NEW YORK, Jan 2, 2026, 13:46 ET — Regular session
bitcoin rose 2.2% to $89,982 by early afternoon in New York, after swinging between $87,971 and $90,804. Crypto-linked U.S. stocks moved higher, with Coinbase up 4.4%, Strategy up 3.8% and Marathon Digital up 9.6%.
The bounce comes after bitcoin ended 2025 down more than 6%, its first annual decline since 2022, and after a late-year slide from an October record above $126,000, Reuters reported. “Bitcoin increasingly exhibits the characteristics of a risk asset,” said Linh Tran, a senior market analyst at XS.com, meaning it often moves with stocks. Reuters said the sector also entered 2026 with more supportive U.S. policy after regulators dropped lawsuits against major firms and lawmakers set federal rules for dollar-pegged “stablecoins,” or tokens designed to track the U.S. dollar. Reuters
Flows remain the sticking point, with bitcoin stuck in a roughly $85,000-$90,000 range over the past month as year-end liquidity thinned and institutional demand cooled, Investing.com reported. U.S.-listed spot bitcoin ETFs — exchange-traded funds that hold bitcoin — saw net outflows of $3.5 billion in November and $1.1 billion in December, according to data available on SoSoValue, a service that tracks crypto fund flows.
Equity markets were mixed in early New York trade, with investors focused on the outlook for interest rates and incoming economic data, while U.S. Treasury yields edged higher, Reuters reported. In that backdrop, bitcoin and ether held gains as investors weighed whether the year’s first risk-on impulse can extend beyond the holiday-thinned start.
Rate expectations matter because bitcoin does not pay interest, so higher bond yields can make cash and Treasuries more attractive by comparison. That sensitivity has grown as more traditional investors have entered crypto, pulling it closer to broader risk sentiment.
Strategy said in an SEC filing that it increased the dividend rate on its variable-rate STRC preferred stock to 11% and declared a cash dividend payable on Jan. 31. The company also directed investors to a web dashboard it uses as a disclosure channel for information including bitcoin purchases and holdings.
On the charts, Investing.com analyst Günay Caymaz said holding the $88,000-$85,000 zone keeps a near-term recovery alive, with resistance near $91,000 and $94,700. He said a move back into the $99,000-$102,000 area would strengthen the case for a broader trend recovery.
ETF flows can amplify those technical levels because persistent outflows can force funds to sell bitcoin, while fresh inflows can add a steady source of demand. With liquidity still patchy, even modest shifts in flows can show up quickly in price.
Next week’s focus is the U.S. jobs report on Jan. 9, with a Reuters poll forecasting 55,000 new jobs in December. Reuters said markets are also braced for a U.S. Supreme Court tariff ruling and an announcement on a new Federal Reserve chair, events that could sway rate expectations and risk appetite.
For bitcoin traders, the near-term test is simple: hold above the $90,000 area and improve the tone for crypto-linked shares, or slip back toward the mid-$80,000s support zone with ETF flows still running negative.
