On Thursday, CryptoQuant head of research Julio Moreno said most indicators in his bull score index for Bitcoin flipped bearish in early November, suggesting the market has been in a downtrend for about two months. With Bitcoin trading near $88,543 on Friday after peaking at $126,080 in October 2025, he expects the bear market low in 2026 to form around $56,000 to $60,000, based on the realized price and historical cycles.

After the April 2024 halving, Bitcoin set a record high of $126,080 on Oct 6, then finished 2025 below its starting level. The divergence from the post‑halving gains seen in 2012, 2016 and 2020 has rekindled debate over whether the four‑year cycle still guides market behavior.

Session executives Chris McCabe and Alex Linton told Cointelegraph that AI-integrated devices could circumvent app-level encryption on phones and computers, jeopardizing private messaging. They highlighted limited user awareness and cited OpenAI's disclosure last month of a third-party analytics breach, while noting intensifying regulatory pressure on encrypted tools.

According to Etherscan, the Ethereum mainnet recently processed 2.2 million transactions in a single day while average fees fell to about $0.17. Fees had previously peaked above $200 per transaction in May 2022 and have generally trended lower amid network upgrades, increased gas limits and rising on-chain activity including 8.7 million new smart contracts in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Santiment said on Tuesday that Bitcoin is underperforming gold and the S&P 500 since early November, with gold up 9%, the S&P 500 up 1%, and BTC down 20%. Analysts noted BTC was around $88,000 as of Wednesday, and believe 2026 could present an opportunity for crypto to narrow the gap.

Long-term Bitcoin holders have paused selling after months of distribution, per an X post on Monday, while Ether whales added about 120,000 ETH since Dec. 26. Despite accumulation, BTC traded between $86,744 and $90,064 over the past week and sentiment stayed cautious as U.S. selling pressure persisted on Coinbase's premium index.

Australia's eSafety Commissioner brought new rules into force on Dec. 27 requiring search engines to verify user ages and apply strict filters for minors, with six months allowed for full rollout. Ireland plans to use its EU Council presidency in July 2026 to push ID-based social media verification and a ban on anonymous accounts, while US officials promote measures like the GRANITE Act and sanctions on EU regulators over alleged censorship of American platforms.

In a series of posts on X, Blockstream co-founder and cypherpunk Adam Back argued that quantum computing is still at a very early stage and unlikely to threaten Bitcoin for several decades. Venture investor Nic Carter and Bitcoin Policy Institute fellow Craig Warmke countered that dismissive attitudes among key developers toward quantum risk are already weighing on Bitcoin's price and slowing capital inflows. They contend that investors are concerned, large holders are diversifying, and the ecosystem should develop contingency plans to reassure the market.

Vitalik Buterin argues that Ethereum must simplify its protocol so more people can fully understand how the blockchain works, which he views as key to genuine trustlessness. He says Ethereum should sometimes sacrifice features to make the system clearer, while projects like privacy-focused layer 2 INTMAX echo that complex designs merely shift who users must trust. Ethereum’s roadmap already targets easier node operation, smart contract wallets and a Web2-like user experience to lower barriers for everyday users.