First of all, Happy New Year!!! Yeah. Today, the first day of 2026, crypto seems unusual considering how quickly things moved just a few months ago. BTC USD sits at $87,000, barely changed from its price levels since Christmas. ETH USD is also moving quietly, settling at just under $3,000 as the market calms through 2026.
There is some movement, but it’s slow and measured, even though we have a sudden up and down movement, it looks like it’s trying to dodge both the shorter ones and the longer ones.
This slower pace follows a difficult stretch. In 2025, the total crypto market capitalization fell from $3.26 trillion to $3 trillion, erasing around $300 billion, although it passed $4 trillion mid-year. Despite this, BTC USD and ETH USD held firm near key support zones.
(source – CoinGecko)
BTC USD and ETH USD at a level to watch
BTC USD continues to trade in a narrow band. Price support formed at $85,000, while resistance remains near $90,000. Sentiment indicators tell us we are cautious, and social metrics show risk levels remain relatively low. We hope these conditions bring back some volatility, or better yet, a pump.
ETH USD is also drawing stable lines. Ethereum has built higher lows, creating a constructive structure. A confirmed breakout could push ETH USD towards the $3,500 zone. At the same time, the ETH/USD stablecoin ratio is close to levels last seen around previous market pico levels.
The confidence of the long-time actors hasn’t disappeared either. Tom Lee’s BitMine added over 32,000 ETH and staked a much larger amount, a confidence in Ethereum despite the asset closing in 2025 with nine negative months, a similar trend to the 2018 bear market.
(source – Cryptorank)
For me, however, BTC, as the very first crypto, will always decide how alts evolve. But if those who get up early catch the worm, why do good things come to those who wait?
DISCOVER: 10+ Next Cryptos to 100X in 2026
Regulation and adoption are shaping the crypto market today
Outside of charts, crypto today is also shaped by regulation and adoption. In the UK, new rules now require exchanges to report user transactions to tax authorities, closing compliance gaps without blocking innovation. Lawmakers in the United States are preparing to move forward with legislation on crypto market structure later this month.
BREAK:
US lawmakers are expected to advance crypto market structure legislation in early January 2026. pic.twitter.com/JudcbYOxTP
– Micon Crypto (@MconCrypto) January 1, 2026
US lawmakers are expected to advance crypto market structure legislation in early January 2026. Adoption also continues. Ferrari has expanded Ethereum payments to the US and Europe, while Visa settles billions in stablecoin volume using Ethereum. And the ETH mainnet recently processed 2.2 million transactions in a single day, with average fees falling to around 17 cents USD.
At the start of the year, BTC USD and ETH USD remain the anchors of the market. We wait because the market can move in either direction, up or down.
DISCOVER: 16+ New and Coming Binance Announcements in 2026
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Hedge funds are hammering the Japanese yen and probably Bitcoin
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Hedge funds have reportedly launched one of their biggest bearish bets against the Japanese yen in years, lining up about 85,000 net short contracts as pressure on the currency mounts. As tension on the yen intensified, Bitcoin fell below $87,000 in early December, with approximately $527 million in long positions wiped out in just 24 hours.
This all fits into a larger macro story. Rising Japanese bond yields, evolving central bank policies and the huge yen carry trade which is now directly impacting our cryptocurrency portfolio.
(source – BTC JPY, TradingView)
Bitlight LIGHT Crypto and RIVER Are Top Gainers in the New Year: Best Coins to Buy in 2026?
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As 2026 approaches, the crypto market has been moving slowly. Prices moved sideways for weeks, volumes fell during the holidays, and most major coins struggled to attract attention. Although that’s usually when smaller capitals start to shine. This time, LIGHT and RIVER stood out while the rest of the crypto market seems more dead than dead, especially on-chain.
The LIGHT and RIVER cryptocurrencies benefited from the same conditions in different ways. Low liquidity and slow trading gave speculative moves more impact, and people looking for momentum found it. While many of us ignored the low caps, LIGHT and RIVER climbed silently and started the new year as the strongest gainers.
(source – Coingecko)
Read the original piece here.
Bitwise files for 11 new crypto ETFs, including Uniswap, Sui, nearby
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On December 30, 2025, Bitwise Asset Management announced that it had submitted applications to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for 11 new “strategic” exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
Bitwise’s deposits target an array of altcoins, including DeFi leaders like AAVE and UNI, privacy coin ZEC, AI-driven TAO, and others such as CC, ENA, HYPE, NEAR, STRK, SUI, and TRX. Each ETF uses a hybrid approach, combining direct token holdings with ETPs and derivatives to provide targeted exposure, while respecting regulatory constraints.
Notably, in July 2025, the company scored victories with its Bitwise Crypto Index Fund (BIT) conversion to spot and accelerated BTC ETH ETF nods within 45 days.
BitWise files for 11 Altcoin ETFs.
– Crypto Rover (@cryptorover) December 31, 2025
BREAK:
Will the move help push Bitwise into altcoin ETFs in a maturing US regulatory landscape, with help from US President Donald Trump’s administration?
Read the full story here.
The post Crypto Market News Today, Jan 1: BTC USD Holding 87,000 in New Year, ETH Just Below 3,000 appeared first on 99Bitcoins.
