Christmas | Crypto

Spot Bitcoin ETFs extended a six-day withdrawal streak as analysts point to seasonal factors rather than weakening institutional demand. Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded heavy outflows over Christmas week, with investors pulling a combined $782 million from the products, according to data from SoSoValue. The most significant single-day withdrawal during the period occurred on Friday, when spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs posted $276 million in net outflows. BlackRock’s IBIT led the losses with nearly $193 million exiting the fund, followed by Fidelity’s FBTC at $74 million. Grayscale’s GBTC also continued to see modest redemptions. Total net assets across US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs fell to roughly $113.5 billion by Friday, down from peaks above $120 billion earlier in December, even as Bitcoin prices held relatively steady near the $87,000 level. Read more

Once a barometer of retail hype, memecoins are closing the year with shrinking liquidity, weaker participation and fading speculative momentum. Memecoins are trading near year-end lows, marking a sharp reversal from the speculative peak reached in Christmas 2024. Memecoins fell 65% over the year to a market capitalization of $35 billion on Dec. 19, their lowest level of 2025, according to CoinMarketCap data. They retraced some losses on Friday, rising to about $36 billion. Last year, memecoins thrived on Christmas Day, recording about $100 billion in valuation, according to CoinMarketCap data. Read more

The malicious Trust Wallet extension has also been exporting users’ personal information, pointing to potential insider activity, according to cybersecurity company SlowMist. Trust Wallet users lost about $7 million in a Christmas Day exploit that had been planned since early December. Trust Wallet’s browser extension version 2.68 was compromised by a security incident impacting desktop users, Trust Wallet said in a Thursday X post; it advised users to upgrade to version 2.89. Changpeng Zhao, co-founder of Binance, which owns the cryptocurrency wallet that claims to serve 220 million users, said in a Friday X post that the lost funds will be covered. Read more

Bitcoin dipped below $87K on Christmas amid thin liquidity and ETF outflows, even as on-chain data hints at easing sell pressure.

The non-fungible token project owned by Luca Netz appeared on the Sphere’s exterior screens, with the animated display going live on Christmas Eve. Pudgy Penguins ran an animated display on the Las Vegas Sphere during Christmas week, projecting its penguin characters across the venue’s exterior screens. In a post on X, Pudgy Penguins said its animations went live on Christmas Eve on the exterior of the Las Vegas Sphere, a popular domed venue wrapped in high-resolution LED panels designed to display large-scale visuals visible across the Las Vegas Strip. Pudgy Penguins is an NFT project founded in 2021 and acquired in April 2022 by entrepreneur Luca Netz for $2.5 million in Ether (ETH). As NFT revenue declined, Netz drew on his consumer products background to expand the project beyond digital collectibles and into physical toy production to generate cash flow. Read more

A prison letter from Keonne Rodriguez has reignited debate over crypto privacy tools, developer liability and executive clemency. Keonne Rodriguez, co-founder of Bitcoin privacy tool Samourai Wallet, spent Christmas Eve documenting his first day inside a US federal prison, offering a personal account as a crypto developer now serving a five-year sentence. In a letter shared by The Rage, he described the experience of surrendering himself to the prison camp. The account detailed the intake process, which included searches, medical clearances and the transition into prison housing. Rodriguez also described the emotional weight of leaving his family days before Christmas. Read more

"By Christmas, Ethereum is more likely to challenge the upside than suffer a deep collapse," ChatGPT stated.

Discover safe ways to give crypto in 2025. Learn about gift cards, exchanges, hardware wallets and essential security and tax guidance. With over 27 million cryptocurrencies available as of late 2025, choosing one can feel overwhelming. For a Christmas gift, especially for someone who barely uses crypto or has never held it before, the most reliable approach is to stick with established and well-known options. There is no universal “best” coin since cryptocurrencies differ in purpose, age and level of adoption. Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and those rated highly on CoinMarketCap or CoinGecko typically have the longest track records, the largest communities and the highest visibility. They are also widely supported by crypto exchanges and wallet apps, which makes it easier for a new user to manage or use the funds later. Read more

A pre-Christmas Fed rate cut could boost spending, shift bond yields, lift risk assets and increase demand for crypto. The Fed’s Dec. 9-10 meeting carries unusual weight as markets wait to see whether another rate cut will arrive before Christmas, shaping bonds, equities and crypto. After two cuts in 2025, rates now sit at 3.75%-4.00%. Labor weakness and softer inflation support further easing, but officials remain divided because inflation risks have not fully cleared. A cooling job market, easing inflation and the end of quantitative tightening could justify another reduction and align with year-end liquidity needs. Read more

Bitcoin and gold often display a recurring pattern during the Christmas rally. Their movements are shaped by Federal Reserve policy, inflation trends and overall market liquidity. The Christmas rally, also known as the “Santa Claus rally,” refers to a recurring pattern in which crypto markets tend to rise during the final weeks of December and early January. Several factors contribute to this trend, including improved investor sentiment during the festive season and year-end portfolio adjustments as traders and institutions rebalance their holdings. Lower liquidity during the holidays can also amplify price movements, adding to the rally’s momentum. Around Christmas, crypto investors often behave differently than they do throughout the rest of the year. Read more

Bitcoin price weakness has good odds of flipping “positive yet less volatile” in the coming months, new research said. Key points: Bitcoin can reverse its latest slump to hit new all-time highs in the next four months, based on historical performance. Research says that the outlook for Bitcoin between now and Christmas is “positive yet less volatile.” Read more