Bitcoin holding between $85,000 and $90,000 for most of December has less to do with sentiment and more to do with derivatives structure.
Heavy options exposure near spot forced market makers to hedge aggressively, buying dips and selling rallies. This behavior suppressed volatility and locked price into a narrow corridor, even as macro conditions improved and risk assets moved higher.
That dynamic changes as year-end options expire. With roughly $27B in open interest rolling off and a strong call bias still in place, the hedging pressure that pinned price fades quickly.
Implied volatility remains near monthly lows, suggesting the market is underpricing movement just as structural constraints are removed.
When positioning dominates price for weeks, the resolution often comes fast once those constraints disappear.
Inflation cooled and rates were cut, but traders still sold risk assets. $BTC is down about 2% near $88,100 as many lock in profits after the recent run, with added nerves around potential ETF-linked liquidation pressure if the dip deepens.
$ETH also followed the market lower, sliding over 2% to around $2,940 as selling spread across majors. On days like this, “good macro” doesn’t always matter - positioning and risk-off mood can overpower the headlines fast.
#BTC Price Analysis# #ETH Price Prediction: What is Bitcoins next move? #BTC
📊 Brazil’s Largest Bank Recommends Bitcoin as a Portfolio Hedge
Brazil’s largest private bank, Itaú Unibanco, is advising investors to allocate 1%–3% of their portfolios to $BTC, framing it as a diversification tool rather than a speculative bet.
According to Renato Eid, head of beta strategies at Itaú Asset Management, Bitcoin should serve as a complementary asset, not a core holding. The focus is on long-term positioning, not market timing, with $BTC offering returns that are largely uncorrelated with domestic economic cycles.
The recommendation is closely tied to currency risk. After the Brazilian real hit record lows in late 2024, Itaú highlighted Bitcoin’s potential role as a partial hedge against FX volatility, alongside its function as a global store of value.
Itaú’s guidance references BITI11, a Brazil-listed Bitcoin ETF launched in partnership with Galaxy Digital. The fund currently manages over $115 million, providing local investors with regulated BTC exposure and international diversification.
The move reflects a broader institutional shift. Similar allocation ranges have been suggested by global banks, signaling that Bitcoin is increasingly viewed not as an outlier, but as a structured portfolio component in emerging-market risk management.
Question: Is a 1%–3% $BTC allocation becoming the new conservative baseline for institutional portfolios? #BTC Price Analysis##Bitcoin Price Prediction: What is Bitcoins next move?# #BTC #Brazil
🇺🇸 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 — 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