Bitcoin steadies near $87,500 as Strategy discloses fresh buy; crypto-linked stocks mixed

Bitcoin steadies near $87,500 as Strategy discloses fresh buy; crypto-linked stocks mixed

NEW YORK, December 29, 2025, 13:47 ET — Regular session

  • Bitcoin was little changed near $87,500 after briefly topping $90,000 in holiday-thinned trade.
  • A regulatory filing showed Strategy bought 1,229 bitcoins for $108.8 million using proceeds from stock sales.
  • Coinbase and major bitcoin miners slipped, while a key spot bitcoin ETF edged higher.

Bitcoin was little changed near $87,500 on Monday afternoon, after briefly pushing above $90,000 earlier in the session, as traders navigated choppy year-end markets.

The muted headline move masked a wide intraday swing that spilled into U.S.-listed crypto-related shares, which tend to track the token when liquidity is thin.

The timing matters because markets are entering the final days of the year with a light economic calendar and lower trading volumes, conditions that can amplify price moves across risk assets, from equities to crypto.

A filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission showed Strategy Inc (MSTR) bought 1,229 bitcoins between Dec. 22 and Dec. 28 for $108.8 million, paying an average $88,568 per token including fees and expenses.

The purchase lifted Strategy’s holdings to 672,497 bitcoins, acquired for an aggregate $50.44 billion at an average price of $74,997, the filing showed. It said the bitcoin purchases were funded with proceeds from sales of its Class A common stock under an at-the-market program, which allows companies to sell shares into the open market over time.

In the regular U.S. session, Strategy shares were down about 1.2%, while crypto exchange operator Coinbase Global fell about 1.4%. The iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT), a spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund that holds bitcoin directly, was up about 0.2%.

Bitcoin miners also slipped, with Marathon Digital down about 1.5%, Riot Platforms off roughly 2.2% and CleanSpark down about 0.7%.

Broader markets were also subdued, with investors looking ahead to minutes from the Federal Reserve’s December meeting due on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

“Volume is low, so therefore any kind of activity could push the index one way or the other,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA Research in New York, in comments reported by Reuters. Reuters

Bitcoin traded between about $86,780 and $90,247 on the day, leaving the $90,000 level as the near-term line traders are watching after repeated attempts to regain it.

The token remains well below its October record high of $126,223 and is still about 30% under that peak, Reuters has reported, keeping sentiment sensitive to shifts in rates and risk appetite.

Traders are looking next to the Fed minutes and any signs that year-end rebalancing and tax-driven positioning are spilling into crypto-linked stocks and bitcoin ETFs, which can transmit stock-market flows into the underlying token.

Khadija Saeed

Khadija Saeed is a financial markets reporter at TS2.tech, specializing in stocks, technology and emerging industries. She studied economics and finance at the London School of Economics and previously worked in market research before moving into financial journalism. Her coverage focuses on the companies, innovations and economic trends influencing global investors. Follow Khadija Saeed on Google News.

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