Trading

Crypto investors are closely watching the US this week. Four key dates will shape interest rates, risk appetite, and price speculation. Bitcoin hovers around important levels, and headlines drive rapid re-pricings. Traders are reacting attentively, while portfolios are actively hedged.

SPX6900 [SPX] regained upside momentum after a flag retest near $0.600, delivering a 12% daily gain before easing 5.6%. Spot volume climbed 68% to 25.61 million and Open Interest rose 11% to $29.2 million, reinforcing the case for a test of the psychological $1 level.

Bitcoin (BTC) swung to new all-time highs in 2025 before retracing as much as 30%, fueling debate over whether a bear phase has already played out. Market analyst Shanaka Anslem argues the cycle inverted when BTC topped its prior peak before the April Halving and characterizes 2024 as "political repricing," according to a post on X. He sees 2025 displaying bear-market traits and a path to $150,000–$200,000 in 2026, while other analysts caution prices could still slip toward $54,000–$60,000.

Shiba Inu recorded its highest whale-transfer activity since June 6 as more than 1.06 trillion SHIB flowed into exchanges on December 9, according to Santiment. The spike in large-holder behavior coincided with a 6% price increase and may signal heightened volatility in the days ahead.

Dogecoin attempted a recovery toward the $0.1450 resistance level but failed to break higher, with bulls now defending support at $0.140 and $0.1350. The price remains above the 100-hourly simple moving average, and a close above $0.1530 is needed to confirm a stronger bullish extension toward $0.1620.

Large XRP holders cut balances over the past week, offloading 510 million coins as whale supply has declined since mid-November. Whales are addresses holding 1 million to 10 million tokens, a band worth roughly $2 million to $20 million at the current exchange rate. XRP rebounded to $2.09 after a retest of $2.00.

At the Bitcoin MENA conference, Michael Saylor urged governments to build Bitcoin-backed digital bank accounts using heavily overcollateralized tokenized credit tied to sovereign BTC reserves, arguing the model could attract tens of trillions of dollars in deposits. Strategy recently bought 10,624 BTC for about $962.7 million, bringing its holdings to 660,624 BTC worth more than $60 billion, even as its share price has dropped roughly 51% over the past year.

XRP has bounced from support above $2.020 and is trading over $2.050 and the 100-hourly Simple Moving Average while facing resistance near $2.0850 and $2.10. A close above $2.120 could see the price revisit $2.160 and potentially the $2.20–$2.2650 area. Failure to clear $2.10 may instead trigger another decline toward $1.950 and even $1.850. Technical indicators show the MACD in negative territory and the hourly RSI below 50, pointing to persistent downside pressure at resistance.

Bitcoin fell after sellers capped gains near $92,500 and is trading under $91,000 and the 100-hour simple moving average. On the BTC/USD hourly chart, a contracting triangle marks support at $90,000 with $89,500 the next key level, according to Kraken data. A close above $92,000–$92,500 could open a move toward $93,500 to $94,500.

Bitcoin whipsawed from $89k to $87k and then to $91k within a single four-hour candle, putting the $90k threshold in focus. Analysts said $171 million in long positions and $71 million in shorts were liquidated in that window, with nearly $500 million erased over 24 hours. Open interest has fallen $30 billion from a $94 billion October peak, signaling deliberate de-risking.