Bitcoin | Crypto

Bitcoin continued to sell near $90,000 as investors reacted to weak US jobs data and slowing economic growth by shifting into safer assets. Key takeaways: Strong demand for US Treasurys and lower odds of a Fed rate cut indicate that investors are shifting toward safer assets, reducing interest in Bitcoin. Economic weakness in Japan and softer US job data add pressure to Bitcoin, limiting its use as a hedge in the near term. Read more

Bitcoin continued to sell near $90,000 as investors reacted to weak US jobs data and slowing economic growth by shifting into safer assets. Key takeaways: Strong demand for US Treasurys and lower odds of a Fed rate cut indicate that investors are shifting toward safer assets, reducing interest in Bitcoin. Economic weakness in Japan and softer US job data add pressure to Bitcoin, limiting its use as a hedge in the near term. Read more

Veteran trader Peter Brandt said that the US Clarity Act will be a positive for the industry, but probably won’t “redefine” Bitcoin’s price. Veteran trader Peter Brandt said the potential passage of the US Clarity Act is unlikely to have a significant impact on Bitcoin’s price, after indications that it could pass Congress as soon as January. “Is it a world-shaking macro development? Nope. Needed for sure, but not something that should redefine value,” Brandt told Cointelegraph on Friday. “Having an asset regulated, particularly an asset for which die-hard investors never wanted to be regulated, is not an earth-shattering event,” he added. His comments came after White House crypto and AI czar David Sacks said on Thursday, ”We are closer than ever to passing the landmark crypto market structure legislation.” Read more

Veteran trader Peter Brandt said that the US Clarity Act will be a positive for the industry, but probably won’t “redefine” Bitcoin’s price. Veteran trader Peter Brandt said the potential passage of the US Clarity Act is unlikely to have a significant impact on Bitcoin’s price, after indications that it could pass Congress as soon as January. “Is it a world-shaking macro development? Nope. Needed for sure, but not something that should redefine value,” Brandt told Cointelegraph on Friday. “Having an asset regulated, particularly an asset for which die-hard investors never wanted to be regulated, is not an earth-shattering event,” he added. His comments came after White House crypto and AI czar David Sacks said on Thursday, ”We are closer than ever to passing the landmark crypto market structure legislation.” Read more

The Bank of Japan tightened policy on Dec. 18, lifting its benchmark rate to 0.75%, the highest since 1995. Governor Kazuo Ueda framed the move as a formal break with the “ultra-accommodative” regime that has helped fuel global risk-taking for decades. Following the news, Bitcoin was little changed near $87,800, but the calm surface belies […] The post Japan’s rate hike ends the ‘free money’ era and puts Bitcoin on notice appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The volatility of the cryptocurrency market is threatening the stability of corporate crypto treasury companies, resulting in larger swings in their net asset value that threaten their fundraising abilities. Cryptocurrency markets experienced another week of downside as investor activity gradually wound down ahead of the holiday period. Bitcoin (BTC) fell over 5% during the past week, dipping to a weekly low of $84,398 on Thursday, before recovering to trade above $87,769 on Friday, TradingView data shows. Crypto market volatility continues to threaten the sustainability of digital asset treasury (DAT) companies, as their longevity now depends on avoiding the multiple-to-net-asset-value (mNAV) “roller coaster,” making these firms subject to the value swings of the tokens held on their balance sheet, according to Solmate CEO Marco Santori. Read more

The volatility of the cryptocurrency market is threatening the stability of corporate crypto treasury companies, resulting in larger swings in their net asset value that threaten their fundraising abilities. Cryptocurrency markets experienced another week of downside as investor activity gradually wound down ahead of the holiday period. Bitcoin (BTC) fell over 5% during the past week, dipping to a weekly low of $84,398 on Thursday, before recovering to trade above $87,769 on Friday, TradingView data shows. Crypto market volatility continues to threaten the sustainability of digital asset treasury (DAT) companies, as their longevity now depends on avoiding the multiple-to-net-asset-value (mNAV) “roller coaster,” making these firms subject to the value swings of the tokens held on their balance sheet, according to Solmate CEO Marco Santori. Read more

Bitcoin advocates have been divided over Michael Saylor’s updated BTC thesis, leaving question marks over how the Strategy CEO views the cryptocurrency. Satoshi Nakamoto’s Bitcoin white paper envisioned a “peer-to-peer electronic cash system,” but Bitcoin’s biggest proponent seems to have an entirely different view of its purpose. Strategy executive chairman Michael Saylor, whose company has been buying Bitcoin aggressively for nearly five years since adopting a Bitcoin (BTC) treasury strategy, presented what many described as plans for a “Bitcoin central bank” during his keynote speech at Bitcoin MENA. Economist Saifedean Ammous, well-known in Bitcoin circles for penning The Bitcoin Standard, was also a notable figure attending the conference in Abu Dhabi. Ammous and Saylor are understood to converse regularly, with Saylor having written the foreword of Ammous’ most famous book. Read more

Bitcoin advocates have been divided over Michael Saylor’s updated BTC thesis, leaving question marks over how the Strategy CEO views the cryptocurrency. Satoshi Nakamoto’s Bitcoin white paper envisioned a “peer-to-peer electronic cash system,” but Bitcoin’s biggest proponent seems to have an entirely different view of its purpose. Strategy executive chairman Michael Saylor, whose company has been buying Bitcoin aggressively for nearly five years since adopting a Bitcoin (BTC) treasury strategy, presented what many described as plans for a “Bitcoin central bank” during his keynote speech at Bitcoin MENA. Economist Saifedean Ammous, well-known in Bitcoin circles for penning The Bitcoin Standard, was also a notable figure attending the conference in Abu Dhabi. Ammous and Saylor are understood to converse regularly, with Saylor having written the foreword of Ammous’ most famous book. Read more

Fidelity’s Jurrien Timmer said Bitcoin may have completed another halving cycle in both price and time, and he placed support in the $65,000–$75,000 zone. Sharing a “Bitcoin analogs” chart, the Fidelity director of global macro wrote, “While I remain a secular bull on Bitcoin, my concern is that Bitcoin may well have ended another 4-year […] The post Fidelity’s latest Bitcoin chart pattern signals a 2026 “off-year” that could drag prices down to this brutal support level appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin bulls are putting up a fight on Friday to break this week's choppy action that has capped all advances at around $90,000.

Altcoin blockchains are preparing for long-term quantum risk, while influential Bitcoin voices disagree over how and when it should be addressed. Quantum computers still cannot break Bitcoin, but several major blockchains are preparing for a future in which they might. In the past week, Aptos proposed post-quantum signature support as Solana tested quantum-resistant transactions. Meanwhile, parts of the Bitcoin community renewed calls to accelerate work on quantum-safe upgrades. These developments point to a growing anxiety across crypto. Investors argue that dismissal of quantum risk by influential voices is weighing on Bitcoin’s (BTC) price, which has dropped 24% over the past three months. Read more

Bitcoin’s 36% drawdown from its all-time highs resulted in the relative strength index flashing a potential bottom signal not seen since early 2023. Bitcoin (BTC) traders expected a short-term bounce as a key BTC price metric sank to its lowest levels in almost three years. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView revealed extremely “oversold” conditions on the BTC/USD relative strength index (RSI). Key takeaways: Bitcoin’s “most oversold” RSI, historically tied to major BTC price rallies, suggests a price reversal in the short term. Read more

Fidelity’s director of macro is predicting a Bitcoin bottom near $65,000 in 2026, but remains a “secular bull” despite predicting an end to the current four-year cycle. Bitcoin may have ended its historical four-year cycle, signaling an incoming year of downside, despite widespread analyst expectations for an extended cycle driven by regulatory tailwinds. Bitcoin’s (BTC) $125,000 all-time high on Oct. 6 may have signaled the top of the current four-year Bitcoin halving cycle, both in terms of “price and time,” according to Jurrien Timmer, the director of global macroeconomic research at asset management firm Fidelity. “While I remain a secular bull on Bitcoin, my concern is that Bitcoin may well have ended another 4-year cycle halving phase,” wrote Timmer in a Thursday X post. “Bitcoin winters have lasted about a year, so my sense is that 2026 could be a “year off” (or “off year”) for Bitcoin. Support is at $65-75k.” Read more

Contrary to popular belief, quantum computers will not “crack” Bitcoin encryption; instead, any realistic threat would focus on exploiting digital signatures tied to exposed public keys. Quantum computers cannot decrypt Bitcoin because it stores no encrypted secrets on-chain. Ownership is enforced by digital signatures and hash-based commitments, not ciphertext. The quantum risk that matters is […] The post Bitcoin encryption isn’t at risk from quantum computers for one simple reason: it doesn’t actually exist appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin headed higher despite the Bank of Japan's interest-rate hike while reactions saw bullish risk-asset signals and no further policy tightening. Bitcoin (BTC) aimed for $88,000 on Friday after Japan’s central bank raised interest rates to 30-year highs. Key points: Bitcoin joins US stocks futures heading higher in a curiously bullish reaction to Japan’s interest-rate hike. Read more

Cypherpunk Adam Back dismissed concerns that quantum computing poses a threat to Bitcoin, arguing the technology is still “ridiculously early.” The response from Bitcoin developers on the risk of quantum computing to the cryptocurrency is weighing down its price and affecting capital flow, crypto industry executives have argued. Adam Back, a cypherpunk the and co-founder of Bitcoin infrastructure company Blockstream argued in a series of X posts on Thursday that it is good for Bitcoin (BTC) to be “quantum ready,” but it won’t be a threat for the next few decades, as the technology is still “ridiculously early,” and has research and development issues. He predicts there will be no risks in the next ten years and even if some parts of Bitcoin’s encryption were broken, it does not rely on encryption for its core security model and “it’s not going to result in Bitcoin being stolen on the network.” Read more

Search engine giant Google has emerged as a silent architect behind Bitcoin miners' rapid pivot towards artificial intelligence (AI). Instead of acquiring mining firms, the Alphabet-owned company has provided at least $5 billion of disclosed credit support behind a handful of BTC miners' AI projects. While markets often frame these announcements as technology partnerships, the […] The post Google is secretly bankrolling a $5 billion Bitcoin pivot using a shadow credit mechanism appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin briefly clinched $90,000 after the November Consumer Price Index report showed a drop in US inflation, but the essential components for an extended rally remain elusive. Bitcoin (BTC) moved closer to reclaiming $90,000 after US inflation cooled more than expected, with the November CPI coming in at 2.7% year-over-year versus forecasts of 3.1%. The softer print narrows the gap to the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, easing near-term inflation pressure and reviving risk appetite across markets. Key takeaways: The lower-than-expected CPI print generated a positive response from Bitcoin as new positions opened versus the usual short covering. Read more

A statistical mirage briefly convinced the crypto market this week that mid-sized whales had purchased roughly $5 billion of Bitcoin. During the past week, social media feeds filled with charts showing that roughly 54,000 Bitcoins are flooding into “shark” wallets, which are addresses holding between 100 and 1,000 coins. As a result, many industry players […] The post Bitcoin’s viral $5 billion whale buy signal was actually a dangerous trap set by institutional accounting appeared first on CryptoSlate.