Ethereum recorded -$1.06 billion in net outflows this week, alongside a 120% jump in the validator entry queue and record address growth. The asset rallied early 2026, topping at $3,307 on January 6 after clearing the daily MA 50 at $3,022. At press time, ETH hovered near $3,000 as it tested support.

Dogecoin futures on BitMEX saw a sharp 4,858% jump in volume to $77.61 million, while the spot price pulled back after a strong start to 2026. DOGE traded around $0.14, posting a modest 0.31% daily gain and 8.36% rise over the week, as traders watched key resistance levels and moving averages. At the same time, House of Doge outlined 2026 expansion plans, including RWA initiatives in Japan and new payment products such as a rewards debit card and embeddable wallets.

On Thursday, XRP fell to a $2.06 low and was $2.08 at press time, down 6.43% over 24 hours, marking a third straight decline since Jan. 5. CryptoQuant data on Binance inflows shows whales' share has retreated to 60.3% after peaking above 70%, hinting at softer selling. Price remains above the daily 50-MA at $2.01.

Bitcoin is trading below $90,000 after a failed attempt to hold above $94,000 in early January, leaving its 2026 outlook highly divergent. Institutional and analyst forecasts for that year now range from potential drops toward $25,000 or $60,000 to bullish targets as high as $1,000,000. Expectations cluster around six‑figure levels from major banks and asset managers, but opinions remain sharply split on how the market will evolve by the end of 2026.

During Wednesday's Asia session, Shiba Inu's 24-hour trading volume fell 53.33% to $194.67 million as the token dipped 4.96% to $0.00000896, while remaining 26.69% higher week over week. SHIB had surged for four days into a Jan. 5 peak at $0.00001017 before cooling. Glassnode notes spot volumes across Bitcoin and altcoins are at their lowest since November 2023.

During Wednesday's Asia and U.S. trading sessions in early 2026, the crypto market saw a sharp sell-off that wiped out over $465 million in positions and pushed Stellar (XLM) down nearly 5%. XLM's futures open interest dropped 11.79% in the last 24 hours to $142.74 million, while its price pulled back after an earlier rally above the daily MA 50 at $0.232. Although XLM faces profit taking after rising from $0.229 to $0.254, overall crypto futures open interest still sits above $143 billion with slightly positive funding rates.

XRP extended its early 2026 advance and confirmed a golden cross on the 4‑hour chart as the 50 MA rose above the 200 MA. On Monday it climbed from $2.08 to $2.36, and on Tuesday it touched $2.41; at press time it was $2.37, up 12.3% over 24 hours and 27.4% weekly, according to U.Today.

On Jan. 5, 2026, Evernorth highlighted its leadership team and confirmed Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse as a strategic advisor, alongside Ripple executives Stuart Alderoty and David Schwartz. Evernorth, which launched in October through a $1 billion transaction backed by $200 million from SBI and further capital from Ripple, Rippleworks, Pantera Capital, Kraken, GSR and Chris Larsen, uses the proceeds to acquire XRP on the open market and cover corporate needs. RippleX has also urged XRP Ledger validators and node operators to upgrade to XRPL Version 3.0.0, while XRP recently climbed above $2.40 amid strong trading volumes and $48 million of U.S. spot ETF inflows.

In early 2026, XRP formed a golden cross against Bitcoin on multiple short-term charts after the 50 MA moved above the 200 MA and price broke key resistance. XRP is trading around $2.14 with nearly 15% weekly gains, while traders watch the 0.00002391 BTC level and $2.56 as pivotal hurdles before any potential push toward $3.