Crypto Market Today Bitcoin Stuck, Ethereum Accelerates After Hard Fork

Today’s Crypto News  Deep Analysis

 

1. Market Overview & Price Dynamics

 

Bitcoin (BTC)

 

BTC climbed from $92,747, posting a 0.4%–1.6% gain to reach $93,351–$93,786. Bitfinex analysts point to seller exhaustion — long-term profit-taking and short-term panic selling have decreased. However, new BTC addresses are holding fewer coins, indicating weak demand. Trader Murphy expects stability in December, but says January’s rally depends on resolving overselling. Arthur Hayes still sees $200K by late 2025. Meanwhile, MicroStrategy slowed its November purchases to 9,100 BTC — a 93% drop from 2024 highs — and built $1.4B in cash reserves, signaling bear-market preparation.

 

Key outlook: Analysts see a potential 2025 peak around $126,000, supported by Fed rate-cut expectations (a 75% probability of a December cut).

 

Ethereum (ETH)

 

ETH jumped 4.2%–4.6% to $3,194 as the Fusaka hard fork went live. The upgrade introduces PeerDAS (Peer Data Availability Sampling), cutting node costs by 50%, improving UX toward “instant feel,” accelerating Layer-2 throughput, and launching a twice-per-year upgrade cycle. ETH ETFs saw $250M in inflows yesterday; a year-end test of $4,111 is possible. Medium-sized wallets increased accumulation by 20%, with DeFi volume rising to $162B.

 

Other Movers

 

XRP: Fell 1% to $2.15–$2.17, but XRP ETFs logged a record 13th straight day of inflows, reaching $874.28M (+$50.27M yesterday), nearing $1B. Ripple CEO Garlinghouse: “Institutional interest is early stage but explosive.”

 

BNB: Up 1% at $907–909. Binance Blockchain Week remains in focus; Yi He named co-CEO. Binance announced Binance Jr (kids’ savings account) and Predict.fun (BNB Chain prediction market) — user count nearing 300M.

 

Solana (SOL): Stable around $142.69–143 (+0.93%). Mobile token $SKR launching January 2026 via airdrop (10B supply). 500M USDC minted; Revolut integrated SOL payments. Franklin Templeton SOL ETF approved.

 

Others: LINK up 7.5%–8% to $14.40 (Grayscale ETF sees $37M–$41M inflows). TAO +9%, ZEC +9%. Meme coins +9.4% to a $48.3B cap (Solana meme tokens lead).

 

 

Overall: 75 of the top 100 coins are in the green; trading volume sits at $162B. Rising Fear Index (16 → 22 → 27) shows cautious optimism. Fed’s December 10 decision matters — rate cuts could trigger a rally, while no cut may lead to consolidation.

 

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink

 

> “Sovereign wealth funds are dollar-cost averaging BTC ETFs in the high 80Ks — these holders can withstand volatility.”

 

 

 

2. Institutional & Regulatory Developments

 

Eric Trump BTC Purchase

 

“America Bitcoin” bought 363 BTC ($34M) during November’s dip — signaling institutional confidence. MicroStrategy’s slowdown (monthly buys down 93% from peak) contrasts sharply, but their BTC price outlook for 2025 was revised to $85K–$110K (down from $150K). Senator Cynthia Lummis suggested the U.S. government may consider holding Bitcoin.

 

CFTC Approval

 

The CFTC approved spot crypto trading on registered exchanges for the first time. Acting Chairman Caroline Pham told Fox Business:

 

> “We’re strengthening public access.”

 

 

 

This could reset U.S. regulatory clarity; Polymarket returned to the U.S. under CFTC oversight and partnered with CNN.

 

SEC Actions

 

The SEC halted ProShares’ 3x leveraged BTC/ETH/SOL/XRP ETFs, citing leverage rule violations — products must be redesigned or withdrawn. Citadel called for DeFi to be regulated like traditional exchanges; Uniswap CEO Hayden Adams responded:

 

> “Innovation versus oversight is the battle of our era.”

 

 

 

Former SEC Chair Gary Gensler

 

> “Apart from BTC, all crypto remains speculative.”

 

 

 

Stablecoins & Taxation

 

U.S. stablecoin market reached $225B under the GENIUS Act (99% of global supply).

 

10 EU banks to issue euro-pegged stablecoins in 2026.

 

Japan to tax crypto gains at 20% — same rate as stocks/bonds.

 

Taiwan planning 2026 stablecoin launch.

 

Kyrgyzstan unveiled USDKG (gold-backed).

 

 

Institutions: Charles Schwab to offer BTC/ETH trading in early 2026 (platform AUM: $12T). Coinbase launching pilots with major banks. UK passed the Digital Assets Act — crypto, stablecoins, NFTs now legally personal property with inheritance rights.

 

Impact: Regulatory clarity is forming — CFTC bullish, SEC restrictive. Institutional flows and corporate mergers hit $732B new capital and $8.6B M&A (2025 record). But Connecticut’s ban on Robinhood/Kalshi prediction markets could spread to crypto platforms.

 

 

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3. Projects & Technology Developments

 

Ethereum Fusaka upgrade live — boosts rollups, increases L2 capacity, launches twice-annual hard fork cycle. Wallet accumulation +20%.

 

Binance ecosystem: Yi He co-CEO, Binance Jr, Predict.fun. CZ vs. Peter Schiff debate in Dubai: BTC vs. tokenized gold.

 

Solana & L1s: $SKR mobile token airdrop Jan 2026. Coinbase adds SEI to COIN50 index. NEAR launches AI Cloud and private messaging. VET completes Hayabusa upgrade.

 

New launches: Grayscale LINK ETF (NYSE) sees $37M–$41M inflow. Hyperliquid Strategies stakes 411M HYPE. MrBeast announces finance platform. Samsung opens NFT gallery in Art Store. Coinbase launches DASH perpetual futures today.

 

 

Analysis: Tech-driven upgrades (Fusaka, Hayabusa) strengthen DeFi — volume +5%. Meme coin speculation is high (PIPPIN +130%), but utility tokens (staking, RWA, AI, tokenization) remain the real growth engine.

 

Forbes:

 

> “2025 is the golden age of AI + CBDCs + tokenization.”

 

 

4. Risks, Forecasts & Macro

 

Risks

 

Mining scandal: $1B electricity theft uncovered in Malaysia; Interpol involved.

 

U.S. layoffs return to pandemic levels.

 

China banks buying USD to defend yuan.

 

Binance faces renewed $80M BTC theft lawsuit in Florida.

 

 

Forecasts

 

Tom Lee: BTC could grow 200× by end of cycle.

 

SOL target range: $121–$495; XRP: $1.80–$4.14.

 

Coinbase: December reversal possible if Fed cuts.

 

BlackRock: Crypto is now a “fear asset” — benefiting from national debt crises.

 

 

Global

 

Pakistan Blockchain CEO resigns.

 

BOJ rate decision on December 19.

 

U.S. Treasury conducts record buyback.

 

 

 

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• Conclusion

 

December looks like a stabilization month, but key dates matter:

 

 

Federal Reserve rate decision (December 10)

 

 

Institutional inflows and regulatory clarity lean bullish, but volatility remains stubborn. Ask in comments if you want analysis on a specific coin or sector. DYOR — volatility is still high!