Trading

CryptoQuant analyst Maartunn reports that the Bitcoin Coinbase Premium Gap has dropped deep into negative territory, reaching one of its lowest readings in 18 months. The metric now shows BTC trading at a $122 discount on Coinbase versus Binance, pointing to weaker US-based demand even as the spot price moves sideways around $88,900. This rare discount suggests American institutional and large traders are exerting more selling or less buying pressure than offshore counterparts.

In Q4 2025, privacy coins led by Zcash emerged as top performers, with ZEC up over 600%. ZEC spiked more than 1000% in October to $751, then fell to $320 by early December; at press time it traded near $539. A pseudonymous analyst argues a shrinking float could support a move toward $1,000.

Santiment said on Tuesday that Bitcoin is underperforming gold and the S&P 500 since early November, with gold up 9%, the S&P 500 up 1%, and BTC down 20%. Analysts noted BTC was around $88,000 as of Wednesday, and believe 2026 could present an opportunity for crypto to narrow the gap.

Bitcoin entered the final part of 2025 after setting a new all-time high in October but has since dropped enough that the year could end with a negative candle. Analyst CryptoBullet argues that a red yearly close would mark a transition into a bear market rather than signal a breakdown of Bitcoin's four-year cycle. He points to a potential doji yearly candle near the $126,080 peak and expects a brief dead cat bounce and short altcoin rotation in early 2026 before a deeper correction.

Bitcoin fell below $88,000, then rebounded from the $86,700 support and climbed back above $88,000 and the 100‑hour Simple moving average. The BTC/USD pair now faces resistance around $88,500, $88,900 and $89,500, while key supports sit at $87,500, $86,700 and $85,000. A sustained move above $89,500 could open the way to the $90,200–$91,500 zone, whereas failure near $89,000 may trigger another drop.

Bitcoin closed 2025 at $88,242, about 6% lower for the year and roughly 30% below its early October peak near $126,000, amid heavy liquidations and renewed tariff concerns under U.S. President Donald Trump. Analysts project a short-term rebound in early 2026, with Citi Research citing potential $15 billion in ETF inflows and setting 12‑month Bitcoin scenarios between $78,000 and $189,000. Market watchers are also tracking MicroStrategy's balance sheet metrics and reserve fund, as well as long-term holder behavior and the fading impact of Bitcoin's historic four‑year cycle.

Humanity Protocol's H token climbed 15% on 29 December, pushing Open Interest from $48.5 million to $57.5 million before slipping back toward the $0.16 area. The price is currently oscillating between $0.15 and $0.18 as a 105.35 million H unlock scheduled for 25 January raises dilution concerns. Traders are watching support at $0.15 and Fibonacci levels at $0.112 and $0.083 as potential retest zones.

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 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.

In the week ending December 29, CoinShares data shows XRP investment products drew $70.2 million of new capital, making the token the most accumulated digital asset since US XRP ETFs launched in mid-October. Over the same period, Bitcoin and Ethereum products recorded outflows of about $443 million and $59.5 million respectively, contributing to cumulative withdrawals of roughly $2.8 billion from Bitcoin and $1.6 billion from Ethereum since those ETF launches. The divergence in flows highlights a rotation away from the largest crypto assets toward select alternatives like XRP amid ongoing market volatility.