On 26 December 2025, Bitcoin’s price remained locked in a narrow range as $23.6 billion in options approached expiry, keeping traders on edge. Heavy selling from October and November has largely been absorbed, leaving $85,000 as an important support area while attempts to break into the low-$90,000s have stalled. Momentum indicators and relative performance versus gold are showing early signs of improvement, but a sustained recovery still depends on post-expiry volume and follow-through.

On December 26, the Bitcoin (BTC) price slipped about 1% in 24 hours to around $86,860, with bulls losing control as most major coins turned red. The BTC/USD rate is testing local support at $86,850, and analysts note that a daily close near current levels with a long wick could open the way toward the $85,000 area amid declining trading volume.

Bitcoin's weekly chart signals a potential death cross with about two days left in the current candle, as price trades near $88,690 below the 23- and 50-week averages at $101,870 and $106,528. A weekly close back above that band would target $107,155; failure keeps focus on $80,600, $74,111 and the $67,026 zone.

Bitcoin trades around $88,898, up 1.43% over 24 hours, with a $1.77 trillion market cap. According to the article, SEC filings that reference blockchain reached about 8,000 by August 2025 and stayed elevated through November, helped by spot Bitcoin ETF activity. On the 4-hour chart, BTC sits above the 50/100 EMA, with resistance at $90,500 and $92,650.

According to Glassnode, Bitcoin whales holding between 100 and 1,000 BTC have bought roughly $23.5 billion of the asset over a few weeks, marking the strongest accumulation trend since 2012. An anonymous analyst known as the 4chan OG now projects Bitcoin could reach $250,000 in 2026 and has highlighted Ethereum, Solana, $BULLISH, Ethena, World Liberty Financial, Virtuals Protocol, Bitcoin Hyper and Pepenode as top tokens for the next cycle. The report also cites on-chain activity, institutional interest and specific price structures as reasons some traders expect these assets to outperform Bitcoin next year.

On Christmas Day, Bitcoin briefly showed a drop to $24,111 on Binance's thinly traded BTC/USD1 pair while major pairs kept trading far higher. The move lasted only a few seconds before arbitrage bots restored the price, highlighting liquidity risks on obscure trading venues rather than a broad market collapse.

Michael Saylor argues that banks, rather than ETFs or retail speculation, will ultimately propel Bitcoin to new all time highs, with the effects of adoption becoming visible in 2026. He points to a shift toward balance sheet use, collateralized lending, and bank custody, including planned services at firms such as Charles Schwab and Citigroup, as drivers of sustained, multi year demand.

According to CoinGecko, more than 160 institutions together hold about 1.71 million BTC, with several public companies controlling multi‑billion‑dollar positions. As of December 2025, Strategy, Marathon Digital, Twenty One Capital, Metaplanet, Bitcoin Standard Treasury, Bullish, Riot Platforms and others have disclosed large Bitcoin treasuries, in some cases exceeding tens of thousands of BTC. These companies cite inflation hedging, treasury diversification and business alignment as key reasons, while analysts are watching how regulatory decisions and index providers’ actions could influence the future of crypto treasury strategies.