Bitcoin price today at 10:20 a.m. ET: Bitcoin (BTC) was trading around $89,774 on Monday, December 22, 2025, up about 2.2% on the day after touching a session high near $90,376 and a low around $87,824.
That “just-under-$90K” zone has become the market’s psychological battleground going into Christmas week: it’s high enough to keep the rebound narrative alive, but still low enough to remind traders that BTC is coming off a bruising fourth quarter and remains well below its October peak.
Bitcoin price today at 10:20: what the numbers say
At the time of this update (10:20 a.m. ET / 15:20 UTC), the market message was mixed:
- Price: ~$89,774
- Day move: ~+2.2%
- Intraday range so far: ~$87,824 to ~$90,376
In other words, BTC is recovering, but not escaping the broader range that has trapped price action for much of December.
Why Bitcoin is moving today: the 3 biggest narratives driving BTC on Dec. 22
1) Institutional “flows” turned negative again — and crypto hates uncertainty
One of the most market-moving updates on Dec. 22 came from CoinShares’ weekly fund-flows data.
CoinShares reported that digital asset investment products saw $952 million in weekly outflows (the first outflow week in four), with Bitcoin products down $460 million and Ethereum down $555 million. CoinShares linked the pullback to delays around the U.S. Clarity Act (keeping regulatory uncertainty alive) and also pointed to concerns about whale selling. [1]
Two details matter for BTC traders:
- The outflows were heavily concentrated in the U.S. (CoinShares cited $990 million in U.S.-led outflows), while Canada and Germany saw smaller inflows. [2]
- If institutional products are bleeding into year-end, thin holiday liquidity can amplify price swings — in either direction.
2) Wall Street is getting closer to crypto — even as price wobbles
A separate headline helping frame sentiment today: JPMorgan is exploring offering crypto trading to institutional clients, according to Reuters, and the report also pointed to Morgan Stanley’s E*Trade planning to launch crypto trading in early 2026 via crypto firm Zerohash. [3]
This matters for Bitcoin in two ways:
- Long-term: More mainstream access can broaden demand and deepen liquidity.
- Short-term: The market increasingly trades crypto like a macro-sensitive risk asset, reacting to rates, liquidity expectations, and regulation just like tech stocks. Reuters’ broader framing also placed Bitcoin inside a crypto market valued around the low-trillions, underscoring how closely “crypto” is now watched in mainstream finance. [4]
3) Macro cross-currents: risk appetite is improving, but rate and FX moves are loud
On the macro tape, Reuters highlighted a “risk-on” tone in parts of global markets even in a holiday-shortened week, while Japan’s rate move and a weak yen remained in focus. [5]
For Bitcoin, this environment often creates a tug-of-war:
- Supportive: When equities and risk assets stabilize, BTC often catches a bid.
- Challenging: Sudden moves in yields, the dollar, or global liquidity can quickly flip crypto back into “risk-off.”
Technical and chart watch: what analysts are flagging on Dec. 22
A widely shared technical view today: narrative tailwinds (ETFs, policy progress, the halving, easier monetary expectations) don’t matter if the chart refuses to confirm.
In a Dec. 22 technical analysis, Investing.com argued BTC has been coiling in a rising wedge after a sustained downtrend — a pattern that can warn of trend continuation if support breaks. The analysis highlighted:
- A key downside level: a Nov. 21 low near $80,540
- Deeper downside reference zones: around $74,500 (year-to-date low area) and the $73,800 region (a prior major historical level)
- On the upside, major “repair” levels: the 50-day moving average (~$99,060) plus higher resistance zones around the $100K–$107K region [6]
Put simply: $90K is the line for sentiment, but $100K+ is the line for trend.
The “big forecast” debate: what banks and major research shops expect next
Today’s Bitcoin coverage isn’t just about price — it’s about whether 2026 is a reset year or the next leg of the cycle.
Citi: $143,000 in 2026 (base case), but a wide range of outcomes
A prominent Wall Street forecast still circulating into Dec. 22: Citi’s base case sees Bitcoin at $143,000 in 2026, with a bull scenario above $189,000 and a bear case around $78,500, tied heavily to adoption via ETFs and the regulatory backdrop. [7]
Standard Chartered: cut the optimism — still bullish, but less explosive
Meanwhile, one of the better-known institutional bulls has cooled. Business Insider reported Standard Chartered cut its 2026 forecast to $150,000, down from a previously higher view, reflecting the reality of the drawdown from the October highs and the market’s dependence on steady ETF demand rather than a nonstop “supercycle.” [8]
Galaxy Research: “2026 is too chaotic,” but $250K by end-2027 is on the table
Galaxy Research, in its published 2026 predictions, laid out the most attention-grabbing long-range call in today’s cycle: BTC at $250,000 by year-end 2027.
But Galaxy also stressed why traders are struggling right now:
- BTC hit an all-time high of $126,080 on Oct. 6, 2025, then “roundtripped” back toward the low $90Ks by December. [9]
- “2026 is too chaotic to predict,” with options markets implying unusually wide possible price ranges (Galaxy cited markets pricing roughly equal odds of $70K or $130K by end-June 2026, and $50K or $250K by year-end 2026). [10]
- Galaxy’s near-term line in the sand: until BTC is firmly back above ~$100K–$105K, it sees downside risk lingering. [11]
That combination — long-term bullishness, short-term fragility — matches the tone of Bitcoin trading today.
What to watch next: the week’s potential catalysts for BTC
Even if headlines slow down for the holidays, Bitcoin can still move sharply because liquidity thins out and positioning becomes more fragile.
Here are the main “next triggers” traders are tracking:
- Fresh fund-flow data and ETF narrative follow-through
After CoinShares flagged broad outflows and a BTC-specific hit, the next question is whether the market stabilizes — or whether year-end redemptions continue. [12] - Policy clarity (or more delays)
CoinShares explicitly tied outflows to renewed uncertainty around the Clarity Act timeline. If Washington progress slips again, that uncertainty can act like a ceiling on rallies. [13] - Macro headlines that hit “risk appetite”
Bitcoin has spent much of 2025 trading as a macro-sensitive asset. Moves in yields, the dollar, and global risk sentiment can quickly override crypto-specific narratives. [14]
Bottom line: Bitcoin at 10:20 is steady — but the market is still deciding what $90K means
At 10:20 a.m. ET on Dec. 22, Bitcoin was holding near $90,000, bouncing with the broader risk tone — but still under the weight of institutional outflows, regulatory uncertainty, and a technical structure that many analysts say needs a decisive reclaim of $100K+ to shift back into a more convincing uptrend. [15]
References
1. researchblog.coinshares.com, 2. researchblog.coinshares.com, 3. www.reuters.com, 4. www.reuters.com, 5. www.reuters.com, 6. www.investing.com, 7. www.marketwatch.com, 8. www.businessinsider.com, 9. www.galaxy.com, 10. www.galaxy.com, 11. www.galaxy.com, 12. researchblog.coinshares.com, 13. researchblog.coinshares.com, 14. www.reuters.com, 15. researchblog.coinshares.com
