by Coinstrooper Crypto Articles
Quick Take
  • The crypto market is up today, extending gains for a second consecutive session.
  • Most major assets are trading in positive territory, reflecting steady risk appetite despite relatively muted volumes.
  • The crypto market extended gains for a second day, with total market capitalisation rising about 1%;
  • Analysts warn Bitcoin is still struggling below $90,000, with holiday trading volumes reinforcing a choppy, high-resistance market;

What Happened

TLDR:

Roughly 9 of the top 10 coins traded higher;

ETH needs a firm break above $2,980–$3,000 to unlock upside toward $3,150–$3,300;

Market Context

The crypto market is up today, extending gains for a second consecutive session. Total cryptocurrency market capitalization has increased by around 1%, now standing at approximately $3.07 trillion, while 24-hour trading volume sits at $91.4 billion, according to market data.

Most major assets are trading in positive territory, reflecting steady risk appetite despite relatively muted volumes.

The crypto market extended gains for a second day, with total market capitalisation rising about 1%;

Analysts warn Bitcoin is still struggling below $90,000, with holiday trading volumes reinforcing a choppy, high-resistance market;

10x Research says compressed volatility and options positioning point to a potential multi-week uptrend if the breakout holds;

Market sentiment remains cautious, with the Crypto Fear & Greed Index at 27 (fear);

No ETF data for Dec. 25 due to Christmas market closure;

At the time of writing, 9 of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization have posted gains over the past 24 hours.

Bitcoin (BTC) is up 1.4%, trading at $88,681, as it continues to hold above the $88,000 level after recent consolidation.

BNB (BNB) is slightly higher, up 0.1% at $840, while XRP (XRP) has added 0.1%, trading at $1.87. Solana (SOL) rose 0.7% to $122.80, recovering some ground despite remaining lower on the weekly timeframe.

Among the top 10, Dogecoin (DOGE) was the weakest performer, down 1.2% on the day and trading at $0.1257, extending its short-term pullback.

Looking beyond large caps, several smaller tokens posted sharp gains. Islamic Coin (ISLM) led the market with an 86.5% surge, followed by WOLF, which jumped 65.6%. zkPass also stood out, rising 46.3% and ranking among both the top gainers and trending assets.

Meanwhile, Gabriel Selby, head of research at CF Benchmarks, said Bitcoin remained pinned under a key level as markets drift into the seasonal lull.

“Bitcoin has struggled to break above the $90k level during a busy schedule of macroeconomic data releases, and price action appears to be forming a bearish wedge with downside risk,” he said.

“As we head into the holiday period, trading volumes are following their usual seasonal lull, which typically reinforces the choppy, high-resistance environment currently observed.”

Bitcoin Near Inflection Point as Options and Volatility Signals Align — 10x Research

Bitcoin has spent weeks moving sideways, masking deeper shifts in market positioning that could set up a decisive move. According to 10x Research, a rare alignment of options positioning, compressed volatility, and technical exhaustion is forming, a combination that has historically preceded sustained trends rather than short-lived price spikes.

Why It Matters

Key BTC levels: upside above $89k–$90.5k, downside risk below $86k, with deeper support near $82k;

Details

Separately, Russia’s Sberbank is exploring crypto-backed lending.

Crypto Winners & Losers

Ethereum (ETH) has climbed 1.3% to $2,964, extending modest gains as it remains just below the $3,000 psychological level.