On December 21 2025, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin used Farcaster posts to argue that prediction markets help counter extreme opinions and misinformation on emotionally sensitive topics. He responded to criticism of platforms like Polymarket, claiming that small markets on major events do not create harmful incentives and can offer more accurate risk signals than social media or headlines. While Buterin firmly opposed assassination markets, he suggested social norms, oracle design, and journalistic standards as ways to make such markets unworkable.

After reaching the $120,000-$125,000 range in October 2025 and then dropping to the mid-$80,000s, Bitcoin is trading around $87,700 as traders eye profit-taking into January. Historical monthly data show January has often delivered positive returns for BTC, with notable gains in 2020, 2023 and 2025, even though some past years posted steep losses. The analysis suggests that if BTC enters January below its 2025 high and under the $90,000 mark, the greater risk could be exiting too late rather than too early.

On Sunday, Bitcoin hovered near $88,000 into the weekly close as traders positioned for volatility. Some analysts outlined a relief rally toward $98,000–$100,000 and even $150,000 targets, while others warned of a slide toward the $70,000–$72,000 zone amid rising Binance inflows and a technical break below $90,000.

Meme coins have lagged the broader market recently, with sector-wide losses while Bitcoin holds firmer, pushing traders to look at presale opportunities. Three highlighted projects are Bitcoin Hyper, PEPENODE, and Maxi Doge, which combine meme appeal with specific utility such as a Bitcoin Layer 2, virtual mining, and trading competitions. Their presales have already raised millions of dollars and offer high advertised staking yields, aiming at investors positioning for potential 2026 gains.

Shiba Inu opened 2025 at $0.00002113 and held above $0.00001 for nine months, but on Oct. 10 it fell to $0.0000085 amid a flash crash. It is at $0.000007297, down 2.9% daily and 10.88% weekly; to erase a zero, SHIB must clear $0.0000095 and reclaim $0.00001 as support.

Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan anticipates Bitcoin will set new all-time highs in 2026, even as the current market appears bearish. He argues that the traditional four-year cycle is weakening, while institutional adoption, lower volatility, and reduced correlation with equities are reshaping BTC's market profile.

Analysts say Bitcoin has likely shifted into a bear phase as demand expansion stalled after October 2025. Institutional exposure softened, with ETF holdings dropping by roughly 24,000 BTC in Q4 2025, while perpetual funding rates fell to late 2023 levels and price slipped below the 365-day moving average, keeping near-term pressure on BTC.

Cardano creator Charles Hoskinson posted "a storm is coming" on December 20, 2025 alongside Midnight branding, sparking speculation around the so-called "new ADA" project. The associated NIGHT token recently traded at $0.09324 with weekly gains of 43.22%, a market cap of $1.54B and 24-hour volume of $5.56B, giving a striking 357.73% volume-to-market-cap ratio.