GameStop has transferred all its holdings of #Bitcoin to Coinbase's institutional trading platform, which has sparked speculation about the possibility that the video game retailer is reconsidering its treasury strategy with BTC.
A total sale at current prices would result in a loss of about US$76 million in GameStop's bet on BTC, as it purchased its 4.710 BTC at an average price of US$107,900.
As Bitcoin remains stagnant below the death cross, Axie Infinity and its token #AXS surge this week as GameFi ignites and whales accumulate. GameFi tokens are recording double-digit gains this week, led by an impressive weekly increase of 131% in Axie Infinity and a very solid bounce in The Sandbox.
This is the kind of movement that reminds people why they got into cryptocurrencies. The AXS token has gone from complete irrelevance to suddenly becoming one of the hottest crypto assets in the entire market this week.
The expiration of options for #Bitcoin concentrates today's attention on the crypto market. Nearly US$1.9 billion in contracts are reaching their expiration, in a context where implied volatility remains high and spot prices are held in sensitive technical areas.
The expiration of options occurs when contracts reach their final date and are settled, either worthless or based on the spot price. This process usually increases volatility due to hedging adjustments and the forced liquidation of positions.
Gold and Silver have reached new highs as safe-haven operations gain momentum amid geopolitical tensions. Gold surged to a historic high above US$4,850, adding US$15 trillion in market capitalization over the past twelve months.
Silver also recorded a new historic high above US$95, extending its increase over the last year to approximately 210%. The two metals have been benefiting from the demand for safe-haven assets amid the unpredictability of President Trump's actions.
The brief glimmer of optimism that propelled #Bitcoin above US$97,000 last week seems to be fading. BTC was recently trading at US$91,000, erasing the gains that had led traders to anticipate a possible trend reversal.
The pullback comes amid a broader risk aversion movement in the markets. The new tariffs from President Donald Trump on European nations due to Greenland's pursuit by his administration have spooked investors, sending capital towards safe havens like gold, which reached a new record of US$4,700 an ounce.
The #Bitcoin dropped approximately 3% to around US$92,500, as a derivatives-driven rally faded, causing liquidations of long positions close to US$600 million and severely impacting major altcoins.
On-chain data from Glassnode and CryptoQuant suggests that the recent advance towards US$96,000 was largely due to thin flows in derivatives rather than solid demand in the spot market, with the supply from long-term holders and the 365-day moving average near US$101,000 acting as key resistances.
The CEO of Bank of America, Brian Moynihan, warns that up to US$6 trillion could flee the traditional banking system to stablecoins if regulators allow them to offer returns to their users. Long live Stablecoin! ❤️🔥 Traditional banking trembles! 😅
The price of #Bitcoin rose more than 7% in a week and hovered around the US$97,000 mark. Recent reports suggest that BTC whales are buying, while retail investors are pulling out. The asset's trading volume remained near flat at US$60 billion, indicating subdued trading following the recent sharp rally.
Corporate digital asset treasuries added 260,000 net Bitcoins to their balances in the past six months, far exceeding the estimated 82,000 coins mined during the same period.
In the past six months, treasuries of #Bitcoin in the hands of public and private companies have increased from approximately 854,000 BTC to 1.11 million BTC. This represents an expansion of around 260,000 BTC, with an approximate value of US$25 billion, or 43,000 BTC per month.
BNB Chain's Fermi hard fork activates on Wednesday, reducing BSC block times from 0.75 seconds to 0.45 seconds and strengthening fast finality rules. The hard fork completes the final phase of BNB Chain's "short block interval" roadmap and is presented as a performance and reliability update, rather than a cosmetic adjustment.
The global investment asset management firm with over US$181 billion in assets under management, VanEck, calculated figures to estimate the true price of gold, that is, its price if it were adopted as the global reserve standard, replacing the dollar.
The company completed this exercise as the trend of gold purchases by central banks has solidified. Using the monetary base benchmark, gold would need to trade at US$39,210 per ounce. Additionally, if gold were to become broad money, it would have to trade at US$184,211 per ounce.
The whales of #Bitcoin began to repeat a classic bullish signal after unwinding long positions of BTC following a year of general market downturn. The on-chain analysis platform CryptoQuant shows that, in general, the holdings of the whales have decreased by more than 200,000 BTC.
History shows that whales who close long positions after a local peak often precede a price increase of BTC.
The drop from #Bitcoin to USD 91,000 might be finding technical gravity, as an unfilled gap in the CME remains just below current prices. The gap or GAP was created over the weekend, after CME bitcoin futures closed on Friday around USD 90,600 and reopened on Sunday night around USD 91,600.
A CME gap refers to a price range without trading activity that forms when BTC moves while the CME futures markets are closed from Friday to Sunday.
Institutions with #Bitcoin bought more BTC than miners added to the supply in the first week of 2026, which is a classic bullish signal for BTC price. Sustained net buying has led to an average BTC price increase of nearly 110% since 2020. Since 2020, the average increase has been 109%, and the previous change caused a 41% rise.
A new gap in the CME futures and the liquidations of long positions provide reasons for a price drop of #Bitcoin . The price tends to rise or fall to fill the newly formed gaps within days or even hours after the reopening of the futures.
Amid the new January highs, the trading platform TheKingfisher warned that prices could drop to eliminate late long positions of BTC around US$88,000.
According to CryptoQuant, the #Bitcoin is likely to continue moving within a range as the market enters 2026, without a clear structural signal pointing to a sustained bullish or bearish trend.
The assessment comes from a new research note that analyzes macroeconomic conditions, activity in derivatives, and key on-chain indicators. According to the analysis, BTC continues to trade within a high volatility range.
Although long-term adoption themes remain intact, the short-term price direction lacks confirmation. Analysts described the current scenario as conditionally neutral to slightly bearish.
An analysis of the annual graph of #Bitcoin indicated that, although a new test of US$93,500 could still occur at the end of the year, a red candle in 2025 would jeopardize the four-year cycle theory. BTC has decreased by 6% so far this year, which could mean a bearish record after the halving.
This led some analysts to argue that the concept of BTC's price moving in four-year cycles no longer fit reality.
The expiration of options of #Bitcoin on December 26 marks an unprecedented milestone in the derivatives markets. This Boxing Day event not only closes the month but also the quarter and the year, amplifying its potential impact.
BTC concentrates over US$23 billion in expiring options. Call options clearly dominate the market, surpassing puts in a ratio close to 3:1, reflecting a bullish inclination in the prior positioning.