BTC (Bitcoin) down 3.18% in the last 24 hours

Gate News Bot Message, December 30th, according to CoinMarketCap data, at press time, BTC (Bitcoin) is trading at $87,186.05, down 3.18% in the past 24 hours, with a high of $89,459.43 and a low of $86,411.80, with a 24-hour trading volume of $39.639 billion. The current market capitalization is approximately $1.74 trillion, a decrease of about $5.710 billion from yesterday.

Important recent news about BTC:

1️⃣ Institutional continuous contrarian accumulation, strong long-term allocation willingness Strategy company increased holdings by 1,229 BTC last week, with a trading volume of approximately $108.8 million, an average transaction price of $88,568, and a total holding now reaching 672,497 BTC. Publicly listed company iPower also announced the completion of its first digital asset purchase, including 15.1 BTC. Two Chinese U.S.-listed companies, Cango and Next Technology, have also entered the top twenty global BTC holdings, indicating that the enthusiasm for Bitcoin allocation at the institutional and corporate level has not waned despite recent corrections. This contrarian positioning often signals market participants’ confidence in medium- to long-term value.

2️⃣ Retail leverage and institutional exit create a clear divergence, market structure carries risks Retail investors accumulated about $2.4 billion in leveraged positions in December, while Bitcoin whales reduced their holdings by approximately 20,000 BTC during the same period. One whale address closed out $271 million in short positions, incurring a loss of $180,000, but another short trader “0x94d3” added over $260 million in short positions in the past five hours. This “retail long, institutional short” divergence has occurred multiple times historically at local highs or during uncertain consolidation phases, reflecting differing expectations among market participants. When high leverage is accumulated below key resistance levels, short-term volatility risks can indeed be amplified.

3️⃣ Spot outflows persist, derivatives sentiment remains high Bitcoin ETFs recorded a net outflow of 3,495 BTC (about $306 million) on December 29, with a total net outflow of 8,778 BTC (about $768 million) over the past 7 days. Meanwhile, newly created wallet addresses withdrew 2,600 BTC (worth $231 million) from exchanges in a short period, indicating gradual accumulation of spot holdings by institutions and large investors. Deribit perpetual funding rates have risen above 30%, indicating traders are in short gamma on the upside; if prices stabilize above $94,000, it could amplify hedge buying. This combination of spot accumulation and high derivative funding rates reflects a structural preparation for an upward breakout.

4️⃣ Macroeconomic and policy catalysts increase demand for safe-haven assets The official exchange rate of the Iranian Rial hit a record low of 1.4 million to 1 USD, sparking large-scale protests, and the Iranian central bank governor has resigned. Amid sanctions, banking system pressures, and ongoing currency depreciation, discussions about Bitcoin as a decentralized store of value are rising, providing ordinary people worldwide with a new way to protect wealth amid significant fiat devaluation. Additionally, the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict has pushed up international oil prices, geopolitical risks have increased, and traditional safe-haven assets and inflation expectations are rising in tandem, reinforcing the demand for Bitcoin as a non-sovereign asset.

5️⃣ Fundamental industry development remains resilient, institutionalization accelerates Cantor Fitzgerald’s year-end report states that the current crypto market is dominated by institutions rather than retail investors, and the divergence between token prices and on-chain fundamentals is widening. Although a new bull market by 2026 is not guaranteed, as prices cool down, the institutionalization, compliance pathways, and on-chain infrastructure of the crypto industry are gradually strengthening. Real estate investment firm Cardone Capital’s CEO announced plans to launch the world’s largest real estate Bitcoin company in 2026, aiming to accumulate 3,000 BTC by the end of next year. The merger plans of Semler Scientific and Strive show that after merging, they will hold nearly 13,000 BTC, ranking among the top five listed companies using BTC as a primary strategic reserve asset. These signals indicate that Bitcoin’s role in wealth management and corporate strategic allocation is significantly increasing.

This message is not investment advice; please be aware of market volatility risks.