On 18 December 2025, Bitcoin dipped toward $84,000, extending its weekly decline beyond 7%, while Ethereum's seven‑day loss topped 13%. Derivatives liquidations over the past 24 hours exceeded $513 million, led by $167 million in BTC and roughly $127 million in ETH, as RSI and MACD on the 4‑hour chart pointed to persistent bearish momentum.

On December 18, 2025, Wall Street economists questioned the reliability of November's CPI after a six‑week government shutdown curtailed data collection. According to Cryptopolitan, headline inflation was 2.7% versus a 3.1% forecast, with core at 2.6% against 3.0%, figures the BLS compiled with extensive imputation. Markets initially reacted but the moves faded.

On December 18, 2025, Bank of America warned that investor cash has dropped to 3.3% in its December Global Fund Manager Survey, the series’ lowest reading. Allocations to stocks and commodities are at their highest since February 2022, and BofA’s playbook views cash below 4% as a sell signal, with 5% or more a buy zone.

In 2025, Circle Internet Group Inc. recorded more than 66% year-on-year revenue growth and generated about $2.93B in income, driven largely by USDC stablecoin operations and rising daily fees. Over the same period, USDC expanded across Ethereum and Solana and into payment integrations, while Circle's CRCL shares swung between $81 and $293 and ended the year close to their IPO level.

On December 18, 2025, Robert Kiyosaki warned that hyperinflation is approaching after a recent Federal Reserve rate cut, saying life could become very expensive for those unprepared. He said he bought more silver and forecast $200 per ounce in 2026, up from $20 in 2024, and indicated he may add Bitcoin once markets settle, citing its 21 million cap.

According to TradingView data, the Bitcoin-to-gold ratio recently dropped to 20.18, its weakest reading since January 1, 2024, before edging back to 20.41 as BTC traded between $86,000 and $90,000. While gold gains safe-haven appeal amid macro and geopolitical concerns, Gold Token S.A. has launched the physically backed DGLD® token on Base and Aerodrome, with Arrakis Finance managing on-chain liquidity. Industry figures link recent crypto weakness and renewed interest in gold to geopolitical tensions, questions about the U.S. dollar, and a growing preference for direct ownership of hard assets.

Taiwan's Ministry of Justice disclosed that, as of October 31, 2025, judicial authorities held 210.45 BTC and roughly NT$1.3 billion worth of seized cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, stablecoins, and other tokens tied to fraud and money laundering cases. Officials have not yet decided how to dispose of these assets, but are weighing auctions with proceeds flowing into public revenue, amid ongoing debates over crypto regulation, stablecoin oversight, and the treatment of confiscated digital assets.

On 18 December 2025, analysts noted that a broad wave of new crypto ETFs and ETPs in the United States may prove short-lived despite easier regulatory approval. Investor demand is still heavily concentrated in Bitcoin and Ethereum funds, and many smaller token products are expected to be liquidated within a few years due to low assets, weak inflows, and high operating costs. One market observer highlighted that with at least 126 crypto ETP filings, significant closures could occur by the tail end of 2026 or by the end of 2027.