$BTC continues to exhibit volatility, with recent rallies encountering significant selling pressure near the intra-day range highs. This persistent resistance suggests that traders are cautious, particularly in light of macroeconomic factors influencing the broader financial landscape.
Market analysts are closely monitoring the implications of potential interest rate cuts from the Bank of Japan, which could further exacerbate downward trends not only for $BTC but also for various altcoins. The anticipation of these monetary policy adjustments may create a ripple effect across the cryptocurrency market, prompting investors to reassess their positions.
While $BTC remains a focal point, other cryptocurrencies are also feeling the impact of this uncertainty. Investors are advised to stay vigilant as market dynamics shift, particularly with the backdrop of traditional financial movements influencing crypto valuations.
One Critical XRP Price Level Surfaces — Holding It Could Trigger a 9% Bounce
XRP is trading near $1.99, down about 1% over the past 24 hours. Despite broader market volatility, it is only around 4% lower on the week, showing relative stability compared to many altcoins like ADA and BCH.
More importantly, the chart is flashing an early bullish reversal signal. The setup is not confirmed yet, but if one key level continues to hold, the odds of a short-term rebound, at least 9%, increase meaningfully.
Bullish Divergence Appears as the XRP Price Defends Key Support
XRP has formed a bullish divergence on the daily chart between December 1 and December 14. A bullish divergence happens when the price makes a lower low, but the Relative Strength Index (RSI) makes a higher low. RSI is a momentum indicator that measures buying and selling strength. When RSI improves while price weakens, it often signals that selling pressure is fading.
On the daily chart, a standard bullish divergence like this can lead to trend reversal — from bearish to bullish.
Yet, this divergence alone is not enough. It only matters if the XRP price holds support.
Bullish Divergence: TradingView
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That support sits near $1.97. XRP has repeatedly defended this zone, and on-chain data helps explain why.
The cost basis heatmap shows a dense cluster of XRP bought between roughly $1.97 and $1.98.
Strong Support Cluster: Glassnode
Around 1.79 billion XRP were accumulated in this range. A cost basis heatmap shows where large groups of holders bought their coins. When price trades near these levels, holders are less likely to sell at a loss, which strengthens support.
As long as XRP stays above $1.97, the bullish divergence theory remains valid, provided the RSI reading stays strong.
Why $2.17 Is the First Real Test for the Bulls
If support holds, XRP has room to move higher. The first upside target sits near $2.17, which is roughly a 9% move from current levels.
This level matters because the cost basis heatmap shows heavy supply between $2.16 and $2.17. About 1.36 billion XRP were acquired in this zone. That makes it a strong resistance area, where selling pressure is likely to appear.
XRP Price Can Face Resistance At This Level: Glassnode
If the XRP price pushes through $2.17 with a daily candle close, it could open the path toward $2.28, then $2.69, and eventually $3.10. Yet, those levels remain secondary for now and depend on broader market conditions.
The invalidation is clear. A daily close below $1.97 would weaken the reversal setup and expose downside toward $1.81 and $1.77.
XRP Price Analysis: TradingView
For now, the XRP price sits at a decision point. The bullish reversal signal is active, but only if the most important support level continues to hold.
3 Altcoins That Could Hit All-Time Highs In The Third Week Of December
The crypto market is still stabilizing, but price weakness has slowed across majors. As volatility compresses and buyers defend key levels, attention is shifting toward altcoins that could hit all-time highs even without a full market breakout.
These are not random picks. They are coins already trading within 5–15% of their previous highs, where momentum, structure, and liquidity align. If the broader market holds steady, these altcoins could surge higher without needing additional triggers.
Pippin (PIPPIN)
PIPPIN is one of the clearest examples among altcoins that could hit all-time highs this week. The token is a meme-category asset, but price behavior has been unusually bullish.
Since November 21, PIPPIN has trended higher in a controlled uptrend, forming a bull flag and then breaking above it with follow-through buying.
PIPPIN is currently trading near $0.37, sitting just 5% below its all-time high near $0.39. Price has held above prior resistance without sharp pullbacks, showing buyers are defending higher levels rather than chasing spikes.
PIPPIN Price Analysis: TradingView
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From a structure perspective, a clean break above $0.39 would confirm a new all-time high. If that happens, the next upside zone sits near $0.45, which aligns with the measured move from the prior flag breakout. That level would mark continuation, not exhaustion.
On the downside, the structure remains healthy as long as PIPPIN holds above $0.25. Losing $0.13, followed by $0.10, would invalidate the broader setup and signal trend failure. For now, price remains well above those risk levels.
Audiera (BEAT)
Audiera (BEAT) token is another standout among altcoins that could hit all-time highs. BEAT is a Web3 cloud infrastructure token and has been one of the strongest movers this week. The token is up sharply over the past 24 hours and has gained nearly 90% over the last seven days.
BEAT’s most recent all-time high was set just days ago near the $3.31 area. Price is now consolidating just below that level, at around $2.83, rather than pulling back aggressively.
A confirmed move above the prior high would shift focus toward the $3.95 region, which aligns with a key extension level on the 12-hour chart. If momentum persists, higher zones near $5.58 come into view over time.
BEAT Price Analysis: TradingView
As long as BEAT holds above the $2.62–$2.94 support range, the trend structure remains intact. A sustained loss of that zone would be the first warning sign that upside momentum is fading. That could lead to a retest of $1.30, a key support zone.
Rain (RAIN)
Rain (RAIN) is the final name on this list of altcoins that could hit all-time highs if market conditions stay steady. It is a DeFi-focused token tied to lending activity within the Jupiter network. It has stayed relatively quiet compared to faster-moving names, but the structure has been tightening in a constructive way.
Over the past seven days, RAIN is up about 4.4%. In the past 24 hours alone, it has added roughly 6.7%, showing fresh momentum.
Price is currently trading near $0.0079. Its all-time high sits around $0.0084, which was set on November 24. That puts RAIN less than 6% away from price discovery. This matters because the token has already spent weeks consolidating just below that level, rather than rejecting sharply lower.
RAIN Price Analysis: TradingView
If RAIN manages a clean break above $0.0084, it would enter price discovery. Based on prior range expansion and Fibonacci projections, the next levels to watch sit near $0.0097, followed by $0.010 and $0.011 if momentum accelerates and the broader market holds.
Downside levels are also clear. Losing $0.0075 would weaken the structure. A deeper breakdown below $0.0062 would expose a larger gap in support, with $0.0032 as the next major historical level.
5 Reasons Bitcoin Fell to $85,000 and Why More Downside Is Possible
Bitcoin slid to the $85,000 level on December 15, extending its recent decline as global macro risks, leverage unwinding, and thin liquidity collided. The drop erased more than $100 billion from the total crypto market cap in just days, raising questions about whether the sell-off has finished.
While no single catalyst caused the move, five overlapping forces pushed Bitcoin lower and could keep pressure on prices in the near term.
Bank of Japan Rate Hike Fears Triggered Global De-Risking
The biggest macro driver came from Japan. Markets moved ahead of a widely expected Bank of Japan rate hike later this week, which would take Japanese policy rates to levels unseen in decades.
Even a modest hike matters because Japan has long fueled global risk markets through the yen carry trade.
For years, investors borrowed cheap yen to buy higher-risk assets such as equities and crypto. As Japanese rates rise, that trade unwinds. Investors sell risk assets to repay yen liabilities.
Bitcoin has reacted sharply to previous BOJ hikes. In the last three instances, BTC fell between 20% and 30% in the weeks that followed. Traders began pricing in that historical pattern before the decision, pushing Bitcoin lower in advance.
US Economic Data Reintroduces Policy Uncertainty
At the same time, traders pulled back risk ahead of a dense slate of US macro data, including inflation and labor market figures.
The Federal Reserve recently cut rates, but officials signaled caution about the pace of future easing. That uncertainty matters for Bitcoin, which has increasingly traded as a liquidity-sensitive macro asset rather than a standalone hedge.
With inflation still above target and jobs data expected to weaken, markets struggled to price the Fed’s next move. That hesitation reduced speculative demand and encouraged short-term traders to step aside.
As a result, Bitcoin lost momentum just as it approached key technical levels.
Heavy Leverage Liquidations Accelerated the Decline
Once Bitcoin broke below $90,000, forced selling took over.
More than $200 million in leveraged long positions were liquidated within hours, according to derivatives data. Long traders had crowded into bullish bets after the Fed’s rate cut earlier this month.
When prices slipped, liquidation engines sold Bitcoin automatically to cover losses. That selling pushed prices lower, triggering further liquidations in a feedback loop.
This mechanical effect explains why the move was fast and sharp rather than gradual.
Crypto Liquidations On December 15. Source: Coinglass Thin Weekend Liquidity Magnified Price Swings
The timing of the sell-off made it worse.
Bitcoin broke down during thin weekend trading, when liquidity is typically lower and order books are shallow. In those conditions, relatively small sell orders can move prices aggressively.
Large holders and derivatives desks reduced exposure into low liquidity, amplifying volatility. That dynamic helped pull Bitcoin from the low-$90,000 range toward $85,000 in a short window.
Weekend breakdowns often look dramatic even when broader fundamentals remain unchanged.
Market structure stress was compounded by significant selling from Wintermute, one of the crypto industry’s largest market makers.
During the sell-off, on-chain and market data showed Wintermute offloading a large amount of Bitcoin — estimated at over $1.5 billion worth — across centralized exchanges. The firm reportedly sold BTC to rebalance risk and cover exposure following recent volatility and losses in derivatives markets.
Because Wintermute provides liquidity across both spot and derivatives venues, its selling carried outsized impact.
Wintermute Sending Bitcoin to Centralized Exchanges. Source: Arkham
The timing of the sales also mattered. Wintermute’s activity occurred during low-liquidity conditions, amplifying downside moves and accelerating Bitcoin’s slide toward $85,000.
What Happens Next?
Whether Bitcoin drops further now depends on macro follow-through, not crypto-specific news.
If the Bank of Japan confirms a rate hike and global yields rise, Bitcoin could remain under pressure as carry trades unwind further. A strong yen would add to that stress.
However, if markets fully price in the move and US data softens enough to revive rate-cut expectations, Bitcoin could stabilize after the liquidation phase ends.
For now, the December 15 sell-off reflects a macro-driven reset, not a structural failure of the crypto market — but volatility is unlikely to fade quickly.
🟡 Co-CEO Connect: Richard Teng Live on Binance Square
📅 December 18, 2025 (Thursday) 🕐 11:30 AM (UTC)
Join Binance Co-CEO @Richard Teng for a live AMA on Binance Square! From reflecting on Binance’s major milestones in 2025 to sharing what’s next for the company – this is your chance to get direct answers from the top.
Have something you want to ask? Add it in the comments below.
📊 Tuesday Crypto Pulse - $BTC and Market Highlights
Happy Tuesday, everyone! Crypto markets are reacting to a mix of network stress, institutional accumulation, and macro optimism. Here’s what matters today 👇
🔥 Top Crypto Headlines
• Bitcoin hash rate dropped by ~8% following raids in China targeting illegal mining farms - a short-term network shock, but historically such events tend to rebalance difficulty over time.
• Strategy retained its position in the Nasdaq 100, reinforcing Bitcoin exposure within traditional equity indices.
• Citigroup forecasts the S&P 500 reaching 7,700 in 2026, signaling continued optimism for risk assets in the medium term.
• Last week, Strategy acquired 10,645 BTC (~$980M), while BitMine added 102,259 ETH (~$298M) to its balance sheet - institutional accumulation remains strong.
• Nvidia unveiled Nemotron 3, new open-source AI models for code, text, and general-purpose tasks, strengthening the AI–crypto narrative.
• MetaMask added Bitcoin support, expanding BTC accessibility for millions of users.
• Research warns that liquidity on crypto exchanges is critically low, raising concerns about potential market instability similar to past flash crashes.
• Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin is set to launch on Optimism, Base, Ink, and Unichain, accelerating multi-chain stablecoin adoption.
📌 Institutional buying continues, infrastructure is expanding, but liquidity risks and network disruptions remain key variables to watch.
🇺🇸 US Congress pauses crypto regulation $BTCregulation
US Congress has decided to delay work on the crypto market structure bill until next year. While the market is searching for positive signals, lawmakers are not in a hurry. No urgency, no pressure, just business as usual in Washington.
For now, crypto continues to operate without new rules, keeping the market in wait-and-see mode.
#BTC Price Analysis##bitcoin Price Prediction: What is Bitcoins next move?# #btc
฿$BTC — Attempting a Bounce Below a Key Downtrend Line
Bitcoin is trying to stabilize after successfully defending the $88,000 support zone, where buyers stepped in to slow down the sell-off.
Price is now pressing against a major descending trendline that has capped every recent bounce. A rejection here would keep the corrective structure intact and could trigger another leg down.
However a clean and sustained breakout above $90,500 would significantly improve the short-term outlook and could ignite a fast upside move.
This is a critical decision zone either BTC gets rejected and dips again or it breaks out and leaves late sellers behind. The window to position is closing fast. #BTC #BITCOIN #StrategyBTCPurchase #analysis $BTC
“ETH update: Ethereum is trading around the $3k area after a sharp pullback, with price still sitting below key moving averages and MACD firmly negative. Short term momentum is washed out though, with lower time frame RSI nearing oversold while spot and perp volumes stay elevated, showing real two sided interest around this zone. ETH dominance is holding up versus the rest of the market and social sentiment looks neutral rather than euphoric or panicked. As long as the $2.9k–3k band holds, this looks more like a corrective phase than a full trend reversal, with the $3.1k–3.3k region acting as the first resistance to clear on any bounce.” #eth #BTC #WriteToEarnUpgrade
“Crypto rotation on full display today 🔥 $BTC and $ETH consolidating, while high‑beta plays on Binance are ripping. Memes, AI, and RWA sectors are getting the most attention right now. Are you farming the volatility or waiting for a better entry? #BinanceSquare #Crypto #btc #bitcoin
Bitwise Says 1.3M $BTC Bitcoin by 2035 Is the Conservative Target
Bitwise’s CIO shared a valuation model where BTC hits 1.3M dollars by 2035 assuming its share of gold’s market cap rises from 9 percent to 25 percent. With gold’s own price climbing the old 1M per $BTC target is starting to look almost cheap. So when do we start pretending this is realistic financial planning. #BTC Price Analysis# #BTC #bitcoin
Europeans Use Crypto for Everyday Purchases: WhiteBIT Report
According to WhiteBIT’s report, Europeans are increasingly using cryptocurrency for everyday expenses, such as groceries, cafes, and bill payments. This shift highlights the growing adoption of crypto as a functional tool rather than just a speculative asset.
Key Takeaways:
Stablecoins dominate crypto spending, with USDC, USDT, and EURI leading the way, while $BTC is less commonly used for purchases.
WhiteBIT Nova, a crypto debit card, processed over €50 million in transactions, with users spending between €500 to €1000 per month.
81% of users prefer virtual cards over physical ones, reflecting the increasing trend of mobile-first financial behavior.
Europe’s embrace of digital financial tools is growing, especially in countries like Spain, Italy, Ireland, Poland, and Netherlands, where crypto payments are becoming routine. Stablecoins are preferred for daily spending, while cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are primarily used for long-term holdings.
This quiet yet significant trend indicates that crypto cards are no longer a futuristic novelty - they’re becoming a normal part of the financial landscape in Europe. #whitebit