Trading

On December 15, CryptoQuant data showed short-term holders moved about 24.7K BTC to exchanges near ~$88.2K, with 86.8% realized in profit and over $1.89 billion in value. As price slipped toward ~$85K on December 16, STH inflows fell to 3.9K BTC while long-term holder inflows were muted, indicating profit-taking rather than structural distribution.

In a Dec. 15 post, YouTuber Graham Stephan argued that an unwind of the yen carry trade could drain liquidity and pressure risk assets, including Bitcoin. He outlined the trade's mechanics—borrowing near 0% in Japan and buying 4-5% U.S. yields—and claimed the Fed has cut rates for the third time this year and ended QT. BTC was $87,082 at press time.

Across December, XRP has struggled near the $2.00 area as derivatives activity and spot participation weakened. Binance futures taker buy volume fell from above $5.8 billion in July to roughly $250 million, while the Estimated Leverage Ratio slipped to about 0.18. On Dec. 11, a long‑dormant wallet realized $721.5 million in profit.

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse highlighted that U.S. spot XRP ETFs have posted 30 consecutive sessions of net inflows, with cumulative inflows crossing about $1 billion and total net assets reaching roughly $1.18 billion. This steady demand contrasts with sizable outflows from bitcoin and ether ETFs, while XRP's price trades lower over recent weeks, underscoring a notable gap between institutional flows and market performance.

On December 16, 2025, analyst Michaël Van De Poppe argued that gold is priced too richly compared with Bitcoin, citing the Relative Strength Index (RSI) for BTC versus gold falling below 30 for only the fourth time. He noted that similar readings coincided with major Bitcoin bear market lows in 2015, 2018 and 2022, and suggested a possible rotation from gold into BTC as the crypto asset trades at $85,583.

ARK Invest's Cathie Wood said the Bitcoin bottom after the October 10 crash may already be in, with price stabilizing near $86,000. According to Glassnode, institutions now control 29.8% of circulating BTC, while MicroStrategy's December 15 Form 8-K detailed a 10,645 BTC purchase for $980.3 million at $92,098 per coin. Technical indicators suggest early stabilization despite trading below the $104,000 short-term holder realized price.

On December 16, 2025, SRx Health Solutions announced plans to acquire EMJ Crypto Technologies, with Eric Jackson slated to become CEO if the deal closes early next year. Jackson is building a multi‑asset, options‑hedged crypto treasury that may hold Bitcoin, Ether and select stocks, while Keystone Capital Partners pledged up to $1 billion for 2.5 billion shares.

On December 16, 2025, economist Steve Hanke reiterated on X that Bitcoin has no fundamental value, describing it as a highly speculative asset. His remarks coincided with BTC falling to $85,000 during a four-day slide, later trading at $87,083 and down less than 1% over 24 hours. The coin remains more than 30% below its October 2025 peak of $126,000.

Bitcoin slipped below $90,000 and stabilized in the mid-to-high $80,000s, with three price zones guiding near-term action. A support band at $83,500–$85,000 and a consolidation pocket at $86,500–$87,000 frame the range, while $90,800–$91,500 stands as an upside target if $88,500–$89,000 is reclaimed.

Bitcoin has hovered around $89,000–$90,000, well below the October peak near $126,000. Samson Mow says Dec. 26 matters more than recent candles, as the December options expiry with heavy call interest between $100,000 and $118,000 and put clusters around $85,000–$90,000 could unlock a larger move.