Bitcoin Price Today, December 2, 2025: BTC Holds Around $87,000 After Violent December Sell-Off

Bitcoin price today (BTC/USD) is stabilizing after one of the sharpest shakeouts of late 2025.

At the time of writing on December 2, 2025, Bitcoin is trading around $87,000, with most major price trackers showing BTC hovering in the $86,500–$87,200 range after dipping below $84,000 earlier in the day. ^[1]

That modest rebound comes on the heels of a brutal start to December: on Monday, Bitcoin slid as much as 8% intraday to roughly $83,800–$84,000, wiping out close to $1 billion in leveraged crypto positions and extending its decline to about 30–33% below its early‑October all‑time high near $126,000. ^[2]

Yet despite the bounce, sentiment remains fragile. Analysts describe a market caught between oversold conditions that could fuel a reflex rally and persistent macro and structural headwinds that keep the risk of another leg down firmly on the table. ^[3]

Bitcoin price today: key numbers at a glance

Spot price (BTC/USD): ~$87,000
24‑hour move: roughly +0.5–0.6% after Monday’s 6–8% slide ^[4]
24‑hour range: approximately $84,000–$87,200 ^[5]
Drawdown from October ATH (~$126K): about 30–33% ^[6]

Crypto data sites show Bitcoin up less than 1% over the past 24 hours following yesterday’s steep drop, but still lower than a week ago and significantly below its July and October peaks. ^[7]

Why did Bitcoin crash to start December?

1. Global “risk‑off” mood and bond shock

The early‑December sell‑off is tightly linked to a broader risk‑off move across global markets:

A looming interest‑rate hike in Japan sparked a sell‑off in government bonds worldwide, pushing yields to multi‑year highs and unsettling stocks and crypto alike. ^[8]
Reuters notes that Bitcoin, which has become a rough barometer for risk appetite, fell about 5.2% on Mondaybefore rebounding, leaving it roughly 30% below its October peak. ^[9]
Major US equity indexes, including the Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq, also closed lower as big tech and crypto‑linked stocks sold off together. ^[10]

In short, Bitcoin is being treated like a high‑beta macro asset: when yields spike and investors de‑risk, BTC is among the first things they sell.

2. Fed uncertainty and ETF outflows

Multiple outlets highlight the role of US monetary policy and ETF flows in the December downturn:

The Economic Times points to uncertainty around the Federal Reserve’s December 9–10 meeting, with markets heavily pricing in a rate cut but still fearful the Fed could disappoint. ^[11]
Reuters reports that November saw record outflows from US Bitcoin ETFs, coinciding with Bitcoin’s biggest monthly dollar loss since mid‑2021 and a drop of more than $18,000 across the month. ^[12]

If the Fed under‑delivers on rate cuts or ETF outflows accelerate, strategists warn that BTC could remain under pressure through year‑end.

3. Leverage, liquidations and structural worries

The latest sell‑off is also being driven by crypto‑specific fragilities:

Bloomberg estimates almost $1 billion in leveraged positions were liquidated as Bitcoin briefly plunged toward the mid‑$83,000s, magnifying the move as forced selling cascaded through futures markets. ^[13]
AInvest describes how thin liquidity, high leverage and concerns around Digital Asset Treasury (DAT) structures combined with rising global yields to push BTC below $84,000, extending its drawdown to more than 33% from October’s high. ^[14]
The same report notes that a major Bitcoin‑heavy public company has cut its internal BTC price assumption to the $85,000–$110,000 band and even floated the possibility of selling coins if its balance‑sheet metrics deteriorate further, underlining institutional stress. ^[15]

Add in ongoing worries about stablecoins and DeFi security – including recent downgrades and hacks highlighted by several outlets – and the picture is one of structural fragility rather than a simple “healthy correction.” ^[16]

Market sentiment: fear, fatigue and December seasonality

Despite today’s small bounce, sentiment is still deeply risk‑averse:

Reuters quotes traders describing the mood in crypto as “between fearful and resigned”, with many participants simply riding out volatility rather than buying the dip aggressively. ^[17]
Crypto fear‑and‑greed gauges, tracked in analyses by Cryptonews and NFTPlazas, recently sank to the high‑teens or below, levels historically associated with extreme fear. ^[18]

Ironically, this gloom arrives in a month that is usually friendly to Bitcoin:

Reuters’ historical analysis finds that Bitcoin has on average gained around 9–10% in December, making it one of its stronger months historically. ^[19]
A separate study by NFTPlazas, based on CoinGecko data, calculates average December Bitcoin returns of about 8.25%, with a “crypto Santa Claus rally” occurring in 9 of the last 11 years. ^[20]

Survey data in that study suggests 57% of US crypto investors plan to buy during the 2025 holiday season, and 79% say they specifically want to buy Bitcoin before Christmas, hinting at potential seasonal inflows if macro conditions stabilize. ^[21]

For now, though, on‑chain and derivatives metrics argue that a durable bottom may not be in yet.

On‑chain and derivatives: mixed signals for BTC in December

Bears: whales still selling, downside “retests” in play

Analysis from BeInCrypto and other market researchers paints a cautious near‑term picture:

The Exchange Whale Ratio, measuring how much of exchange inflows come from the largest wallets, climbed sharply in November, a pattern historically associated with whales preparing to sell. While it has eased from its peak, it remains elevated. ^[22]
Long‑term holders have been in distribution mode for more than six months, with net positions still negative – the opposite of the accumulation behavior usually seen at major bottoms. ^[23]
Technically, analysts there note that BTC recently broke down from a bear‑flag pattern, with a potential extension target as low as $66,800 if liquidity thins again. ^[24]

For December 2025 specifically, this analysis highlights $80,400 as a critical “last defensive floor”, and around $97,100 as the resistance zone that must be reclaimed to invalidate the bearish structure and reopen a path toward $100,000. ^[25]

Options data tell a similar story. Derivatives platform Derive, cited by CoinDesk, reports that traders are increasingly positioning for a sub‑$80,000 Bitcoin by the New Year, using options to hedge against further downside. ^[26]

Bulls: whales flip long and exchange reserves fall

The picture is not one‑sided, however. A widely discussed CCN analysis tracks a large crypto whale who closed a $91 million short position and flipped long, buying around 1,000 BTC with a liquidation level far below current prices. ^[27]

That report also notes that:

Bitcoin exchange reserves have started to decline, meaning fewer coins are sitting on exchanges ready to be sold. Historically, sustained drops in reserves often precede or accompany rebounds as sell‑side supply dries up. ^[28]
Technical analysts quoted in the piece suggest that a clean breakout above $98,000 could open a path toward a re‑test of the $100,000–$110,000 area, assuming reserves keep falling and the broader uptrend channel holds. ^[29]

In other words, short‑term flows still lean defensive, but some large players are quietly positioning for a bounce.

Short‑term technical outlook: levels traders are watching today

Several dedicated BTC/USD forecasts published today provide concrete price levels that traders are eyeing.

Forex24: bounce to $88K, risk of deeper slide

In its Bitcoin forecast and BTC/USD analysis for December 2, 2025, Forex24 describes BTC as trading around $84,788 within a downward channel, with moving averages still indicating a short‑term bearish trend. ^[30]

Their scenario:

Near‑term bounce: A possible corrective move toward $88,205.
Renewed selling: From there, they anticipate another down‑leg targeting levels below $71,505, especially if BTC fails at resistance and breaks support around $82,005.
Bullish invalidation: Only a decisive breakout above roughly $95,605, they argue, would cancel the current downtrend and put $105,000+ back on the table. ^[31]

Coinpedia: $86K pivot, $83K–$85K support, $91K–$93K resistance

A new Bitcoin Price Prediction for December 2025 from Coinpedia emphasizes the importance of the $86,000 zone, which currently sits near the top of BTC’s short‑term support band: ^[32]

If BTC can’t hold above $86,000, analysts expect a drift down into the $83,000–$85,000 range, where many stop‑loss orders are clustered.
Clearing that “liquidation zone” could, paradoxically, reset funding and allow a cleaner rebound, with upside targets around $91,500–$93,000.
For December as a whole, their base case sees BTC ranging roughly between $80,000 and $96,000, with a possible spike toward $110,000 if momentum returns after a successful defense of key supports. ^[33]

Brave New Coin and others: $80K–$86K support, $93K–$97K resistance

Complementary analyses from Brave New Coin and BeInCrypto echo those bands: ^[34]

Support cluster:
- Around $86,000, described as pivotal for bulls trying to stabilize price.
- The low‑$80,000s (roughly $80,000–$80,400) as the deeper “line in the sand” before a more serious breakdown.
Upside validation:
- First resistance in the low‑$90,000s, especially the $93,000–$93,900 area.
- A daily close above roughly $97,000 is widely seen as the point at which the structure flips decisively back in favor of the bulls.

Taken together, today’s technical commentaries suggest Bitcoin is stuck in a wide $80K–$97K battlefield, with intraday moves around $87K still firmly inside that range.

December 2025 forecasts: can Bitcoin still reach $100,000?

Despite the rocky start to the month, some research desks remain surprisingly constructive on Bitcoin’s December and 2025 outlook – albeit with big caveats.

BTIG & Pintu: oversold “reflex rally” toward $100K

Indonesian outlet Pintu, summarizing a fresh report from investment firm BTIG, argues that the rough 36% pullback from October’s $126K peak has pushed Bitcoin into an “oversold phase.” ^[35]

Key points from that analysis:

BTIG sees room for a tactical “reflex rally” back toward the $100,000 area if liquidity normalizes and seasonal tailwinds kick in.
The case leans heavily on an 85–89% implied probability of a December Fed rate cut in prediction and derivatives markets – a move that would lower the cost of capital and historically supports high‑risk assets like BTC. ^[36]
However, Pintu stresses that this is not a guaranteed new bull market, but a potential short‑term reboundhighly sensitive to leverage, ETF flows and DeFi‑related shocks – the very forces that drove the December 1 plunge. ^[37]

Structural and macro‑driven scenarios

AInvest’s structural analysis frames three broad possibilities for the coming months: ^[38]

Orderly reset: Leverage and speculative flows bleed off without a full‑blown crisis, allowing BTC to consolidate in a wide $80K–$110K band while macro conditions (including Fed cuts) slowly improve.
Deeper flush: Continued ETF outflows, a hawkish Fed surprise or a major structural event (e.g., a stablecoin shock) could force a test of sub‑$80K levels before any new uptrend.
Reflex rally then chop: An aggressive short squeeze and holiday “Santa rally” could push BTC back toward $100K–$110K, only for macro and structural concerns to cap gains and keep volatility elevated into 2026.

Cryptonews’ multi‑year BTC price prediction, last refreshed in mid‑November, still assigns a year‑end 2025 “fair value” target around $115,000 and a long‑term 2030 projection above $130,000, assuming continued institutional adoption, a supportive regulatory environment and the medium‑term impact of Bitcoin’s halving cycles. ^[39]

Those longer‑term targets, however, sit in sharp contrast to current conditions: November and early December have been among Bitcoin’s weakest stretches of the cycle, with fear high, ETF money flowing out, and technicals firmly on the defensive.

What today’s Bitcoin price means for traders and investors

With BTC price today near $87,000, the market sits at an awkward middle ground:

For short‑term traders, the battle lines are relatively clear:
- Support: $86K first, then the $83K–$85K liquidity pocket and ultimately the $80K–$80.4K “last floor.” ^[40]
- Resistance: $88K–$90K intraday, then $93K–$97K as the “must‑reclaim” zone to restore a bullish structure. ^[41]
For longer‑term holders, the story is more about macro and structure than today’s precise tick:
- Fed policy (and whether December really brings a cut),
- Ongoing ETF flows,
- Stability of stablecoins and DeFi,
- And whether whales and long‑term holders shift from distribution back to accumulation. ^[42]

Seasonality, Santa‑rally statistics and oversold conditions all argue that a sharp recovery in December is possible. But today’s Bitcoin price action – volatile bounces within a still‑bearish structure – underlines that downside risks remain very real until support zones prove themselves and macro data turns more clearly supportive.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Cryptocurrency markets are highly volatile; never invest money you cannot afford to lose.