Declining risk appetite in global markets was the main backdrop for cryptocurrencies during the week of January 19-23, 2026. Bitcoin and Ether rolled back after starting the year on high expectations, and the movement was exacerbated by sell-offs by large holders, capital outflows from exchange-traded products, and a wave of forced liquidations of leveraged positions.
According to Investing.com, between January 19 and 23, Bitcoin fell from $92,617.8 to $88,756.7 per coin, or approximately 4.2% over the week. The range of fluctuations was wide: during the week, the price rose to $93,386.9 and fell to $87,285.1.
Ether lost about 8.7% over the same period: from $3,190.04 to $2,911.44. The intraday range for ETH was even more volatile, with a low of about $2,867.81 and a high of about $3,284.03.
Geopolitical and trade risks were the key triggers for the sell-off. The market discussed the threat of tariffs and the sharp rhetoric surrounding Greenland, which compounded the turbulence in debt markets, including in Japan. CoinDesk linked the fall of BTC below $90,000 to a combination of sell-offs in risky assets and deteriorating sentiment amid the tariff agenda.
The second reason is market mechanics. Volatility accelerated liquidations in futures and margin positions, while institutional demand appeared less resilient. MarketWatch, citing market participants, wrote that since the beginning of the week, there had been about $500 million in outflows from US spot ETFs on Bitcoin, and the volume of liquidations on Bitcoin futures exceeded $700 million.
It is worth noting the contrast between capital flow data and actual price dynamics. CoinShares reported that in the week ending January 16, crypto investment products attracted $2.17 billion, with sentiment deteriorating at the very end of the week due to geopolitics and tariff threats. This report was released on January 19 and became an important marker: money was coming in, but the market was sensitive to sudden changes in the news background.
By midweek, volatility had partially subsided after signals of softening rhetoric. Reuters reported that global markets reacted with rising stocks and a weaker dollar after Trump publicly backed away from some of his threats regarding tariffs and Greenland. In the crypto market, this led to stabilization rather than a full-fledged trend reversal.
What market participants will be watching first and foremost: the continuation or fading of the tariff agenda, the dynamics of flows in ETFs/ETPs, and the Fed’s decision — the next FOMC meeting is scheduled for January 27-28.
Source: https://www.fixygen.ua/news/20260124/pidsumok-tizhnya-dlya-kriptovalyut-analiz-fixygen.html
Cryptocurrencies ended the week of January 12-16 with growth after strong movement in the middle of the period and a subsequent correction on news of a delay in the discussion of a key bill on market regulation in the US.
Bitcoin rose by about 5% over the week: on January 12, it traded at around $90,800, and on January 16, at around $95,400, with prices briefly rising above $97,000 in the middle of the week.
Ethereum added about 7% over the same period, from around $3,090 (January 12) to $3,310 (January 16).
According to CoinGecko, the total capitalization of the crypto market as of January 16 is around $3.318 trillion, with a daily trading volume of around $123.8 billion. Bitcoin’s share is estimated at approximately 57.5%, while Ethereum’s is around 12%.
Investors’ focus has shifted back to flows into exchange-traded funds for crypto assets. A number of reviews noted significant inflows into spot Bitcoin ETFs, including a day with inflows of approximately $843.6 million (January 14), as well as a total of approximately $1.7 billion over several trading sessions amid BTC’s rise to $97,000.
The correction at the end of the week was accompanied by news of a pause around the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act: Senate hearings/advancement were postponed after Coinbase publicly withdrew its support for the bill due to controversial provisions, including restrictions on yield payments for stablecoins.
At the same time, reports that South Korea is moving to lift long-standing restrictions on corporate investment in crypto assets as part of new regulatory approaches provided a positive backdrop for the “institutional” agenda.
DefiLlama estimates the total TVL of DeFi at around $129 billion, and the capitalization of stablecoins at approximately $310.7 billion. CoinGecko also records stablecoins at around $313 billion, which corresponds to approximately 9.4% of the total capitalization of the crypto market.
The week was mixed for the “big” altcoins: XRP remained around $2.07 until January 16, showing almost zero dynamics compared to the beginning of the week. Solana traded near $142 per coin until January 16.
The key triggers for the market remain the pace of inflows into crypto ETFs and the US regulatory discussion calendar, while investors will focus on Bitcoin’s reaction near its recent highs of around $97,000.
Source: https://www.fixygen.ua/news/20260116/pidsumki-tizhnya-dlya-kriptovalyut-analiz-vid-fixygen.html
Fixygen identifies three basic scenarios for the cryptocurrency market in 2026. The baseline scenario for the cryptocurrency market at the beginning of the year looks like broad consolidation with periodic “spikes” on news about rates, ETF flows, and regulation.
A more positive scenario is the acceleration of institutional integration (access via ETP/ETF and platforms), the growth of stablecoin adoption and asset tokenization, as reported by Grayscale and Coinbase Institutional.
A negative scenario would be tightening financial conditions, risk-off sentiment in global markets, and increased regulatory risks, which could put pressure on high-risk assets even with strong fundamentals.
Global crypto market capitalization at the beginning of 2026 fluctuates around $3.1-3.2 trillion, with Bitcoin trading at around $90-91 thousand and Ethereum at around $3.1 thousand, according to industry aggregators and current quotes.
The global capitalization of the cryptocurrency market at the beginning of 2026 fluctuates around $3.1-3.2 trillion, with Bitcoin trading at around $90-91 thousand, and Ethereum is trading at around $3,100, according to industry aggregators and current quotes.
According to CoinGecko, the market capitalization is around $3.19 trillion, with Bitcoin accounting for around 56.8% and stablecoins accounting for around $312 billion (around 9.8% of the market).
The DeFi segment holds a total TVL of about $124 billion, with USDT’s share in stablecoins estimated at about 60%.
The beginning of 2026 is marked by mixed dynamics of exchange-traded products: on some days, large inflows were recorded, but the first full week of the year was accompanied by net outflows from spot Bitcoin ETFs (according to The Block estimates, about $681 million).
At the same time, the industry expects an expansion of the range of exchange-traded products and the gradual arrival of more “slow” institutional capital throughout 2026.
The stablecoin segment is approaching 2026 at historically high levels in terms of capitalization, and turnover in 2025, according to Bloomberg with reference to Artemis Analytics, reached about $33 trillion, which reinforces the thesis about the role of the “digital dollar” in settlements.
Interest in payment infrastructure is also confirmed by venture activity: Reuters reported on a large round of financing for Rain, a company that works with stablecoin wallets and cards.
In the US, initiatives on the “market structure” of crypto regulation remain on the agenda, which, according to CoinDesk, are approaching the stages of hearings and voting.
At the same time, the Financial Times reported on the movement of some projects towards banking supervision and a stricter framework for stablecoins.
The crypto market for the week of December 22-28, 2025 spent most of the time in low holiday liquidity and limited fluctuations. At the end of the week, bitcoin was down about 0.7% (closing at around $87.8k on December 28), while ether was down about 1.9% (to around $2.95k).
The year-end factor remained the key backdrop for the week, with a thinner market amplifying the impact of individual flows and derivatives. In the focus of participants’ attention was the large expiration of options on Deribit on December 26, which the market discussed as a possible trigger of short-term volatility after the “realignment” of positions.
In the segment of altcoins the picture was heterogeneous. Among the largest assets by capitalization, as of December 28, Zcash showed a noticeable growth over 7 days (about +20%), Bitcoin Cash added about +5%, Avalanche – about +4%, while Dogecoin declined by about -5.5% over the same period, which reflected point rotation within the market.
The “sideways plus risk of sharp spikes on thin liquidity” scenario was broadly in line with Fixygen’s assessment, which had previously indicated an increased likelihood of disproportionate movements during the holidays and dependence on news background and flows.
https://www.fixygen.ua/news/20251229/oglyad-rinku-kriptovalyut-za-tizhden-vid-fixygen.html
The week of December 8–14 was marked by a cautious recovery for the crypto market after a sharp decline in November. Bitcoin stabilized in the $89,000–92,000 range, partially recovering from last month’s drop from above $120,000, but it is still far from new highs.
According to several market reports, Bitcoin fell to the $83,800–88,000 range at the beginning of the week, then rebounded to ~$94,000, and stabilized just below $90,000 by the weekend. On December 8, Binance recorded BTC at around $91,900 (+3.1% per day) with a daily range of $87,700–92,300. On December 14, according to Binance and Coindesk, Bitcoin traded near $88,800–89,200, losing about 1.5–2% per day. On a weekly basis, the total growth is estimated at approximately +6.5%, but this is still below the levels seen in early November.
Implied volatility for BTC narrowed slightly after a spike earlier in the week, but Friday’s decline pushed it back up again. Analysts note that the market is caught between expectations of further easing of US Fed policy and fresh memories of the November “dump,” so real volumes and risk appetite are significantly lower than in the first half of the year.
Ethereum followed in Bitcoin’s wake: at the end of the week, ETH settled at around $3,100, showing an increase of about +3% over 7 days.
At the institutional demand level, the picture is more complicated. After a record outflow in November (when Bitcoin ETFs in the US lost about $3.5-4 billion), the situation began to unfold in December: aggregate ETFs on BTC and ETH showed a net inflow of about $341 million, although a confident recovery is still far off. At the same time, some spot ETFs on Ethereum still recorded a net outflow this week (about $42.4 million on December 11), indicating a redistribution of positions and investor caution towards second-tier altcoins.
The overall ETF market in the US is growing at a record pace (AUM of all ETFs reached $13.22 trillion), but the share of cryptocurrencies in this pie remains niche and highly volatile.
According to trading platforms, most of the major altcoins traded worse than Bitcoin during the week: BTC’s dominance increased slightly, while many tokens continued their slow slide after their autumn highs.
A telling example is Solana. The average price of SOL in December fell to around $133, while in October it was around $187, and in September it was above $200. In other words, since early autumn, Solana has lost about a third of its value at closing, despite the ecosystem’s still high activity.
In the short term, individual tokens continue to show double-digit returns: in daily dynamics on Binance, the leaders of the week were ACA, GLMR, and VOXEL (growth of +38%, +18%, and +16%, respectively), while new “meme stories” such as PENGU or FARTCOIN appear in exchange digests and trader chats.
But the overall background for alts remains difficult: volumes are declining, liquidity is fragmented, and any news about Bitcoin instantly overtakes local trends.
In terms of news, the week was marked by two important signals for the industry:
1) An investigation by The New York Times and The Daily Beast showed that under the current US administration, law enforcement practices against a number of large crypto companies have softened dramatically: the SEC closed or weakened several cases against platforms associated with Donald Trump’s circle, and the founder of Binance received a presidential pardon. This has reduced regulatory pressure, but at the same time raised questions about the level of investor protection.
2) In the Persian Gulf, the industry’s biggest players are actively seeking “financial salvation”: top managers of crypto companies and Bitcoin ideologues held a series of events in Abu Dhabi, trying to attract capital from UAE sovereign wealth funds and secure the emirates’ status as a new hub for digital assets.
These processes are intensifying the geographical shift of the industry: part of the liquidity and infrastructure is moving from traditional centers to new jurisdictions with more lenient rules.
It is highly likely that the market will end 2025 in a state of heightened volatility and “nervous stabilization”: range movements around current levels, sharp spikes on news about rates and regulation, and the absence of a single driver that could quickly return Bitcoin to its autumn highs.
