Crypto Prices Today, December 3, 2025: Bitcoin Reclaims $93K as Ethereum’s Fusaka Upgrade and ETF News Fuel Rally

The crypto market snapped back hard today, with Bitcoin back above $93,000, Ethereum comfortably reclaiming $3,000, and a wave of altcoins—from Sui (SUI) to Pudgy Penguins (PENGU) and Hyperliquid (HYPE)—posting double‑digit gains. A mix of ETF breakthroughs, macro tailwinds, and a major Ethereum upgrade is driving the rebound. ^[1]

Below is a detailed look at crypto prices today (December 3, 2025) plus the freshest news, forecasts, and analysis published today that traders are watching.

Market Snapshot: Crypto Back Above $3.1 Trillion

After last week’s brutal washout, total crypto market capitalization has bounced back to roughly $3.15–$3.16 trillion, up about 7% in 24 hours, according to CoinMarketCap and multiple market trackers. ^[2]

Key numbers as of Wednesday, December 3, 2025:

Bitcoin (BTC): ~$93,000, up around 7–8% on the day
Ethereum (ETH): ~$3,050–3,070, up about 9–10%
BNB (BNB): ~$895–900, up roughly 8%
Solana (SOL): ~$142, gaining around 12%
XRP (XRP): ~$2.18–2.20, up around 9%
Dogecoin (DOGE): ~$0.15, up about 10% in 24 hours ^[3]

Market sentiment has improved but is still cautious. ABP Live reports the global Crypto Fear & Greed Index at 22 (“Fear”), while Crypto.news notes a jump to 28, just out of “Extreme Fear” but still far from euphoria. ^[4]

In other words: prices are surging, but emotionally, the market is still bruised.

Why Crypto Is Up Today: Three Big Catalysts

1. Vanguard Opens the ETF Floodgates

The single biggest narrative today is the so‑called “Vanguard effect.”

Vanguard—historically hostile to crypto—has lifted its ban on trading crypto ETFs and mutual funds, allowing its roughly 50 million retail clients to access spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, plus other crypto products. ^[5]

Key knock‑on effects mentioned across today’s coverage:

Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded tens of millions of dollars in net inflows on December 2, followed by a strong continuation today. ^[6]
BlackRock’s IBIT ETF saw record trading volume, briefly surpassing traditional equity ETFs like Vanguard’s VOO, according to Indian exchange commentary quoted by ABP. ^[7]
Bank of America research, highlighted in CoinCentral’s market recap, is now recommending 1–4% crypto allocation for certain clients, giving another institutional tailwind. ^[8]

Together, this paints a picture of Wall Street and legacy asset managers finally leaning into crypto rather than treating it as a sideshow.

2. Macro Tailwinds: Fed Liquidity & Rate‑Cut Odds

Today’s rally isn’t just about ETFs.

Analysts quoted by ABP Live say the Federal Reserve has effectively ended quantitative tightening, injecting roughly $13.5 billion via short‑term funding operations—extra liquidity that tends to support risk assets like crypto. ^[9]
On prediction market Polymarket, odds of a Fed rate cut at the mid‑December meeting have jumped toward 90%, up sharply from late November. Crypto.news notes this as a key driver of renewed risk appetite. ^[10]
At the same time, markets are watching the Bank of Japan, where higher yields could create bursts of volatility in global risk markets, including crypto. ^[11]

Some high‑profile voices, like Kevin O’Leary, still argue there may not be a December cut and that Bitcoin could simply consolidate at high levels instead of soaring immediately, underscoring how divided macro expectations remain. ^[12]

3. Regulatory Clarity, Not Just Crackdowns

While regulation often spooks markets, today’s headlines lean more toward clarity than chaos:

The U.K. has granted royal assent to the Property (Digital Assets etc) Act, formally recognizing crypto and stablecoins as a distinct category of personal property. That gives digital assets clearer legal standing for issues like collateral, inheritance, and recovering stolen funds. ^[13]
South Korea is racing to finalize its Digital Asset Act by January 2026, after agreeing to a “Korean‑style stablecoin” model where bank‑led consortia must hold at least 51% of won‑backed stablecoin issuers. ^[14]
In the U.S., Fed Governor Michelle Bowman is calling for new, bank‑like rules for stablecoins, signaling that regulators increasingly prefer to formalize the sector rather than ignore it. ^[15]

None of this removes regulatory risk—but it makes the rules of the game look less arbitrary, which larger investors generally like.

Bitcoin Price Today: Rebound Above $93K, New Targets in Sight

Bitcoin is the clear headline today. Across data providers, BTC is trading just above $93,000, up around 7–8% in 24 hours after briefly sinking below $84,000 during last week’s crash. ^[16]

Crypto.news and ABP Live highlight:

24‑hour low / high: roughly $86,400 – $93,900
Market cap: around $1.86 trillion
24‑hour liquidations: down to ~$480 million, a big drop from the billion‑plus wiped out during the worst of the sell‑off
Open interest: up to roughly $130+ billion, showing traders are stepping back in rather than retreating entirely ^[17]

Fresh Technical Analysis for December 3

A CoinEdition analysis published today describes Bitcoin as “stabilizing above support” after a sharp decline toward $80,527, with several important zones traders are watching: ^[18]

Short‑term support: ~$91,000, with a broader floor around $89,000
Deeper support: the $85,000 area, with the recent cycle low near $80,500
Key resistance band:$94,000–$95,400, where the 0.382 Fibonacci level and 200‑EMA cluster
Bullish breakout zone: a sustained move above $98,000–$102,000 could open room toward $108,000+

The article emphasizes that open interest has climbed back toward ~$59 billion in futures, while spot flows have turned positive again—signs that traders are rebuilding positions instead of capitulating. ^[19]

Short‑ and Long‑Term BTC Price Forecasts Published Today

Several newly published forecasts on December 3 are worth flagging:

Recovery to $100,000: CoinCentral’s BTC prediction note argues that the “Vanguard breakthrough” and ETF inflows could fuel a recovery rally targeting $100,000, assuming Bitcoin can clear heavy resistance in the mid‑$90K region without another macro shock. ^[20]
New all‑time highs in 2026: A fresh Grayscale‑focused analysis on CoinCentral suggests Bitcoin is on track to hit new record highs in 2026, supported by ETF demand and a maturing volatility profile, even if the path is choppy. ^[21]
Aggressive upside scenarios: Independent forecasts this week—such as a CryptoTicker piece asking whether BTC can reach $175,000 in 2026—outline more extreme bull cases tied to multi‑cycle adoption and “digital gold” narratives. ^[22]

Almost every forecast today carries the same caveat: short‑term swings could be brutal, especially if Bitcoin fails to break above the mid‑$90K resistance band or macro data undercuts rate‑cut optimism.

Ethereum Price Today: Fusaka Upgrade Steals the Spotlight

If Bitcoin has the ETF story, Ethereum has the tech story today.

Across Crypto.news, 99Bitcoins, and ABP, ETH is trading a little above $3,000—roughly $3,050–3,070, up around 9–10% in the last 24 hours and back firmly above a psychologically important level. ^[23]

What Fusaka Actually Does

The Fusaka upgrade—Ethereum’s second major hard fork of 2025—is either going live or just activated today, depending on time zone, at around slot 13,164,544 (≈21:49 UTC). 99Bitcoins and BeInCrypto outline several key features: ^[24]

It merges Fulu (execution layer) and Osaka (consensus layer) changes.
Introduces PeerDAS, an improved data‑availability scheme designed to cut validator data load by up to ~80–85%, making it cheaper to run nodes. ^[25]
Gradually raises gas limits and scales blob throughput (data “blobs” used by rollups) beyond the current cap of six per block, with further expansions expected around December 9. ^[26]
Analysts expect Layer‑2 transaction fees to drop by 40–60% on networks like Arbitrum and Optimism if everything works as planned. ^[27]

In plain English: Fusaka is about making Ethereum cheaper and more scalable for rollups, not about changing the monetary policy or consensus like the Merge.

ETH Price Predictions After Fusaka

Today’s ETH‑specific forecasts are notably upbeat:

A CoinCentral analysis titled along the lines of “monster rally after Fusaka” argues that if the upgrade meaningfully boosts L2 activity and restores ETH’s market‑cap dominance, a move back toward $4,800 (its previous all‑time high) in 2026 is plausible. ^[28]
CoinMarketCap’s AI model sees room for a multi‑year grind higher if ETH can maintain double‑digit share of total crypto market cap and capitalize on rollup growth, but stresses that macro conditions and ETF decisions will be decisive. ^[29]

For today, though, the simplest story is: Fusaka + returning risk appetite = ETH back above $3,000, with traders treating the upgrade as a catalyst rather than a risk event.

Altcoins in Focus: SUI, PENGU, HYPE, LINK and Friends

Top Gainers Today

ABP Live’s roundup and Crypto.news’ market piece highlight a handful of standout altcoin movers: ^[30]

Sui (SUI): around $1.73–1.75, gaining roughly 29–30% in 24 hours
Pudgy Penguins (PENGU): ~$0.012, up about 26%
Pump.fun (PUMP): nearly 19% daily gain
Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL) and other small caps up high‑teens
Chainlink (LINK): ~$14–15, with gains near 16–20%, making it one of the strongest large‑cap altcoins today ^[31]

Beyond pure price action, several fundamental catalysts popped up in today’s news:

CoinCentral notes that Grayscale launched the first U.S. Chainlink ETF (GLNK) on NYSE Arca, which is widely credited for LINK’s outperformance. ^[32]
Another CoinCentral TLDR says SUI’s 20%+ price jump today is tied to Coinbase opening SUI trading to New York residents for the first time—important for U.S. liquidity. ^[33]
A Coinspeaker piece covers new crypto ETPs for Ethena (ENA) and Morpho (MORPHO) on European exchanges, adding more vehicles for institutions to gain diversified alt exposure. ^[34]

Meme Coin & Perp‑Native Names

Meme‑heavy corners of the market are also getting attention:

Crypto.news and other outlets highlight Hyperliquid (HYPE) as one of the notable gainers today, trading in the mid‑$30s with roughly 9–10% daily gains as liquidity on the derivatives‑focused L2 keeps deepening. ^[35]
A string of “best meme coins to watch” pieces (covering tokens like PENGU, BONK, WIF, POPCAT) point out that despite the recent crash, rotational flows into meme coins remain very much alive—just far more selective than in 2021. ^[36]

But Many Altcoins Are Still Lagging

An AInvest article published this morning bluntly warns that “altcoins are losing momentum” even as Bitcoin and Ethereum stabilize: ^[37]

Bitcoin dominance is hovering just under 60%, far above the levels seen during peak alt‑seasons.
The Altcoin Season Index has slumped to around 25, suggesting capital rotation is not broadly favoring smaller coins yet.
Analysts interviewed argue that a sustained altseason usually begins after BTC and ETH find a durable floor—something the market may not have confirmed yet.

So yes, today’s winners look fantastic on the chart, but the overall message from analysts is still: focus on majors first, be very picky with alts.

Regulation & Infrastructure: Property Laws, Stablecoins, and a Bitcoin “VIX”

Today’s news cycle isn’t just about prices; it also includes several structural developments:

Bitcoin gets its own “VIX”: CME Group has launched a Bitcoin Volatility Index and new benchmarks for BTC, ETH, SOL and XRP, giving institutions a standardized way to track and hedge crypto volatility—similar in spirit to the VIX index for equities. ^[38]
UK property law: As noted earlier, the UK’s new law explicitly creates a third category of personal property to cover digital assets, making it easier to handle crypto in courts, bankruptcies and estates. ^[39]
South Korean stablecoin model: Seoul’s proposed bank‑majority stablecoin consortia and tough AML obligations for all crypto transactions signal a drive toward “institutional‑grade” stablecoin markets, with potential spillover effects for USDT and USDC usage in Asia. ^[40]

All of these point toward crypto becoming more tightly integrated with traditional financial plumbing, for better or worse.

Key Levels and Takeaways from Today’s Analyst Commentary

Drawing together today’s forecasts and analyses:

For Bitcoin (BTC)

Immediate support: $91,000–$89,000
Deeper floor: $85,000; a break below would re‑ignite crash fears
Short‑term resistance: $94,000–$95,400; reclaiming this opens a path toward $98K–$102K, according to CoinEdition. ^[41]
Year‑end targets mentioned today: from “hold steady near $90K+” (in more cautious takes) to $100K (CoinCentral, 99Bitcoins) if ETF inflows stay strong and December’s typical seasonality plays out. ^[42]

For Ethereum (ETH)

Psychological line: Staying above $3,000 post‑Fusaka is viewed as a confidence signal.
Bullish scenario: If Fusaka drives a jump in L2 usage and ETH market‑cap share, several analyses see room for a retest of the $4,800 all‑time high into 2026, assuming macro conditions don’t deteriorate badly. ^[43]

For Altcoins

Sui (SUI): Today’s 20–30% rally is heavily tied to new market access (Coinbase in New York) plus broader risk‑on conditions. Whether the move sticks will depend on sustained volume rather than one‑day hype. ^[44]
Chainlink (LINK): The Grayscale LINK ETF is seen as a structural positive that could keep institutional attention on oracle infrastructure, though the coin’s 20% daily jump could easily retrace if ETF flows cool. ^[45]
Meme and perp‑native tokens (HYPE, PENGU, PUMP, etc.): Analysts emphasize their extreme volatility and thin liquidity, advising that these are mostly for highly risk‑tolerant traders rather than conservative portfolios. ^[46]

How to Read Today’s Rally (Without FOMOing Into Oblivion)

Putting it all together, the December 3, 2025 picture looks like this:

Structurally bullish signals:
- Big‑name asset managers (Vanguard, BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, Grayscale) are deepening their crypto footprint. ^[47]
- Ethereum is delivering real scalability upgrades rather than just narratives. ^[48]
- Regulatory regimes in major jurisdictions are starting to codify crypto, not ban it outright. ^[49]
But real risks remain:
- The market is rebounding from a trillion‑dollar drawdown since early October, and one strong green day doesn’t erase that. ^[50]
- Fear‑and‑greed gauges are still in “fear”, not greed. ^[51]
- Many forecasts rely on optimistic macro assumptions (Fed cuts, soft‑landing, no new regulatory shock) that can change quickly.

For traders and investors, today’s news flow supports a few practical themes:

Majors first: Most professional commentary today suggests prioritizing Bitcoin and Ethereum as the core of any crypto exposure, with altcoins treated as higher‑risk satellites. ^[52]
Respect support/resistance: The $90K–$95K band for BTC and the $3,000 level for ETH are being watched across multiple analyses; how price behaves there over the next few days will shape sentiment heading into mid‑December’s central‑bank decisions. ^[53]
Volatility isn’t going away: The launch of a Bitcoin volatility index is a reminder that swings are a feature, not a bug—and even the most bullish forecast pieces today come with big disclaimers. ^[54]

Nothing in today’s coverage should be taken as personalized investment advice, but the message from markets is clear: crypto is very much alive, more institutional than ever, and still wildly volatile.

If you’re planning any moves off the back of this rally, it’s worth revisiting your risk tolerance, time horizon, and position sizing—because whether Bitcoin is headed for $80K or $100K next, the ride in between is unlikely to be smooth.