NEW YORK, Jan 2, 2026, 4:47 PM ET — After-hours
Bitcoin, the world’s biggest cryptocurrency, rose 1.9% to $89,904 on Friday, hovering just below $90,000 after trading between $88,195 and $90,804 on the day. Ether, the second-largest token, gained 4.7% to $3,124.
The move puts crypto back on traders’ screens as markets return from the holiday lull and investors test whether risk appetite is improving into the first full week of 2026.
It also comes after a bruising late-2025 stretch that reshaped how many investors frame bitcoin — less as a diversifier and more as a rates-sensitive risk trade. Linh Tran, a senior market analyst at XS.com, said bitcoin “increasingly exhibits the characteristics of a risk asset” with a “notable correlation” to U.S. equities. Reuters
Crypto-linked U.S. stocks rose in after-hours trading, led by bitcoin miners and trading platforms. Coinbase Global gained 4.6%, Strategy Inc added 3.5%, Marathon Digital rose 10.2%, Riot Platforms climbed 12.0% and Robinhood Markets was up 1.9%; the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) rose 2.6%.
Broader markets leaned modestly risk-on on the first trading day of 2026. The Dow rose 0.67%, the S&P 500 gained 0.26% and the Nasdaq added 0.12%, while the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield — a key interest-rate reference — climbed to about 4.195%, Reuters reported.
Investors are also watching fund flows for a read on institutional demand. U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs — funds that hold bitcoin directly — posted net outflows of $348.1 million on Dec. 31 after $355.1 million of inflows on Dec. 30, data from Farside Investors showed.
A regulatory filing added another company-specific data point for Strategy, a bellwether “bitcoin proxy” stock. The company said it raised the dividend rate on its variable-rate preferred stock and declared a cash dividend payable Jan. 31, and it pointed investors to its website dashboard for disclosures including bitcoin purchases and holdings. SEC
The next macro catalyst arrives quickly. A Reuters “Take Five” preview said key U.S. jobs data is due Jan. 9, with a Reuters poll forecasting 55,000 jobs were created in December — a report that can move Treasury yields and, in turn, rates-sensitive assets such as crypto. Reuters
For bitcoin, $90,000 remains the near-term psychological level after Friday’s brief break above it. Traders will also watch whether the market holds the upper-$80,000s, where buying interest emerged on the day’s pullbacks.
With liquidity normalizing after the holidays, the mix of ETF flows, Treasury yields and the dollar is likely to set the tone for the next stretch in crypto prices.
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