Why Is Crypto Down Today? – December 24, 2025

The crypto market is trading lower today, with total market capitalization slipping by 1.1% over the past 24 hours to $3.02 trillion, according to market data. The pullback comes amid broad weakness across major assets, while trading activity remains elevated, with 24-hour volume at $98.49 billion. TLDR: Crypto market cap fell 1.1% to $3.02T, with broad losses across major assets; Galaxy Research says Bitcoin has not truly cleared $100K when adjusted for inflation; BTC is consolidating near $87K, with key support at $85K–$86K and downside risk toward $80K; Market sentiment remains weak, with the Fear & Greed Index at 27 (fear); US spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $188.6M in net outflows on Dec. 23, led by BlackRock’s IBIT; US spot Ether ETFs also recorded outflows of $95.5M, reversing the prior day’s inflows; Institutional activity continues, with Bitmine adding nearly $1B worth of ETH in December. Crypto Winners & Losers At the time of writing, most of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization are in the red over the past day. Bitcoin (BTC ) is trading at $86,780, down 0.8% over the last 24 hours, though it remains slightly higher on the weekly timeframe. Bitcoin’s market cap stands at approximately $1.73 trillion, maintaining its dominant position despite the broader downturn. Ethereum (ETH) has fallen 1.5% to $2,919, with its market capitalization sitting near $352 billion. Among the largest declines in the top 10, Solana (SOL) dropped 2.3% to $121.36, while BNB (BNB) slipped 1.6% to $835.76. XRP (XRP) also declined 1.8%, trading at $1.85. Dogecoin (DOGE) is down 2.2% on the day, changing hands at $0.1274, while Cardano (ADA) recorded one of the sharpest losses among large caps, falling 2.3% to $0.3554. Outside the majors, select tokens posted gains. SQD led the market with a 43.7% surge, followed by Quantum Resistant Ledger , which climbed 31%, and pippin, up 21.8%, standing out as notable outperformers amid an otherwise risk-off session. Meanwhile, Galaxy Research has said Bitcoin may have printed new highs in nominal terms, but it has yet to truly clear the $100,000 mark once inflation is taken into account. Bitcoin may have printed new highs in nominal terms, but it has yet to truly clear the $100,000 mark once inflation is taken into account. #Bitcoin #Inflation https://t.co/dsCimbcLQG — Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) December 24, 2025 Galaxy’s head of research, Alex Thorn, said Tuesday that Bitcoin never crossed six figures when adjusted for inflation using 2020 dollars, despite the asset reaching an all-time high above $126,000 in October. Bitcoin Dominance Rises as Altcoins Face Year-End Pressure Bitcoin’s share of the crypto market continues to climb as trading activity slows toward year-end, keeping altcoins under sustained pressure, according to Wintermute’s latest market update. The report said capital rotating is out of smaller tokens and back into Bitcoin and Ethereum, dampening expectations for an altcoin rally typically seen after strong Bitcoin moves. The broader market remains weak, with Bitcoin slipping below $87,000 and Ethereum trading near $3,000 over the past 24 hours. Altcoins posted steeper losses, led by the NFT sector, which fell more than 9% as risk appetite faded. Earlier in the week, heavy volatility triggered roughly $600 million in liquidations on Monday, followed by another $400 million on both Wednesday and Thursday. Wintermute data confirms retail rotation from altcoins to Bitcoin and Ethereum as dominance climbs and supply pressure mounts into year-end. #Bitcoin #Ethereum https://t.co/NFbUk9dKHx — Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) December 24, 2025 Despite a partial rebound toward $90,000 , Bitcoin’s price action has stayed constrained. Open interest in Bitcoin and Ethereum perpetuals dropped by a combined $5 billion, reducing leverage but leaving markets exposed to sharp moves amid thin liquidity. Traditional financial players continue entering the space despite recent market volatility, providing a more durable foundation for future growth. Bitmine added another 67,886 ETH worth $201 million to its treasury, bringing total December purchases to approximately $953 million. Levels & Events to Watch Next At the time of writing on Tuesday, Bitcoin is trading near $86,926, down roughly 0.6% on the day. Earlier in December, BTC attempted a rebound toward the $92,000–$94,000 zone but failed to hold momentum, resuming its broader downtrend that began after peaking above $120,000 in October. Over the past several weeks, Bitcoin has moved within a declining range, with repeated rejections below $90,000 and growing selling pressure on rallies. The chart shows BTC breaking below several short-term support levels in November, with buyers now defending the $85,000–$86,000 area. A sustained move below this zone could expose downside toward $82,000, with a deeper pullback opening the door to the $80,000 psychological level. On the upside, BTC would need to reclaim $90,000 to signal stabilization, with further resistance near $95,000. Ethereum is trading around $2,926, down roughly 1.2% over the past 24 hours. The chart shows ETH continuing to underperform after losing the $3,200–$3,300 range earlier in November. Since then, price action has remained heavy, with lower highs and limited follow-through on rebounds. ETH briefly dipped below $2,900 in recent sessions before finding short-term support, but momentum remains fragile. If selling resumes, the next key downside level sits near $2,800, followed by stronger historical support around $2,650. On the upside, a recovery above $3,000 would be the first step toward stabilizing price action, with additional resistance near $3,200. Meanwhile, crypto market sentiment remains firmly in the fear zone, with the Crypto Fear and Greed Index reading 27 at the time of writing . The index has shown little improvement in recent days, reflecting continued caution among market participants. While sentiment has recovered slightly from last month’s extreme fear low of 12, it remains well below neutral levels, suggesting investors are still hesitant to take on risk. US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded net outflows of $188.64 million on Dec. 23, extending the recent cooling in institutional demand. BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) led the outflows, shedding $157.34 million on the day. Fidelity’s FBTC followed with $15.30 million in outflows, while Grayscale’s GBTC saw $10.28 million leave the fund. Bitwise’s BITB also recorded a smaller outflow of $5.72 million. Cumulative net inflows across all US spot Bitcoin ETFs stand at $57.08 billion. Total value traded across the products reached $3.16 billion, while total net assets stood at $114.29 billion, equivalent to roughly 6.5% of Bitcoin’s total market capitalization. US spot Ether ETFs reversed course on Dec. 23, posting net outflows of $95.53 million after a day of inflows earlier in the week. Grayscale’s ETHE accounted for the largest share of the outflows, shedding $50.89 million on the day. BlackRock’s ETHA followed with $25.04 million in net redemptions, while Bitwise’s ETHW saw $13.98 million exit the fund. Franklin’s EZET also recorded outflows of $5.61 million. Cumulative net inflows across US spot Ether ETFs remain at $12.43 billion. Total value traded across the products reached $999 million, while total net assets stood at $18.02 billion, representing roughly 5.0% of Ethereum’s total market capitalization. Meanwhile, BlackRock is staffing up for the next leg of its crypto push, posting new digital asset roles across New York, London and Singapore as it expands a team that now spans tokenization, stablecoins and crypto market structure. BlackRock is expanding its crypto team with new digital asset roles across New York, London, and Singapore, hiring from associates to senior leaders across product, research and compliance. #BlackRock #CryptoJobs https://t.co/XkylJ7A9yk — Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) December 24, 2025 Robert Mitchnick, who leads BlackRock’s digital assets strategy, flagged the recruitment drive recently, saying the firm is hiring for multiple leadership roles across its digital assets team in New York, London and Asia. The post Why Is Crypto Down Today? – December 24, 2025 appeared first on Cryptonews .