Why is Cryptocurrency Rising Today? – December 19, 2025

Summary:
Today, the crypto market shows a positive trend, with market capitalization rising by 1.6% to $3.05 trillion. Most top coins have seen gains in the last 24 hours, while trading volume remains significant at $164 billion. Analyst insights suggest a mixed overall sentiment as economic data impacts market perception and trading behavior.

Key Takeaways

The cryptocurrency market capitalization increased by 1.6%, reaching $3.05 trillion.
Most top coins, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, saw price gains; Bitcoin is trading at $87,906 and Ethereum at $2,953.
A cooler-than-expected CPI report raises hopes for easing inflation and market policy changes.
Market sentiment remains cautious, with high volatility and substantial uncertainty in future trends.

Why Is Crypto Up Today

Cryptocurrency Market Overview

As of today, the cryptocurrency market is experiencing gains, with a market capitalization increasing by 1.6% to reach $3.05 trillion. Remarkably, 90 out of the top 100 coins have risen in value over the past 24 hours, accompanied by a total trading volume of $164 billion.

Crypto Winners & Losers

At the time of this update, all top 10 coins by market capitalization have posted price increases in the last 24 hours.

Bitcoin (BTC) has risen by 1.4%, trading at $87,906. Meanwhile, Ethereum (ETH) has seen a more significant increase of 4.1% and is currently valued at $2,953, marking it as the top gainer in this category.

Following closely is Dogecoin (DOGE), with a 2.4% rise, bringing its price to $0.128. In contrast, Tron (TRX) saw the smallest gain at only 0.8%, currently priced at $0.2794.

Among the top 100 coins, 90 have experienced price increases. Two of these were notable double-digit gainers: Provenance Blockchain (HASH), which rose by 10.1% to $0.03094, and Bitcoin Cash (BCH), which increased by 10%, currently valued at $587.

On the downside, MemeCore (M) faced the largest decline, dropping by 8.2% to $1.54, followed by Mantle (MNT), which lost 3.7%, now priced at $1.17.

Crypto Market Chart

Economic Influence on Price Movements

Recent economic data has played a key role in shaping market sentiment. A delayed report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that consumer prices rose less than expected in November. This has led to increased optimism among investors that inflationary pressures might ease, potentially resulting in more accommodative monetary policy from the Federal Reserve.

Binance, a significant player in the crypto space, is also considering a return to the US market, hinting at potential structural changes to its American operations, which may involve a recapitalization of Binance.US. This change could affect Changpeng Zhao’s controlling stake.

Market Reactions and Analyst Insights

Gabe Selby, Head of Research at Kraken company's CF Benchmark, commented on Bitcoin's volatile price action, suggesting that it reflects a market dominated by sellers and amplified uncertainty regarding broader economic trends. The recent CPI data, while initially perceived as favorable for risk assets, was released under unusual circumstances, particularly due to the timing affected by last month's government shutdown.

Selby states that this report contained "temporary disinflationary noise," limiting its reliability as an accurate measure of ongoing inflation trends. Consequently, the market appears to view this data as an outlier rather than a confirmation of a sustained cooling trend.

Bitcoin’s price movements echoed this skepticism, briefly rising post-report release before retreating as traders reconsidered the quality of the data.

Current Trading Levels and Future Expectations

As of writing on Friday morning, Bitcoin stands at $87,906, following a day of fluctuating prices. After an initial sideways trading phase, Bitcoin reached an intraday high of $89,219 before dropping to $84,581 and recovering to its current value.

In terms of week-over-week performance, Bitcoin is down 5%, 3.4% for the month, 13.2% year-to-date, and 30% from its October all-time high of $126,080. Traders are closely monitoring to see if Bitcoin can surpass $90,000 and maintain that level, which could set the stage for a push towards $100,000. Conversely, a downward movement might send the coin towards the $74,000 level.

Ethereum is also experiencing price fluctuations. Currently priced at $2,953, it reached a high of $2,989 and a low of $2,781 over the past 24 hours before settling back. Over the past week, Ethereum has lost 9.2%, 2.9% for the month, and 19.8% year-to-date, with a 40% decrease from its August all-time high of $4,946. If Ethereum reclaims the $3,000 mark, it could surge towards $3,130 and $3,250; however, a decline could retract it back towards the $2,900 region or possibly lower.

Market Sentiment Chart

Market Sentiment and ETF Flows

The overall sentiment within the crypto market has dipped back into the "fear" territory. The fear and greed index shows a score of 21 today, slightly lower than yesterday's score of 22, indicating growing caution among market participants. Investors are on edge, awaiting new signals for decision-making.

Following one day of positive inflows, the US Bitcoin spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) reported negative flows of $161.32 million on Thursday, bringing the total net inflow to $57.57 billion. Out of twelve Bitcoin ETFs, three experienced outflows while one saw inflows. Notably, BlackRock reported $32.76 million in inflows.

Conversely, Fidelity leads the outflow list with $170.28 million, followed by Ark & 21Shares with $12.27 million and Bitwise with $11.54 million in outflows.

ETF Flows Chart

The Ethereum ETFs have faced ongoing outflows, marking a sixth consecutive day of negative flows with $96.62 million on December 18, reducing the total net inflow to $12.52 billion. Although two of the nine funds recorded inflows, one experienced considerably higher outflows. Grayscale's fund saw a total inflow of $5.63 million on this day, while BlackRock faced $102.24 million in outflows.

Ethereum ETF Flows Chart

Additionally, Tom Lee's Ethereum-focused treasury company, BitMine, has made significant purchases this week, acquiring $229.31 million worth of ETH according to reports from Arkham. Over the past 30 days, data from CoinGecko shows that BitMine has purchased 407,331 ETH, claiming ownership of over 3.2% of the total ETH supply.

Quick FAQ

The crypto market has experienced an uptick in recent hours, coinciding with a positive close in the US stock market. By December 18's closing, the S&P 500 rose by 0.79%, the Nasdaq-100 climbed by 1.51%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 0.14%. These gains are attributed to better-than-expected CPI data.

While short-term rises may continue, analysts caution that a reversal may happen at any moment. However, many expect a considerable rally as the new year approaches, potentially in the first quarter.