This is What a $90K BTC Price Is Really Telling You

Bitcoin is pressing $90K, on-chain data is flashing caution, and global policy is quietly opening new doors for crypto.

If you're positioning for what comes next—not just watching price—these shifts matter directly to your portfolio.

This is where short-term risk meets long-term opportunity, and knowing the difference is how you stay ahead.

Hidden Upside (Sponsored)

Five Stocks Quietly Setting Up for Breakout Moves

Many investors are seeing solid gains in today’s market, but solid gains often hide opportunities with far greater potential.

A new analysis highlights the 5 Stocks Set to Double, selected from thousands of companies showing early signs of powerful growth.

These picks feature strong fundamentals and technical indicators that often appear before meaningful upside.

Past editions of this research uncovered gains of +175%, +498%, and +673%.

Download the 5 Stocks Set to Double. Free Today.

*This free resource is being sent by Zacks. We identify investment resources you may choose to use in making your own decisions. Use of this resource is subject to the Zacks Terms of Service.
*Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investing involves risk. This material does not constitute investment, legal, accounting, or tax advice. Zacks Investment Research is not a licensed dealer, broker, or investment adviser.

Never Miss a Game-Changing Crypto Play Again!

We now send our daily picks via text, too, so you’ll get the same powerful content right on your phone.

👉 Click here to get crypto picks by text so you’re always in the know.

Market-Moving News

Markets aren't sending one clear signal—they're sending three.

Bitcoin is battling key technical levels, on-chain metrics are resetting expectations, and governments are laying the groundwork for broader crypto adoption.

If you're deciding when to trade, when to wait, or when to accumulate, this is the context you need right now.

Markets

Bitcoin Bulls Press $90K as CME Gap Looms

Bitcoin pushed toward $90,000 during the first US trading session of 2026, running straight into familiar resistance as Wall Street reopened.

Momentum built during Asia hours, but futures markets quickly introduced new friction.

CME Gaps and Liquidation Pressure

A fresh CME futures gap opened below the spot price, giving traders a clear downside magnet to watch early in the week.

Historically, Bitcoin tends to revisit these gaps quickly, especially when liquidity thins.

Derivatives data shows long liquidations clustering around the $88,000 zone, creating a potential short-term pullback target.

More than $200 million in crypto positions were wiped out in 24 hours as traders crowded the same levels.

Gold Rebounds as Bitcoin Hesitates

Gold bounced sharply after ending 2025 with a cooldown, reinforcing its role as the year's top-performing major asset.

Bitcoin's underperformance versus gold remains unusual but not unprecedented in debasement cycles.

Analysts argue this divergence looks more like consolidation than trend failure, based on prior macro-driven rotations.

Bitcoin has historically lagged metals before reclaiming leadership later in the cycle.

Take: This setup feels less like rejection and more like digestion after a strong run.

If you're trading short term, the CME gap matters, but structurally Bitcoin still looks like it's coiling—not breaking.

On-Chain Metrics

Metrics Signal Bitcoin Bear Market as Analysts Eye $56K–$60K Bottom

CryptoQuant data suggests Bitcoin may already be two months into a bear market based on long-term trend indicators.

Several bull score metrics flipped bearish in early November and have not yet recovered.

One-Year Average Flips the Signal

The key confirmation comes from Bitcoin trading below its one-year moving average, a classic long-term trend signal.

Historically, this level has separated bull continuation from broader drawdown phases.

Bitcoin started 2025 near $93,000, peaked above $126,000 in October, and closed the year lower.

That price behavior clashes with expectations that 2026 would start in full expansion mode.

Why This Bear Looks Different

CryptoQuant's projected bottom range sits between $56,000 and $60,000, based on realized price history.

That implies a roughly 55% drawdown from the highs, milder than prior cycle crashes.

This cycle lacks forced liquidations, major exchange failures, or systemic leverage collapses.

Institutional buyers and ETFs are absorbing supply more consistently than in past downturns.

Take: If this is a bear market, it's a slower, quieter one with deeper structural support.

For investors, that shifts the playbook from panic to patience, especially if long-term accumulation remains intact.

Market Uncertainty (Sponsored)

The Hidden Risk of Political Transitions

Political transitions historically increase uncertainty—and this cycle is no exception.

Tariff expansion is reviving crash-risk conversations across Wall Street.

Asset protection strategies are gaining attention as volatility accelerates.

Ignoring structural risk has consequences during regime shifts.

Awareness precedes action.

No guarantees are implied.

This content is not a recommendation to buy or sell.

Download the FREE Presidential Transition Guide now.

Policy & Regulation

Turkmenistan Legalizes Crypto Mining and Exchanges

Turkmenistan has officially legalized cryptocurrency mining and exchanges under its new Law on Virtual Assets.

The move aims to attract foreign investment and modernize parts of the country's economy.

Clear Rules, Tight Controls

The law defines virtual assets strictly as property, not legal tender or securities. Crypto cannot be used for payments and must be treated as an investment instrument.

Mining is now legal for individuals and companies, provided they register with the central bank and meet technical standards.

Covert practices like cryptojacking are explicitly banned.

Exchanges Get a Green Light

Licensed crypto exchanges and custodians can operate domestically under strict KYC and AML requirements.

Anonymous wallets and transactions are prohibited under the framework.

Both domestic and foreign entities may own exchanges, excluding offshore-linked firms. Regulators are prioritizing transparency and capital inflows over open-ended experimentation.

Take: This isn't crypto freedom—it's controlled adoption with economic intent.

For investors, it's another signal that even tightly managed states now see crypto infrastructure as too valuable to ignore.

7 Picks Revealed (Sponsored)

Short-Term Stock Winners

I'd like to give you a free copy of our brand-new report: 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.

Our objective, mathematical stock prediction system has consistently outperformed the market — delivering strong returns over decades.

This just-released Special Report reveals the 7 most explosive stocks from our top-ranked selections.

Fewer than 5% of stocks qualify to be one of our “7 Best.” These could be the most exciting short-term trades in your portfolio.

Don’t wait — see these picks before your next trade.

Download it now, absolutely free.

[Click Here for the Free Report]

*This free resource is being sent by Zacks. We identify investment resources you may choose to use in making your own decisions. Use of this resource is subject to the Zacks Terms of Service.
*Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investing involves risk. This material does not constitute investment, legal, accounting, or tax advice. Zacks Investment Research is not a licensed dealer, broker, or investment adviser.

Future Forward

Getting in early isn't about guessing tops—it's about showing up before the crowd realizes something matters.

Conferences, airdrops, and token launches are where new narratives quietly form long before price action makes noise.

Airdrops reward curiosity, not capital. When you test products early and engage before hype hits, teams often pay you back with tokens as a thank-you for being there first.

Token launches are where promises face reality. Liquidity, demand, and timing all collide at once, revealing which projects can survive real market pressure.

Conferences are the offline version of alpha. When builders, investors, and founders compare notes in the same room, tomorrow's trends usually leak out before they ever hit X.

Crypto Conferences:

💎 BUIDL Europe 2026 (Jan 7, 2026)

💎 TOKYO DIGICONX 2026 (Jan 8, 2026)

💎 PEER Summit 2026 (Jan 9, 2026)

Upcoming Airdrops:

🎁 Recall (RECALL) Airdrop (Jan 13, 2026)

🎁 Wolf Game Wool (WOOL) Airdrop (Nov 14, 2025 - Jan 15, 2026)

🎁 Tradoor (TRADOOR) Airdrop (Feb 2026)

Upcoming Token Launches:

🚀 EarnPark (PARK) Token Sale Tier 4 (Jan 8, 2026)

🚀 Fogo (FOGO) TGE and Distribution (Jan 13, 2026)

🚀 Warp Chain (WRP) IDO on Eesee (Jan 13, 2026)

Which event are you most excited for? Let us know!

Crypto Know-How: What Is XRP?

Issued by Ripple, XRP is a cryptocurrency designed to move money quickly and cheaply across borders.

It was built to help banks, payment providers, and financial institutions settle transactions without waiting days or paying high fees.

Instead of relying on slow correspondent banking systems, XRP acts as a bridge currency between different fiat currencies. That means value can move globally in seconds, not days.

XRP runs on the XRP Ledger, which doesn't use mining like Bitcoin. Transactions are confirmed by a network of validators, keeping fees low and speeds fast.

For investors, XRP sits at the intersection of crypto and traditional finance.

Its long-term relevance depends on whether global payments continue moving toward blockchain rails rather than legacy systems.

Everything Else

• Crypto sentiment finally climbed out of extreme fear after eight weeks, but with Bitcoin still below $90K and altcoin risk muted, traders are feeling cautiously better rather than outright bullish.

• Crypto tax reporting is getting real as service providers across 48 countries begin collecting wallet transaction data ahead of CARF's 2027 rollout, signaling that transparency—not anonymity—is the direction regulators are locking in.

• Tether quietly added nearly $800 million worth of Bitcoin, pushing its holdings above 96,000 BTC and reinforcing that stablecoin profits are increasingly turning into steady, systematic Bitcoin accumulation.

• Iran is now accepting cryptocurrency payments for advanced weapons exports, highlighting how crypto rails continue to be used to bypass sanctions as geopolitical pressure tightens.

• XRP and Solana traded with roughly double Bitcoin's volatility in 2025, underscoring that even with ETFs live, deep institutional liquidity still matters if altcoins want Bitcoin-level stability.