Santa rally leaves #bitcoin behind:
While year-end cheer fuels rallies in traditional markets, bitcoin (BTC-USD) remains stuck near $87K, still struggling to regain momentum after peaking at record highs in October.
The world's largest cryptocurrency (BTC-USD) is on pace to close out 2025 with an ~8% slide as of Wednesday morning trading, bucking the S&P 500 Index's 18% climb and gold's (XAUUSD:CUR) 70% surge. Ether (ETH-USD) retreated 13% to $2.9K year-to-date, with many other major altcoins tracking double-digit losses.
Bitcoin (BTC-USD) falling markedly behind leaves its role in portfolios unclear. U.S. stocks are doing their part as risk-on assets, while gold is reinforcing its role as both an uncertainty hedge and a store of value. Where does that leave BTC?
Bitget Wallet analyst Lacie Zhang contended that a bullish equities backdrop in the final days of the year might spill into crypto, which "often track broader risk assets during seasonal rebounds." She predicted that bitcoin (BTC-USD) will likely change hands within the $86K-$93K range in the near term, while ether (ETH-USD) could trade at $2.8K-$3.2K.
It will be interesting to see if bitcoin (BTC-USD) makes any notable moves over Christmas while U.S. stock markets are closed. The “Santa Claus rally” period from Dec. 24 through Jan. 5 has historically delivered remarkable returns for investors, averaging a 1.6% gain for the S&P 500 since 1928.
Citi Research has contended that bitcoin's (BTC-USD) performance this year - hampered in part by leveraged long liquidations and slowed flows across exchange-traded funs - will reverse in 2026 on the view that greater regulatory clarity will continue to boost digital asset adoption.
#USGDPUpdate #BNBChainEcosystemRally #WhaleWatch #BTCVSGOLD
