drive volatility in SOL.
2. SEC Decision on Spot AVAX ETF on Dec 12: Approval could unlock institutional inflows into Avalanche.
3. US CPI Release on Dec 11: Consensus 2.7% YoY; a softer print may fuel a risk-on move across BTC and altcoins.
4. Major Token Unlocks: VANA, STRK, ZK, MELANIA, ZRO could create potential supply pressure across mid-cap ecosystems.
5. BOJ Interest Rate Decision, Dec 19: Macro catalyst with global liquidity implications for risk assets.
With liquidity thinning into year-end and catalysts clustering, expect outsized swings across majors and mid-caps. Stay disciplined, track open interest and stablecoin flows, and remember: in December markets, on-chain signals, not headlines, tend to determine the real winners.