Why Is Crypto Rising Today? – December 26, 2025

The cryptocurrency market is experiencing an upward trend today, marking a second consecutive day of gains. The total market capitalization of cryptocurrency has risen by approximately 1%, reaching around $3.07 trillion. Meanwhile, the 24-hour trading volume is at $91.4 billion. Major assets are mostly showing positive performance, indicating a stable risk appetite among traders.

Key Takeaways

The cryptocurrency market has experienced a second day of increases, with market capitalization up by about 1%.
Approximately 9 out of the top 10 cryptocurrencies have risen in value.
Analysts caution that Bitcoin is still below the crucial $90,000 mark, with holiday trading volumes contributing to a volatile market.
According to 10x Research, reduced volatility and options positioning could signal a potential multi-week uptrend if current breakout levels are sustained.
Critical levels for Bitcoin are identified at: upside above $89,000–$90,500, downside risk below $86,000, with strong support near $82,000.
Ethereum needs to break firmly above $2,980–$3,000 to pursue upward movement towards $3,150–$3,300.
Market sentiment remains cautious, with the Crypto Fear & Greed Index currently at 27 (indicating fear).
There was no ETF data available for December 25 due to the Christmas market closure.
In other news, Sberbank of Russia is investigating crypto-backed lending.

Performance of Major Cryptocurrencies

Crypto Winners and Losers

As of now, 9 of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization have recorded gains in the past 24 hours.

Bitcoin (BTC) is trading at $88,681, reflecting a 1.4% increase as it manages to stay above the $88,000 threshold after recent stabilizing actions.

Bitcoin Price Chart

Ethereum (ETH) has seen a rise of 1.3%, priced at $2,964, continuing its modest ascent just below the significant $3,000 milestone.

BNB (BNB) has gained slightly, up 0.1% at $840, while XRP (XRP) has also increased by 0.1%, trading at $1.87. Solana (SOL) has jumped 0.7% to $122.80, recovering from recent lows despite its weekly downturn.

On the flip side, Dogecoin (DOGE) was the day's poorest performer, falling 1.2% to $0.1257, continuing its recent downward momentum.

Outside of the major cryptocurrencies, some smaller tokens have made notable gains. Islamic Coin (ISLM) surged by 86.5%, while WOLF increased by 65.6%. zkPass also shone with a 46.3% rise, ranking among the top gainers and trending assets.

Gabriel Selby, head of research at CF Benchmarks, stated that Bitcoin is currently capped under a pivotal threshold as the market enters a quieter seasonal period.

“Bitcoin has struggled to break above the $90,000 marker during a series of macroeconomic data reveals, and the price movement appears to be forming a bearish wedge with risks of downward movement,” he mentioned.

“As we enter the holiday season, trading volumes have followed the usual seasonal decrease, reinforcing the current choppy, high-resistance market environment.”

Bitcoin at a Crucial Crossroad: Options and Volatility Intersect - 10x Research

Bitcoin has been moving sideways for weeks, concealing significant shifts in market dynamics that might lead to a pronounced movement. According to 10x Research, a rare convergence of options positioning, decreased volatility, and technical exhaustion appears to be emerging, a combination that typically precedes prolonged trends rather than temporary surges.

The analysts highlight that capital has mostly remained on the sidelines since the October 10 crash, with ETF outflows intensifying following the hawkish stance from the FOMC on October 29. Bitcoin’s recovery has been hindered as investors shifted focus toward year-end high performers, leaving BTC without significant new capital.

As the year draws to a close and new risk budgets come into play, 10x Research asserts that various overlooked indicators are starting to align. If the current breakout remains intact, this could suggest a possible multi-week uptrend, making the upcoming signals on key charts crucial to confirming a broader trend.

Key Levels and Upcoming Events

Bitcoin is currently priced around $88,681, marking an approximate 1.7% increase over the last 24 hours. The trading activity has improved in recent sessions, with BTC climbing after defending the mid-$86,000 range earlier this week.

Overall, Bitcoin is still significantly below its October high of about $125,000, following a sharp correction in November and a subsequent consolidation phase throughout December. This past week, BTC has oscillated within a relatively narrow range, establishing short-term support around $86,000–$87,000.

A sustained movement above $89,000 could lead to a test of $90,500, followed by potential resistance near $92,000–$93,000. Conversely, dropping below $86,000 could put BTC at risk for further declines towards $84,000, with deeper support levels nearing $82,000.

Currently, Ethereum is trading at approximately $2,967, achieving a strong daily gain of about 2.2%. ETH’s recovery has been more decisive compared to Bitcoin in the latest session, successfully regaining some ground after multiple failed attempts earlier this December.

Ethereum Price Chart

Even with this bounce back, Ethereum is still constrained below the critical $3,000 psychological threshold. Over the past week, ETH's performance has been uneven, mirroring the moderate trading volumes.

A strong break and a sustained hold above $2,980–$3,000 could shift momentum toward the bulls, aiming for targets around $3,150 and possibly $3,300 if further buying activity develops. If sellers take control, ETH might revisit support levels near $2,850, with deeper pullbacks exposing the $2,700–$2,750 range.

Market sentiment remains fundamentally in the fear territory, as reflected by the most recent CoinMarketCap data. The Crypto Fear and Greed Index stands at 27, staying relatively unchanged from the previous day, indicating continued investor caution.

While sentiment is slightly improved from last month's extreme fear level of 15, it still falls short of neutral territory.

Crypto Fear & Greed Index

Due to the Christmas holiday, US stock markets were closed, and no ETF flow updates for December 25 were released.

For December 24, US spot Bitcoin ETFs experienced continued outflows, totaling $175.29 million. The selling pressure was widespread, with BlackRock’s IBIT leading the decline at $91.37 million.

Following this, Grayscale’s GBTC recorded $24.62 million in outflows, and Fidelity’s FBTC saw $17.17 million exit. Bitwise (BITB) and ARK 21Shares (ARKB) also experienced smaller redemptions.

US ETF Outflows

US spot Ether ETFs have also turned negative, with $52.7 million in net outflows, halting a brief inflow streak. Grayscale’s ETHE led these losses, with $33.78 million in outflows, followed by BlackRock’s ETHA, which experienced $22.25 million in outflows. Grayscale’s ETH trust was the only product to gain inflows on that day, adding $3.33 million.

Total trading volume across US ETH ETFs reached $689.44 million, and net assets stood at $17.86 billion, capturing roughly 5% of Ethereum’s entire market capitalization.

On another note, Sberbank is advancing into crypto-secured lending, indicating a significant push in Russia's financial sector towards digital assets as the nation approaches its mid-2026 regulatory deadline.

Deputy Chairman Anatoly Popov stated that the bank is fully prepared to partner with regulators to create infrastructure for these services, potentially broadening Russia's crypto landscape beyond just trading into collateralized finance.