1. Market Snapshot
Total Market Cap: ~$3.02 Trillion (Down ~0.8% in 24h)[2]
Fear & Greed Index: 20 (Extreme Fear). This suggests significant anxiety among traders despite prices being relatively high compared to previous years.
Bitcoin Dominance: 57.7%
2. Bitcoin (BTC) Update
Price: Trading near $87,192 (Down ~0.45% in 24h).[2]
Major Event: Today marks the largest Bitcoin options expiry in history, with roughly $23.6 billion worth of contracts set to expire.[3]
Volatility Alert: Analysts expect massive price swings today as market makers unwind their positions.[3] Key levels to watch are support at
84
,
000
–
84,000–
85,000 and resistance at $90,000.[1] If BTC fails to reclaim $90k, some experts fear a deeper correction toward the $80k zone.[1][4][5]
3. Ethereum (ETH) & Altcoins[1][5][6]
Ethereum (ETH): Currently trading around $2,925.[7] Liquidity has been rotating into ETH as Bitcoin stays range-bound, but persistent ETF outflows (especially from Grayscale's ETHE) are capping its recovery.
Top Gainer: Monad (+15.25%) is currently the top performer among the top 200 coins.[8]
Top Loser: Alchemist AI (-14.79%) has seen a sharp correction.[8]
Binance Delistings: Binance officially ceased trading for several pairs today at 03:00 UTC, including ENS/FDUSD, INJ/ETH, and VTHO/TL.[9]
4. Major Headlines for Dec 26, 2025
"Coin Laundry" Investigation: A major investigative report released today by The Indian Express and the ICIJ reveals a 10-month global look into how crypto exchanges are being used for money laundering, putting fresh pressure on regulators for tighter controls.[10]
ETF Exodus: Institutional sentiment has cooled slightly this week, with BlackRock’s IBIT and Fidelity’s FBTC reporting over $400 million in combined outflows over the last 48 hours, signaling short-term caution from "big money."
Institutional Moves: Despite the outflows, Digital Bank SoFi has officially entered the stablecoin race today with its own US dollar-backed token, indicating that institutional infrastructure building remains strong.
Summary Advice
Traders are advised to be extremely cautious for the next 12–24 hours. The massive options expiry typically creates "fake-out" movements where prices spike or dip sharply before settling into a new trend. Keep a close eye on the $85,000 level for Bitcoin; holding this is crucial for the "Santa Rally" to continue into 2026.
