BTC trades around $87.9K, off 2.5%, after repeatedly failing to break higher and slipping under the $90K area that CoinDesk and Cointelegraph flag as key short‑term support. Analysts describe an ‘extreme low volatility’ setup with a potential bear flag that could send prices toward the mid‑$70Ks or even the $50K range if support levels give way.
Fed’s ‘hawkish cut’ and fading global easing momentum weigh on crypto sentiment
The Fed’s 25 bp rate cut, widely seen as hawkish with limited scope for further easing, triggered a ‘buy the rumor, sell the news’ reaction in Bitcoin according to Forbes and AMBCrypto. Bloomberg notes rich‑world rate‑cut momentum is stalling, reducing the prospect of a sustained liquidity tailwind that previously supported digital assets.
Japan risk and yen carry-trade unwind loom over BTC
Investing.com and Cointelegraph highlight the upcoming BoJ rate hike and potential clash with the government as a major macro overhang that could unwind yen carry trades and pressure risk assets, including Bitcoin. Past BoJ hikes have coincided with 20%–30% BTC drawdowns, and some macro strategists now warn of a possible dump below $70K if policy proves more hawkish than expected.
Digital asset treasury stocks enter ‘Darwinian phase’ after October BTC crash
Yahoo Finance reports that Bitcoin’s sharp October reversal has pushed many crypto‑treasury companies into deep unrealized losses and widened discounts to their underlying holdings. Strategy (Saylor’s firm) has been at the center of the storm, prompting warnings that an MSCI index exclusion could cause ‘chaos’ and amplify downside if BTC’s slide accelerates.
Ethereum, XRP and Solana lag with limited idiosyncratic catalysts
ETH (-1.8%) trades near $3,060 despite some relative strength versus BTC, as analysts see little fundamental impetus until the Fusaka upgrade and ETF flows become clearer. XRP (-2.0%) and Solana (-2.8%) track the broader risk‑off tone even as XRP ETFs quietly approach $1B in cumulative inflows, suggesting institutional accumulation is building a floor rather than driving a breakout.
Bitcoin pulls back toward $90K as crash fears meet quiet institutional dip‑buying
BTC is down about 1% on the day near $89–90K, extending a ~30% drawdown from its October high around $126K amid extreme‑fear sentiment and warnings of a possible deeper correction after the Fed’s rate cut. At the same time, data from Glassnode and ETF flow trackers show digital-asset treasuries and U.S. spot ETFs steadily accumulating BTC, which analysts say could help defend the $90K region even if volatility rises.
Saylor’s Strategy keeps Nasdaq 100 slot, but MSCI threat hangs over Bitcoin treasury trade
Forbes and CoinDesk report that Michael Saylor’s firm Strategy narrowly maintained its place in the Nasdaq 100, easing fears of forced selling that could have amplified BTC downside. However, Saylor is warning MSCI against a proposal to exclude companies whose balance sheets are heavily in Bitcoin, with JPMorgan estimating up to $8.8B of potential outflows if such rules are widely adopted.
Ethereum battles to hold $3K as leveraged longs unwind and whale positioning turns critical
ETH trades just above $3,000, off less than 1% intraday but still under pressure after a sharp drop earlier in the week triggered over $120M in liquidations and left a $537M whale long deeply underwater, according to AMBCrypto and CoinGlass data. On-chain metrics from CryptoQuant show whale realized prices converging toward spot—a rare setup that historically precedes either a major accumulation phase or a painful capitulation if $3K breaks.
XRP stays pinned near $2 despite nearly $1B in ETF inflows and U.S. trust bank progress
Ripple’s XRP is roughly flat on the week around $2 with a modest 1% daily decline, even as U.S.-listed XRP spot ETFs log 19 straight days of net inflows approaching $1B and OCC grants Ripple conditional approval for a national trust bank charter. Analysts at AMBCrypto and FXStreet say this disconnect reflects macro risk-off sentiment and heavy overhead technical resistance, arguing that institutional flows are quietly building a higher structural floor rather than chasing a breakout.
Macro backdrop: Fed cut, strong dollar, and BOJ drama keep crypto in ‘risk-on probation’
The Fed’s 25 bp rate cut and record-high global M2 have historically favored risk assets, but Yardeni Research notes the U.S. dollar still dominates global finance and carry trades, limiting a clean tailwind for crypto. Additional uncertainty around a potential BOJ rate hike and rising geopolitical tensions has left traders cautious, with several strategists, including CMC’s research head, now eyeing Q1 2026 as the more likely window for the next broad-based crypto bull leg.