What’s Driving the Rise in Crypto Today?

What’s Driving the Rise in Crypto Today? – January 5, 2026

The cryptocurrency market has experienced a boost today, with a 1% increase in market capitalization, reaching $3.24 trillion. Most of the top cryptocurrencies have shown positive movement in prices, collectively demonstrating a healthy trading volume. As investors rebound from previous market dips, several factors contribute to this upward trend.

Key Takeaways

The cryptocurrency market capitalization has risen to $3.24 trillion, marking a 1% increase.
Eighty-seven out of the top 100 cryptocurrencies reported price increases over the last 24 hours.
Bitcoin (BTC) is trading at approximately $92,483, while Ethereum (ETH) is at $3,155.
Investments in digital assets are increasing, perceived as “digital gold” by some market participants.
Positive expectations surround upcoming economic data influencing trading sentiment in the crypto space.

why is crypto up today

Current Market Overview

Today, the cryptocurrency market is experiencing an uptrend, with its total market capitalization growing by 1% to reach $3.24 trillion. Approximately 87 of the top 100 cryptocurrencies have increased in value over the past 24 hours, with total trading volume hitting $101 billion.

Crypto Winners & Losers

As of Monday morning, 9 out of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization have recorded price increases.

Bitcoin (BTC) has risen by 1.2% and is currently trading at $92,483.
Ethereum (ETH) has experienced a modest increase of 0.5% to $3,155.
XRP leads the gains in this category with a notable 2.9% rise, now priced at $2.13.
Binance Coin (BNB) follows, up by 1.6% to $898.
On the lower end, Tron (TRX) saw a minimal increase of 0.3%, standing at $0.2949.
Meanwhile, Dogecoin (DOGE) has seen a slight decrease of 0.9%, now valued at $0.1502.

Among the larger pool of the top 100 cryptocurrencies, 87 have shown price increases, with Render (RENDER) having the highest gain of 16%, now at $2.1. Bonk (BONK) also experienced a rise of 6.2% to $0.00001211. Conversely, Provenance Blockchain (HASH) suffered the most significant loss at 10.2%, now priced at $0.02653.

Institutional Interest Grows

In the world of traditional finance, prominent accounting firm PwC is intensifying its focus on cryptocurrencies after a period of cautious engagement. Paul Griggs, a senior partner at PwC, highlighted the potential regulatory developments regarding stablecoins. He believes that this will lead to greater market confidence, especially as the concept of tokenization develops and matures.

Additionally, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin asserted that Ethereum has tackled the blockchain trilemma using zero-knowledge EVMs and PeerDAS technologies, promoting a more robust decentralized network.

Investors’ Shift Towards Digital Assets

Petr Kozyakov, Co-Founder and CEO of payment infrastructure platform Mercuryo, remarked that investor sentiment is shifting positively as people add “digital gold” to their portfolios while preparing for the year ahead. Surging interest in major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, alongside a revival in meme coins like Shiba Inu and Pepe, reflects this optimism.

Despite the challenging sentiment faced in late 2025, the fundamentals of the cryptocurrency market appear solid. Innovations continue to attract liquidity, particularly with the rise of stablecoins.

Furthermore, the Derivatives Desk of Laser Digital emphasizes the importance of the upcoming US jobs data, noting its potential influence on the markets. The consensus forecast for the non-farm payrolls (NFP) data is showing a modest increase of approximately 55,000 jobs, with an unemployment rate expected to remain around 4.5%.

Analysts are closely monitoring the market reactions to potential economic shifts, including increases in geopolitical tensions.

Levels & Events to Monitor

As Monday progresses, Bitcoin is trading around $92,483, following a trend of sideways movement around the $91,000 level over the past day before peaking at $93,169. In the last week, Bitcoin recorded a 2.9% appreciation, ranging between $86,979 and $92,999.

If Bitcoin maintains levels above $90,000, it could potentially move northward toward the $93,500 and $94,600 marks, paving the way toward the $98,000 zone in weeks to come.

BTC Trading Chart

Ethereum is currently trading at $3,155, with much of the activity centered around the $3,100 level. The price has varied from a low of $3,123 to a high of $3,209.

Over the last week, Ethereum has observed a 4.1% increase, fluctuating between $2,916 and $3,198, with the coin experiencing a slight decline of about 13% over the year.

A sustained push above $3,430 could see Ethereum rising further to $3,600, and even reaching the $4,000 mark later in the year. However, should it fall below $3,010, it may drop back under $3,000. The unveiling of the ZK-EVM and PeerDAS roadmap bolsters a promising long-term outlook.

As the new year progresses, the overall sentiment in the cryptocurrency market is looking up, moving out of the depths of fear. The crypto fear and greed index currently stands at 42, compared to a much lower 21 at the end of last month, indicating a return to a neutral zone for the first time since October.

Crypto Market Sentiment

On the first trading day of January, U.S. Bitcoin spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) saw notable positive inflows of $471.14 million, bringing the total net inflow to $57.08 billion. Among twelve Bitcoin ETFs, nine recorded inflows without any outflows. BlackRock led with $287.37 million in inflows, followed by Fidelity at $88.08 million and Bitwise at $41.49 million.

BTC ETF Inflows

Similarly, U.S. Ethereum ETFs registered positive inflows of $174.43 million on January 2, with total net inflows now around $12.5 billion across nine funds, of which five recorded inflows. Grayscale attracted $103.72 million that day, while BlackRock saw $47.16 million in inflows.

ETH ETF Inflows

Additionally, on-chain data reported by CryptoOnchain indicates that whales deposited around $2.4 billion into Binance, nearly evenly split between Bitcoin and Ether. However, analysts caution that this increase in risk-asset deposits was not accompanied by fresh buying power.

Quick FAQ

The recent uptick in the cryptocurrency market coincides with a mixed performance in the U.S. stock market, where the S&P 500 slightly increased by 0.19%, the Nasdaq-100 dipped by 0.17%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed by 0.66%. Investors are now attentive to the ongoing developments following the U.S. attack on Venezuela.

Expectations are high for further increases in the market over the coming weeks, despite the anticipation of periodic pullbacks, which are typical in market cycles.