Bitcoin slipped below $90,000, with a price snapshot at $89,756.05 after a run toward $120,000. Persistent macro uncertainty, a 2.7% CPI print, and a 10‑year Treasury yield near 4.17% are weighing on risk appetite, while uneven liquidity and growing ETF participation continue to shape institutional flows.

Crypto analyst HAMED_AZ says Bitcoin remains in a corrective phase after a $126,000 all‑time high and is currently trading below $90,000. He highlights a tight $84,000–$94,000 range; a confirmed break above $94,000 could target $108,000, while losing $84,000 may open downside toward $72,000.

Russia’s central bank has recognized that large-scale Bitcoin mining is supporting the ruble, while senior officials seek to record it as an export item in national trade statistics. Despite formal legalization on November 1, 2024 and tax rates of up to 30%, extensive gray-market mining, electricity theft, and bribery continue, leading to budget losses estimated in the billions of rubles even as banks test regulated digital-asset products.

Metaplanet approved a capital restructuring on Monday to raise institutional funds via dividend preference shares, aiming to strengthen its Bitcoin treasury. The plan targets up to $150 million, introduces monthly dividends for Class A and quarterly payouts for Class B, and advances U.S. market access through American Depositary Receipts and OTC trading.

BTC's composite Regime Score sits at +16.3, placing it in the +15–30 neutral bracket associated with historically positive returns. Backtests for 2025 show average gains of +3.8% over 30 days, while the liquidation oscillator is at −11% and Long Liquidation Dominance is 44%, indicating short closures predominance. The mix signals a tactical edge for buyers.

On December 22, 2025, a poll shared by Peter Schiff on X saw 59% of more than 21,000 participants choose Bitcoin over gold and silver for a hypothetical $100,000 investment held until 2028. Schiff continues to argue that Bitcoin diverts capital from precious metals, even as he highlights that gold has climbed from about $1,800/oz in November 2021 to around $4,400/oz while Bitcoin rose from $69,000 to roughly $88,000 over the same period.

Russia's central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina told business media that the country's expanding Bitcoin mining industry has become one of several factors backing the ruble's exchange rate. Russian officials now frame large-scale mining as a kind of export that converts domestic energy into globally tradable digital assets, while regulators discuss channeling most crypto activity through licensed banks. Major state-linked lenders such as VTB and Sberbank are already testing crypto-linked derivatives and pilot programs for wealthy clients, signaling a gradual turn toward regulated market access.

Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX, argues that the Federal Reserve's new Reserve Management Purchases policy could ignite a rally that drives Bitcoin toward $200,000 in early 2026 before a steep correction. He forecasts BTC first regaining $124,000 and then surging higher, even as other analysts warn that on-chain data now points to a developing bear market.