Bitcoin Around $88,000 Closes In On Red Yearly Candle As ETH, XRP, Dogecoin Tread Water

Bitcoin continues to trade below $88,000 heading into 2026 even as ETF flows turned positive into year-end.

Notable Statistics:

Coinglass data shows 88,263 traders were liquidated in the past 24 hours for $131.74 million.        

SoSoValue data shows net inflows of $355 million from spot Bitcoin ETFs on Tuesday. Spot Ethereum ETFs saw net inflows of $67.8 million.

In the past 24 hours, top gainers include Chiliz, Story and MemeCore.

Notable Developments:

Trader Notes: Crypto analyst Dami-Defi said Bitcoin is consolidating between $86,000 and $91,000 following the recent pullback.

However, the range sits below the 50-week exponential moving average and major resistance near $97,000–$103,000, making the structure fragile.

A sustained break above $91,000 would be the first sign of renewed strength, while a loss of $86,000 could expose downside targets around $79,000 or even $72,000.

CryptosBatman emphasized the importance of the monthly close, not only as the final close of 2025 but as a key test of Bitcoin’s long-term trend.

Bitcoin is hovering just below the 20-month moving average near $88,900. A monthly close above that level would help preserve the broader bull-market structure, while a close below it would raise the risk of a longer-term trend shift.

Web3Niels noted that December has been unusually quiet across crypto markets.

Trading volumes fell to their lowest two-week stretch of 2025, with Bitcoin locked in a narrow range and altcoins showing little movement as holiday inactivity set in.

Weekly volumes across major altcoins are down more than 50% year over year, a sharp contrast to December 2024, when Ethereum and other large-cap tokens remained active.

Historically, extended periods of low volume, tight ranges and reduced participation have often preceded renewed volatility, rather than signaling the end of a cycle. Markets rarely remain this subdued for long.

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