Bitcoin stays near $89,000 amid thin year-end trading. Here is what experts say

Bitcoin traded near the $89,000 level on Friday, with thin year-end volumes keeping price action rangebound. At the time of writing, the cryptocurrency was trading at $88,887.

Over the past 24 hours, Bitcoin gained 1.38%, while Ethereum rose 0.98% to trade at $2,969. Among major altcoins, Solana and Hyperliquid edged up 0.29% and 0.06%, respectively, while BNB, XRP, Tron, Dogecoin and Cardano declined by up to 2.29% during the same period.

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Riya Sehgal, Research Analyst, Delta Exchange said that Bitcoin held near $89,000 on December 26 as thin year-end trading kept price action contained and liquidity remains the key market driver, with ETF inflows, stablecoin supply, and futures positioning determining direction more than narratives.

“Regulatory clarity and ETF participation support the long-term trend, but short-term movement stays range-bound until capital inflows strengthen,” Sehgal added.

In the past week, Bitcoin and Ethereum went up by 2.38% and 1.73% respectively. Among the major altcoins, BNB, XRP, Solana, Tron, and Hyperliquid were up upto 6.90% in the past week whereas Dogecoin and Cardano were down 0.17% and 1.95% respectively in the same period.

Vikram Subburaj, CEO, Giottus said that Bitcoin continues to drift in thin holiday conditions, settling back toward the $86,000–$88,000 zone with little urgency from either buyers or sellers and ETF flows remain negative, liquidations are steady but controlled, and sentiment indicators have stayed pinned in extreme fear for nearly two weeks without provoking a reversal.

Subburaj recommends maintaining a patient, risk-managed stance into year-end, accumulating only near well-defined support and avoiding leverage in thin markets. “Wait for signs of improving ETF flows and stronger institutional participation before adding meaningful risk. Altcoins are likely to stabilise only after Bitcoin finds firmer footing with clearer inflows.”

Market perspective

Akshat Siddhant, Lead Quant Analyst, Mudrex

Bitcoin is showing renewed strength, rising nearly 3% within a short span as broader market sentiment turns positive. The move suggests a delayed “Santa Rally,” with buying interest returning across major assets and sustained trading volumes from here could confirm a shift in trend.

CoinSwitch Markets Desk

BTC bounced 1.6% from $87K toward $89K. Today, around $28B in crypto options, including $23.7B in Bitcoin, are set to expire. Until then, prices may mostly move sideways in a volatile range as market makers hedge positions and pin BTC near key levels.

Once the expiry is complete, this pressure might fade. A quick dip to trigger stop-losses is possible, but large expiries are often neutral-to-bullish. Currently, BTC has support at $87K and resistance at $89K.

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CoinDCX Research Team

The crypto markets maintain their range-bound accumulation, wherein the cryptos are defending their respective support range. No major change is recorded in the past 24 hours as the global market capitalisation remains stuck at $2.96 trillion while the average crypto RSI is around 51.

Nischal Shetty, Founder, WazirX

Over the past 24 hours, global macro developments have reinforced how crypto is intertwined with monetary policy, currency markets, and liquidity dynamics. Diverging central bank actions, particularly Japan signaling continued tightening while other major economies remain cautious, have increased FX volatility.

In the short term, crypto prices are driven primarily by liquidity expectations rather than economic fundamentals. Bitcoin often moves ahead of policy shifts as markets price future liquidity, making it behave like a high-beta risk asset alongside equities globally.