Bitcoin is currently retesting support near $101,000 after slipping from $103,000, down 0.88% as market sentiment turns cautious, with the Fear & Greed Index at 25 indicating extreme fear. Perpetual open interest rose 1.75% to $845 billion, while funding rates jumped 82%, and Binance liquidated over $120 million in long positions. Despite the pullback, ETF inflows and shrinking exchange reserves suggest ongoing accumulation, with analysts targeting $114,000 by month-end.
XRP gained 4% to $2.50, driven by progress toward ETF approval: the SEC has cleared S-1 filing delays, the DTCC listed nine tickers, and Ripple continues to expand global adoption. The token has surged over 400% in 2025, with some long-term targets above $100.
Ethereum remains steady at $3,546 ahead of December's Fusaka upgrade, which will increase blob capacity eightfold and significantly cut Layer-2 transaction costs. Institutional ETH ETF holdings have reached $13 billion, and new IRS guidance on staking income has boosted investor confidence.
Altcoins like ZORA, STORY, and Meteora showed strong gains, with ZORA up 19.5% amid viral minting activity and $470 million in trading volume. Meanwhile, a coordinated attack on Hyperliquid resulted in $4.9 million in losses after an attacker used $3 million to manipulate the POPCAT market, triggering a 43% price drop and $63 million in liquidations. The incident mirrors a previous exploit and has raised concerns about centralized exchange interference, with Binance and OKX implicated.
In other developments, Taiwan is considering a Bitcoin strategic reserve, compiling a report on confiscated Bitcoin, and Dubai froze $456 million in assets linked to TrueUSD and Justin Sun over reserve disputes.
