Bitcoin extended its decline and is consolidating below $88,000 and the 100 hourly Simple moving average. According to Kraken's BTC/USD feed, resistance sits at $88,500 and $89,350, while sellers were active near $89,000. Immediate supports are $87,000 and $86,500, with deeper levels at $85,500 and $85,000 if $88,500 fails.

Bitcoin has traded between $85,000 and $93,000 for over a month, repeatedly failing to reclaim resistance at $94,000 while hovering just above $87,860. Market analyst NoLimit recently suggested on X that BTC could form a cycle low near $40,000 in 2026, implying a drawdown of about 54% from current levels. He bases this view on Bitcoin's recurring four-year cycles, past peak-to-trough declines of 77%–85%, and technical areas around $40,000 that he believes could set the stage for the next major rally.

On December 16, 2025, MicroStrategy's Michael Saylor said on X that quantum computing would harden Bitcoin via upgrades that migrate active coins while leaving lost coins immobile. Technical analysis highlights consolidation beneath the $108,000–$110,000 zone, with RSI holding above 50. A decisive monthly close over $108,000 is seen as key for the 2026 advance.

Bitcoin held above $85,000 after a recent sell-off, while spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $358 million in net outflows and the price sits 31% under the $126,219 all-time high. Despite the breach of the $90,000 level and short-term ETF weakness, correlation and volatility metrics, along with institutional positioning via ETFs and corporate reserves, suggest large investors have not definitively abandoned expectations for a move toward $100,000.

On December 15, CryptoQuant data showed short-term holders moved about 24.7K BTC to exchanges near ~$88.2K, with 86.8% realized in profit and over $1.89 billion in value. As price slipped toward ~$85K on December 16, STH inflows fell to 3.9K BTC while long-term holder inflows were muted, indicating profit-taking rather than structural distribution.

Kindly MD has received a Nasdaq notification after its stock traded below the $1 minimum bid price for 30 straight business days, triggering a 180-day compliance period. The company, which merged with Bitcoin-focused Nakamoto Holdings in August and holds thousands of BTC, must raise its share price above $1 for at least 10 consecutive trading days or face potential delisting. Its shares, trading under the ticker NAKA, have dropped more than 98% from late May highs to $0.39.

In a Dec. 15 post, YouTuber Graham Stephan argued that an unwind of the yen carry trade could drain liquidity and pressure risk assets, including Bitcoin. He outlined the trade's mechanics—borrowing near 0% in Japan and buying 4-5% U.S. yields—and claimed the Fed has cut rates for the third time this year and ended QT. BTC was $87,082 at press time.

On December 16, 2025, MetaMask announced native Bitcoin (BTC) support in its wallet. Users updating to the latest version automatically receive a BTC address via multichain accounts and can buy, swap, send and manage BTC alongside ETH, SOL and SEI; SegWit is supported at launch, with Taproot planned. The company said local‑currency purchases are available and BTC confirmations typically take longer.