XRP price declined for the third consecutive day as sentiment in the crypto market waned, and key Ripple USD metrics continued to worsen.  Summary The XRP price has crashed by double digits in the past few months. Ripple USD’s transaction volume plunged by 85% in the last 30 days to $3.4 billion. The XRP token has formed several bullish patterns, pointing to a strong bullish breakout.

Cardano price remains under sustained selling pressure as bearish structure holds firm, increasing the risk of a breakdown toward and potentially below the $0.27 yearly low. Summary Cardano prints consecutive lower highs and lower lows. Price fails to reclaim the Point of Control and Value Area Low. Downside risk remains toward the $0.27 yearly low. Cardano (ADA) price continues to show clear signs of weakness as price action drifts lower within a firmly established bearish structure.

Solana price has crashed in the past few months and has lost half its value from its highest point in August this year.  Summary Solana’s price has entered a bear market after falling by 50% from the August high. The token has formed a bearish flag pattern, indicating further downside. Top metrics like transaction count and the number of active addresses has dropped.

HBAR price trades under heavy selling pressure as bearish structure holds firm, placing the $0.11 support at risk and increasing the probability of a capitulation-style move lower. Summary Selling pressure continues to outweigh demand across higher time frames Key volume-based support levels have failed to hold Price reaction at $0.11 will likely define near-term direction Hedera (HBAR) price continues to trade under sustained downside pressure, with technical signals pointing to an elevated risk of capitulation if key support levels fail to hold.

A crypto crash is underway today, Dec. 23, with Bitcoin and most altcoins being in the red, and the market capitalization of all coins falling by 2.45% to $2.95 trillion.  Summary A crypto crash is happening, with Bitcoin and most altcoins falling. The decline happened after the strong US GDP data. It also happened as Bitcoin and Ethereum formed bearish patterns.

Tron price stabilizes at key $0.27 support as a bullish three-drive pattern forms, signaling potential downside exhaustion and a possible rotation toward higher resistance levels. Summary RX holds key support at $0.27 aligned with POC and Value Area Low. Bullish three drives pattern signals weakening sell pressure. Sustained volume could drive a rally toward $0.32 resistance. Tron (TRX) price is showing early signs of a potential market bottom after price action stabilized at a critical high-time-frame support zone near $0.27.

Payment processor Shift4 now lets hundreds of thousands of merchants settle via stablecoins on Polygon, a shift that could support Polygon price and reduce banking frictions. Summary Shift4 added stablecoin settlement for its merchant base, enabling payouts over Polygon, Ethereum, Solana, Stellar, TON, Plasma and Base instead of traditional bank rails.​ The service runs 24/7, helping merchants avoid weekend and holiday delays, improve liquidity across time zones and reduce reliance on correspondent banking networks.​

Record $23B Bitcoin options expire Dec. 26, with max pain near current ranges and liquidity thin, setting the stage for sharp BTC volatility. Summary A record $23B in Bitcoin options expire Dec. 26, the largest BTC options expiry on record.​ Calls are stacked at high strikes while puts cluster at lower levels, with max pain near current prices.​ Thin holiday liquidity and position unwinds could amplify BTC volatility as institutional flows reset.

Ethereum price fails to sustain a move above key resistance as a low-volume bounce fades, keeping bearish structure intact and increasing the risk of a rotation toward $2,600 support. Summary Ethereum rejects again at the Point of Control resistance. Recent bounce lacks bullish volume confirmation. Break below $2,800 opens risk toward $2,600 support. Ethereum (ETH) price remains under downside pressure as recent recovery attempts continue to lack conviction.

A Justin Sun‑linked WLFI wallet remains blacklisted, freezing tens of millions in tokens as WLFI’s price weakens and investors question governance and “decentralized” control. Summary Bubblemaps data show a Justin Sun‑linked wallet on World Liberty Financial remains blacklisted, unable to send or receive WLFI even as the token’s market value slides.​ The frozen stash has lost roughly $60m over three months, tracking WLFI’s broader downtrend rather than forced selling, while Sun still controls nearly 600m unlocked WLFI plus a large TRUMP stake.​

Disclosure: The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to the author and do not represent the views and opinions of crypto.news’ editorial. For most of the internet’s history, we thought we were getting a harmless convenience economy: faster browsing, smarter recommendations, free services subsidised by opaque advertising. What we actually received was a silent shift in power — from users to platforms, from autonomy to extraction, from consent to surveillance disguised as convenience.

The crypto market today, including Bitcoin and Ethereum and majors are range‑bound with leverage drained and sentiment fragile, leaving the next US GDP print to decide if volatility returns or fades. Summary The crypto market today, including Bitcoin is pinned near key support and resistance bands, with ETF flows and positioning muted as traders wait for the US GDP print before taking fresh direction.​

Michael Selig, ex‑SEC Crypto Task Force counsel, becomes the 16th CFTC chair as Caroline Pham departs for MoonPay, inheriting crypto pilots and looming DA legislation. Summary Selig, a former SEC Crypto Task Force and PWG advisor, is sworn in as 16th CFTC chair just as Congress prepares digital asset market structure legislation.​ Pham’s tenure brought crypto pilots, expanded spot trading, automated surveillance and no‑action relief for prediction markets before she left to join MoonPay.​

Bitcoin price has traded below its two-year bull market channel for six weeks, with a 2021-style rounded top and VanEck’s hashrate drop data framing a pivotal retest of resistance. Summary BTC broke below a long-running ascending channel and has since logged three failed reclaims, turning the channel’s lower boundary into stiff resistance.​ Current price action echoes 2021’s rounded top: breakdown, sharp dump, corrective bounce and renewed selling into the same support zone now being retested.

BNB price is eyeing a retest of a key support trendline as it continues to remain in a downtrend. A break below the said pattern could trigger a 15% drop in BNB price ahead. Summary BNB price fell 11% below its December high. Declining transactions and futures activity on the network continue to weigh on investor sentiment for the token.

Monero price slid on heavy selling into nearby support after multiple failed rebounds, with weak bounce volume and neutral RSI leaving room for further volatility in the short term. Summary Intraday selling accelerated from a prior rebound zone, carving lower highs and large red candles as Monero price slipped back toward a nearby support area.​ Volume spiked on the drop but stayed muted on the bounce, while RSI held in neutral territory, signaling the move is corrective but not yet washed out.​

BlackRock names its spot Bitcoin ETF a top 2025 theme alongside cash-like Treasuries and U.S. blue chips after $25b of inflows, signaling BTC’s place in core portfolios. Summary BlackRock grouped the iShares Bitcoin Trust with a 0–3 month Treasury ETF and a top 20 U.S. stocks ETF as one of three flagship themes for 2025.​ IBIT has drawn over $25b in 2025 inflows and ranks sixth among all ETFs despite negative performance, showing BlackRock’s conviction over pure fee maximization.​

XRP, the cross-border payment token, fell below a key support level after failing to break through resistance at the start of the week, according to market data. Summary XRP price failed to clear resistance and broke below a key support zone, extending its drawdown from July’s all-time high and souring trader sentiment.​ Santiment data show social negativity spiking above average, a pattern that previously preceded a rally into July’s peak after similar late‑June capitulation.​

Hong Kong’s insurance regulator drafts first Asian framework letting insurers hold crypto under a 100% risk charge while stablecoins track fiat-based capital rules. Summary Draft rules let Hong Kong insurers invest in crypto with a 100% capital charge, forcing them to reserve full exposure against volatile assets.​ Stablecoins get separate treatment, with risk charges tied to underlying fiat and Hong Kong’s upcoming 2025 stablecoin licensing regime.​

The world’s largest corporate holder of Ethereum, Bitmine Immersion Technologies, now holds over 4 million ETH after its latest buy. Summary Bitmine now holds 4,066,062 ETH worth over $12 billion, acquired at an average price of $2,991. Recent acquisitions included a 13,412 ETH purchase on Dec. 22. Bitmine’s ETH holdings represent about 3.37% of the total Ether supply. “Bitmine continues to add steadily to its ETH holdings, adding 98,852 ETH in the past week, and Bitmine holdings now exceed the crucial 4 million ETH tokens,” said Bitmine Chairman Thomas “Tom” Lee in an official…

Chainlink price has been in a strong downtrend since late August and is now close to confirming a bearish double top pattern. In the meantime, whales have started offloading significant amounts of LINK, which could trigger further downside ahead. Summary Chainlink price has dropped 16% over the past month. Whale selling and a rise in exchange balances continue to pressure LINK prices.

El Salvador and the International Monetary Fund have made notable progress in their ongoing negotiations over Bitcoin policy and economic reforms, as the country looks to access a $1.4 billion loan package. Summary El Salvador and the IMF say negotiations over the sale of the state-run Chivo wallet have advanced. The talks are tied to unlocking further funding under a $1.4 billion IMF program that required El Salvador to scale back public sector involvement in Bitcoin.

Crypto prices today were largely flat as traders stayed defensive ahead of a record options expiry later this week. Summary Bitcoin is consolidating near $88,000 as the crypto market cap eyes its next move. $222M in liquidations and $129B in open interest show leverage is rebuilding despite extreme fear. A $28B BTC and ETH options expiry on Dec. 26 is keeping prices pinned, with volatility likely after.

Curve Finance has moved back into the spotlight, not because of hype, but due to where users are actually paying fees on Ethereum. Summary Curve captured about 44% of Ethereum decentralized exchange fees over the past 30 days, up from ~1.6% a year ago Growth is driven by crvUSD trading and deep Bitcoin liquidity pools via Yield Basis DAO grants and new deployments continue to support Curve’s role as core decentralized finance infrastructure…

Bitcoin’s network activity is flashing a signal that has often appeared near market lows. Summary Bitcoin hashrate fell 4%, the steepest drop since April 2024. Corporate treasuries bought 42,000 BTC as exchange-traded product holdings declined. Past hashrate drops saw 180-day Bitcoin price gains averaging 72%. The latest data shows pressure across miners, traders, and short-term holders, even as long-term conviction stays intact.