Bitcoin's price recently slipped under $90,000 before recovering to about $91,390, and analysts have highlighted several critical levels that could shape its short-term path. They point to supports around $89,200, $87,500 and $87,200, warning that a break could open the way to about $69,230, while upside scenarios involve reclaiming the $94,000–$95,000 band and potentially extending toward $102,000–$103,000 or even $135,000.

The crypto market's recent bounce has given way to renewed volatility, with Bitcoin and other major assets giving back part of their earlier gains. In a report released on January 6, Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan set out three conditions he believes are required for a durable rally in 2026: avoiding a repeat of the record October 10, 2025 liquidation that wiped out about $19 billion in futures, securing passage of the CLARITY Act, and maintaining relative stability in U.S. equities.

According to VanEck's long-term capital study, Bitcoin could reach $2.9 million per coin by 2050 on a projected 15% CAGR from about $88,000. The framework spans a "Settlement Pivot", where BTC processes 5–10% of cross‑border trade and 5% of domestic activity, and a "Reserve Pivot" tied to G7 debt concerns, with outcomes from a $130,000 bear case to a $53.4 million bull case.

According to Bull Theory analysts, MSCI's October 10 proposal to remove Digital Asset Treasury Companies from its global indexes and the later ETF filings by Morgan Stanley may be linked to Bitcoin's sharp downturn and recovery. They argue the 31% Bitcoin drop, nearly $18,000 in losses and over $900 billion erased from the crypto market set the stage for institutional accumulation before the January 1, 2026 price rebound and subsequent ETF announcements. Bitcoin is now trading around $91,550 after pulling back 2% from a recent $95,000 local high.

On Monday, Bitcoin climbed back above $93,000 as major altcoins including Ethereum, XRP, and Solana staged their strongest rebound in nearly a month. CoinGecko data shows Bitcoin up 7% over the week, while Ethereum and Solana gained nearly 9% and XRP advanced about 15%. On-chain figures cited by analysts indicate whales bought around 270,000 BTC, worth roughly $23 billion, in the last 30 days, while the $93,500 zone is now highlighted as an important resistance level that could cap prices for an extended period.

As 2026 gets underway, XRP trades near $1.90 while fear gauges sit at 24. Santiment reports bearish mentions running 20–30% above November's baseline. Despite the gloom, analysts cite December ETF inflows of about $424 million and roughly $1.3 billion accumulated over 50 days as signals that a 70–75% reversal probability may be building within two to eight weeks.

On December 8, Bitcoin's 10- and 50-week simple moving averages crossed, a signal highlighted by Ali Martinez that has historically preceded large drawdowns. As 2025 ended, BTC traded over 30% below its all-time high and hovered just above $89,200. Martinez cautions this setup could imply a 50%–60% retreat toward $50,000–$38,000, while analyst Mags outlines scenarios tied to USDT dominance.

Bitcoin is trading back above $89,000 and testing the $90,000 resistance area, while some traders worry that a slide to $74,000 could put Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) at risk. Bull Theory analysts argue that with 672,497 BTC worth tens of billions of dollars against roughly $8.24 billion of debt and over $2.18 billion in cash, the firm would remain solvent even at that lower price. They instead point to external market rules, higher margin requirements and ongoing share issuance as the main pressures on Strategy’s stock.

In 2025, XRP has traded with mixed results but remains one of the stronger altcoin performers, currently priced just under $1.90 and about 50% below its July peak. Standard Chartered projects that spot XRP ETFs could attract $4–$8 billion of inflows during 2026 and, together with the August 2025 settlement of the SEC lawsuit against Ripple, help drive the token toward $8. The bank's analyst also outlines a scenario where XRP might reach $12.50 by 2028, assuming supportive macro conditions and sustained investor risk appetite.