On 26 December, total crypto market capitalization hovered near $2.96 trillion with roughly $102.94 billion in daily volume, according to CoinMarketCap. Bitcoin traded between $86,000 and $90,000 while the Fear and Greed Index read 30; since 18 December, market cap rose from $2.85 trillion to $2.96 trillion, an increase of about $110 billion, as Santiment noted social spikes on price dips.

According to Steph is Crypto, XRP's 3‑week Stochastic RSI has reset to 0.00, a rare reading last seen at the 2022 bear‑market low, hinting at exhaustion of selling momentum. Altcoin Pioneers also notes a repeating ABC fractal from the 2016–2017 cycle, with the ongoing correction aligning toward the $1.87 region, fueling debate about a potential base before any sustained upside.

In a sponsored overview of 2026-focused presales, Bitcoin Hyper, PEPENODE and Maxi Doge report $29.9M, $2.4M and $4.3M raised. Bitcoin Hyper targets a Bitcoin Layer 2 using the Solana Virtual Machine's 65,000 TPS versus Bitcoin's 7; PEPENODE's presale price is $0.0012161 with 541% APY, and Maxi Doge's presale is $0.0002755 with up to 71% APY.

On Tuesday, Bitcoin traded around $88,224, up 1.12%, while Ethereum hovered near $2,967 as major altcoin volumes slid to their lowest levels of 2025. Over the weekend, BitMine Immersion Technologies staked 342,560 ETH, worth about $1 billion, tightening Ethereum's validator entry queue. At the same time, a proposed 5% annual tax on net wealth above $1 billion in California, including unrealized crypto gains, has raised concerns about capital outflows from the state's digital asset sector.

On December 30, the New York Stock Exchange listed five America-first Truth Social-themed ETFs managed by Yorkville America Equities under Trump Media & Technology Group Corp.'s Truth.Fi brand. Built on MarkerVector indexes and focused on U.S. strength and "Made in America" priorities, the lineup includes tickers TSSD, TSFN, TSIC, TSES, and TSRS.

Chinese authorities now require chip manufacturers to prove that at least 50% of their production equipment is domestically made before approving new plant construction or expansion. According to people familiar with the process, this unwritten rule is enforced through procurement reviews and has accelerated since U.S. export controls tightened in 2023, pushing fabs toward local suppliers and boosting sales at firms such as Naura and AMEC.

On December 30, Russia's Ministry of Justice published draft amendments proposing criminal penalties for unregistered cryptocurrency mining. The plan includes fines up to 2.5 million rubles, forced labor, or prison terms up to five years, with thresholds at 3.5 million and 13.5 million rubles. Mining was legalized in November 2024, with registries and monthly reporting already in place.

In 2025, Solana generated more than $1.5 billion in revenue, outpacing Ethereum and Hyperliquid while still keeping median transaction fees under one cent. SOL recently traded near $123.89 with about $6.46 billion in 24-hour volume, as traders focused on resistance at $129 and key technical levels heading into 2026.