Crypto market sentiment has slid into "extreme fear" ahead of the Bank of Japan's 19 December rate call, with prior comparable episodes noted in mid-November and Q1 2025. Polymarket indicates consensus for a 25 bps hike in December, while options data shows bearish positioning around $85K. At press time, Bitcoin traded near $87K, with key liquidity levels clustered at $90.8K, $94.5K–$95K, and $83K.

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.

On 19 December 2025, Taiwan's justice system was reported to be safeguarding just over 210 BTC, valued at approximately $18 million, across multiple investigations. Authorities have developed procedures to trace, seize, and custody crypto as case evidence, indicating a shift toward internal handling rather than immediate liquidation or reliance on external custodians.

On Thursday, Bitcoin fell into the $85K area after being rejected again at a multi‑month descending trendline near $90K. Price momentum remains fragile, but CryptoQuant's on‑chain data shows sustained negative netflows on Binance in December, with several –2,000 to –4,000 BTC outflow spikes. This combination of weak technicals and persistent exchange withdrawals points to short‑term downside risk alongside potential longer‑term accumulation.

Bitcoin's traditional four-year halving pattern is facing a test after the April 2024 reward cut to 3.125 BTC left prices on track to end the first post-halving year about 7% lower. Recent data point to stabilizing forces such as ETF launches, institutional flows and shrinking exchange reserves, including 140k BTC accumulated in Q4, supporting the idea that the market may be shifting toward a longer "supercycle" rather than a sharp boom-bust phase.

Alphabet’s Google is providing at least $5 billion in credit support to help several Bitcoin miners repurpose sites for AI hosting through long-term leases. On Dec. 17, Hut 8 disclosed a 15-year, 245‑megawatt deal in Louisiana; earlier deals at TeraWulf and Cipher included multibillion‑dollar revenue commitments underpinned by Google. The structure allows banks to treat these projects as infrastructure debt rather than speculative crypto financing.

Bitcoin is trading around $85,600 after November CPI came in softer, while on December 18, 2025 the Bank of England cut rates and the ECB left key rates unchanged. A daily close below $85,000 risks a slide toward $83,000–$80,600, whereas reclaiming $90,200 would be an early sign of stabilization.

Claims of a renewed Xinjiang mining crackdown spread this week, but the Miner Weekly by TheMinerMag shows the Bitcoin hashrate drop was brief and overlapped with U.S. power curtailments. Most pools rebounded within days, leaving a net decline of roughly 20 exahashes per second versus early talk of approximately 100 EH/s.