NEW YORK, December 30, 2025, 09:58 ET — Regular session
- Bitcoin rose about 1.4% to around $88,700, reversing part of Monday’s dip.
- Traders focused on Fed minutes due later Tuesday and year-end liquidity that can amplify moves.
- U.S. spot bitcoin ETF flows and corporate buying remained a key gauge of demand.
Bitcoin rose on Tuesday, with the world’s largest cryptocurrency up about 1.4% at $88,709 in morning trade. Crypto-linked U.S. stocks were mixed, with Strategy edging up while Coinbase slipped, and the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF tracking higher alongside the token.
The move matters now because markets are heading into the final sessions of the year with thinner liquidity, a setup that can exaggerate price swings. Investors are also weighing whether easing U.S. monetary policy will be supportive for risk assets such as cryptocurrencies.
Bitcoin has traded in tight ranges in recent weeks as macro headlines — especially U.S. rates and the dollar — compete with crypto-specific signals like ETF flows and large corporate purchases. With the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting minutes due later Tuesday, traders were cautious about taking big positions ahead of fresh guidance on the path for interest rates.
On Monday, bitcoin was last down 0.4% at $87,177.85, according to Reuters. It earlier touched above $90,000 before fading back, a pattern traders said reflects uneven demand into year-end.
Spot bitcoin ETFs — exchange-traded funds that track the spot price and let investors get exposure without holding tokens — logged net outflows of $19.3 million on Dec. 29, according to data from Farside Investors. The biggest fund, BlackRock’s IBIT, saw $7.9 million of withdrawals, while Fidelity’s FBTC posted a $5.7 million inflow.
Corporate buying remained in focus after Strategy disclosed fresh purchases. In a Form 8-K filing, the company said it acquired 1,229 bitcoin between Dec. 22 and Dec. 28 for about $108.8 million at an average price of $88,568 per coin, funded by selling 663,450 shares through an at-the-market program — a facility that allows a company to sell stock into the market over time.
Macro conditions were also driving sentiment. The dollar held near recent lows ahead of the Fed minutes, and traders were pricing in further easing next year, Reuters reported. “We think the dollar is going to range trade around current levels versus the key crosses,” said Guy Miller, chief market strategist at Zurich Insurance Group. Reuters
The minutes from the Fed’s Dec. 9-10 meeting are due at 2 p.m. EST and are expected to shed more light on disagreements among policymakers after a 9-3 vote cut the policy rate range to 3.50%-3.75%, Reuters reported. For bitcoin, a message that suggests fewer cuts — and higher yields — can weigh on assets that do not pay interest.
Technically, traders said bitcoin’s inability to hold above $90,000 has kept short-term momentum in check, while dips toward the mid-$80,000s have drawn buyers. The next directional push may depend less on crypto headlines than on how markets read the Fed’s tolerance for slower growth and still-elevated inflation.
Elsewhere in crypto, ether rose about 2.4% to around $2,993, tracking bitcoin’s early gains.
Traders said they will be watching for any shift in U.S.-listed spot ETF flows after the holidays, a potential signal that institutional demand is returning. They will also be monitoring whether bitcoin can retake $90,000 on a closing basis as the year wraps up, or whether the market ends 2025 pinned in its recent range.
