Bitcoin | Crypto

10x Research’s Markus Thielen says Bitcoin’s four-year cycle still exists but is now driven by politics, liquidity and elections rather than the halving. Bitcoin’s long-debated four-year cycle is still playing out, but the forces behind it have shifted away from the halving toward politics and liquidity, according to Markus Thielen, head of research at 10x Research. Speaking on The Wolf Of All Streets Podcast, Thielen argued that the idea of the four-year cycle being “broken” misses the point. In his view, the cycle remains intact, but it is no longer dictated by Bitcoin (BTC)’s programmed supply cuts. Instead, it is increasingly shaped by US election timelines, central bank policy and the flow of capital into risk assets. Thielen pointed to historical market peaks in 2013, 2017 and 2021, all of which occurred in the fourth quarter. Those peaks, he said, align more closely with presidential election cycles and broader political uncertainty than with the timing of Bitcoin halvings, which have shifted throughou...

The Bank of Japan is expected to increase its benchmark interest rates on Friday, a historically bearish signal for riskier assets like Bitcoin. Bitcoin (BTC) could face a continued correction toward the $70,000 level if the Bank of Japan (BoJ) proceeds with an expected interest-rate hike on Dec. 19, according to multiple macro-focused analysts. Key takeaways: BoJ tightening could pressure Bitcoin by draining global liquidity. Read more

Michael Saylor explains why governments should consider Bitcoin-backed digital banks. It is time to examine the potential benefits and risks of Bitcoin banks. Michael Saylor, executive chair of Strategy, has suggested that national governments consider developing a novel type of financial system: regulated digital banking platforms backed by Bitcoin reserves and tokenized credit tools. These comments, shared during Saylor’s keynote at the Bitcoin MENA conference in Abu Dhabi, align with his broader view that digital assets could be integrated into mainstream financial frameworks. Read more

Bitcoin’s options market is large, liquid, and (at the moment) unusually concentrated. Total open interest stands near $55.76 billion, with Deribit carrying $46.24 billion of that stack, far ahead of CME at $4.50 billion, OKX at $3.17 billion, Bybit at $1.29 billion, and Binance at $558.42 million, while spot trades in the $92,479.90 area. The […] The post Bitcoin’s $55 billion options market is now obsessing over one specific date that forces a $100k showdown appeared first on CryptoSlate.

On Friday afternoon, the CFTC published Release 9146-25, a document with a long title and a simple message: Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDC are getting a supervised trial run as collateral inside the US derivatives system. It’s an experiment with guardrails, reporting, and plenty of fine print, but it represents a real shift in how the […] The post Bitcoin just gained a federal status that makes selling your coins for cash look expensively stupid appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin’s year is usually narrated through the dollar chart, a familiar frame that captured a chaotic fourth quarter where BTC whipsawed through a violent two-month range. Price climbed to roughly $124,700 in late October before breaking down toward the mid-$80,000s in November, a swing that erased more than $40,000 from peak to trough. The volatility […] The post Bitcoin is failing its most important test, and an 11-month slide proves the “store of value” is broken right now appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Vanguard's $12 trillion platform now allows Bitcoin ETF trading following CEO transition, though executives continue labeling crypto speculative and compare it to collectibles rather than productive assets. The post Bitcoin Is a “Digital Labubu,” Says Vanguard — Yet It Opens ETF Trading appeared first on Cryptonews.

Brazil’s largest private bank says Bitcoin can improve portfolio diversification and hedge currency risk despite a volatile year for the asset. Itaú Asset Management, the investment arm of Brazil's largest private bank, Itaú Unibanco, has recommended that investors hold 1% to 3% of their portfolios in Bitcoin next year. In a new research note, Itaú Asset’s Renato Eid said that the global backdrop of geopolitical tension, shifting monetary policy and persistent currency risks strengthens the case for adding Bitcoin (BTC) as a complementary asset. He called Bitcoin “an asset distinct from fixed income, traditional stocks, or domestic markets, with its own dynamics, return potential, and — due to its global and decentralized nature — a currency hedging function.” Read more

The comments followed the asset management company’s policy change allowing its clients to trade crypto exchange-traded funds. Bitcoin is a purely speculative asset and is akin to a collectible toy, according to John Ameriks, the global head of quantitative equity at asset management company Vanguard. “It’s difficult for me to think about Bitcoin as anything more than a digital Labubu,” Ameriks said at Bloomberg’s ETFs in Depth conference in New York City. Labulus are collectible plush toys featuring animals with anthropomorphic features. Despite Ameriks’ criticism, he said that Bitcoin (BTC) may have value beyond financial speculation in the future under certain circumstances. Read more

Bitcoin mining hash price, a critical metric for determining profit margins in the industry, is hovering near record lows. Bitcoin mining companies are turning to renewable energy to reduce costs amid record-low hash price, a critical metric for miner profitability, which is below the $40 level that marks the breakeven point for mining operators. Hash price, which measures expected miner profitability per unit of computing power used to successfully add a block, is about $39.4 per petahash second per day (PH/s/day) at the time of this writing, according to mining data provider Hashrate Index.  Sangha Renewables, a Bitcoin (BTC) miner and renewable energy company, energized a 20 megawatt (MW) solar-powered mining facility in Ector County, Texas, on Thursday, according to TheMinerMag. Read more

Bitcoin has been projected at $150K by end-2026 by BSTR’s Katherine Dowling, who has pointed to stablecoin legislation, OCC guidance, Fed rate cuts, and ETF adoption. Bank of America has allowed advisers to recommend Bitcoin ETFs with 1%–4% allocations. BTC trades near $90,180, down 0.6% in 24h now. The post Bitcoin To Hit $150,000 By 2026, Treasury President Predicts appeared first on Cryptonews.

Bitcoin briefly topped $94,000 following Strategy’s largest investment since July, but investor risk appetite remained muted even after the widely expected US interest rate cut. Cryptocurrency markets saw another week of downside, as investors eagerly anticipated the year’s last Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. Bitcoin (BTC) rose to a weekly high of $94,330 on Tuesday as investor morale was bolstered by Strategy’s $962 million Bitcoin acquisition, the company’s largest investment since July 2025. On Wednesday, the US Federal Reserve delivered a widely anticipated 25-basis-point interest rate cut. Crypto markets saw a temporary bounce, as lower rates and cheaper borrowing costs typically increase risk appetite and capital entering risk assets such as crypto. Read more

House Financial Services has urged the SEC to let Bitcoin and other digital assets into 401(k) plans, tying the push to Trump’s Aug. 7 executive order and H.R.5748. Critics including the American Federation of Teachers, have warned about volatility, fraud risk, and ERISA duties. BTC has edged up 2%. The post Bitcoin at $90K After House Letter – SEC Faces New 401(k) Crypto Deadline appeared first on Cryptonews.

Bitcoin faced troublesome resistance levels to end the Wall Street trading week as new bullish BTC price forecasts reappeared. Bitcoin (BTC) battled stubborn horizontal resistance Friday with $94,000 next on bulls’ radar. Key points: Bitcoin keeps up pressure on familiar resistance levels as optimism over market strength increases. Read more

Bitcoin has a historical tendency to punish consensus, but the price action following the Federal Reserve’s December meeting offered a particularly sharp lesson in market structure over macro headlines. On paper, the setup appeared constructive: The central bank delivered its third rate cut of the year, trimming the benchmark by 25 basis points, while Chair […] The post Bitcoin flashes rare liquidity warning because the Fed’s $40 billion “stimulus” is actually a trap appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The gap between equities and Bitcoin got wider after Bitcoin’s post-all-time-peak correction in October. The US Federal Reserve announced its third interest rate cut of the year on Wednesday, lifting US equities while Bitcoin (BTC) slipped before bouncing back. That dynamic has defined the second half of 2025. Even as capital flows into Bitcoin are increasingly tied to traditional equity investors, the cryptocurrency has continued to diverge from the stock market. Over the past six months, Bitcoin has fallen almost 18%. Meanwhile, the three major US stock indexes posted strong and consistent gains, with the Nasdaq Composite up 21%, the S&P 500 rising 14.35% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbing 12.11%. Read more

Oracle lost roughly $80 billion in market value on Dec. 11 when revenue missed expectations, and management hiked AI-related capex from $35 billion to about $50 billion, funded in part with rising debt. The stock dropped up to 16%, dragging Nvidia, AMD, and the broader Nasdaq lower. Reports framed the move as fanning “AI bubble” […] The post Bitcoin just exposed a terrifying link to the AI bubble that guarantees it crashes first when tech breaks appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin miners Marathon Digital Holdings, Riot Platforms and Hut 8 are already in the top ten largest public companies holding Bitcoin. Bitcoin miners, which can acquire the cryptocurrency at below-market costs, could be in the best position to shape corporate adoption as accumulation by crypto treasury companies slows, says BitcoinTreasuries.NET. Bitcoin (BTC) treasury companies are projected to buy 40,000 BTC in the fourth quarter, the lowest since Q3 2024, BitcoinTreasuries.NET President Pete Rizzo said in a corporate adoption report released on Thursday. Despite the slowdown, Rizzo said Bitcoin mining companies continue to “anchor public‑market Bitcoin holdings” and accounted for 5% of new additions and 12% of aggregate public company balances in November. Read more

Belarus expanded platform blocking in December, tightening access to exchanges and reinforcing a High-Tech Park perimeter for residents. The move fits a wider access playbook across EMEA and APAC that now uses telecom blocklists, app-store removals, and KYC gates to shape who reaches the same BTC and USDT order books. The practical result is a […] The post Bitcoin liquidity is drying up in specific regions as a new “pay-to-exit” model quietly takes over appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The remarks signal Pakistan’s push to turn its grassroots crypto activity into a compliant, innovation-driven sector anchored by Bitcoin and digital-asset regulation. Pakistan sees Bitcoin and digital assets as the backbone of a new financial rail for its 240 million citizens, a senior official said at the Bitcoin MENA Conference, signaling a shift toward formal regulation of crypto markets. Bilal Bin Saqib said on Tuesday that Pakistan can no longer rely on traditional economic models, but needs “a new engine,” citing digital assets. The minister said during a roundtable in Abu Dhabi: Saqib, the chairman of Pakistan’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (PVARA) and former special assistant to the prime minister on blockchain and crypto, said his mandate is to transform one of the world’s largest unregulated crypto markets into a compliant, investment-ready ecosystem. Read more