Bitcoin Price Analysis: BTC Dips Below $90,000 As Exchange Inflows Resume, Geopolitical Tensions Back In Focus
Bitcoin (BTC) briefly dipped to sub-$90,000 levels on Thursday as selling pressure returned. Spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded a third consecutive day of outflows, and inflows into centralized exchanges resumed. According to available market data, over 1,100 BTC moved into centralized exchanges over the past day, raising concerns about renewed selling pressure.
The flagship cryptocurrency dipped to a low of $89,344 on Thursday before reclaiming $90,000 and moving to its current level, marginally up over the past 24 hours. Fresh labor market data revealed initial jobless claims at 208,000 for the week ending January 3, marginally better than the expected 210,000. According to analysts, US jobs data suggests employers are reluctant to lay off workers but also hesitant to hire new ones.
Riot Platforms Offloads Bitcoin (BTC)
Bitcoin (BTC) miner Riot Platforms offloaded a significant chunk of its holdings, selling 1,818 BTC for $161.6 million in December. The move aligns with the firm’s strategy to shift from Bitcoin mining operations to monetizing its power and data center infrastructure. The company held 18,005 BTC as of December 31, which includes 3,977 restricted BTC. The firm held 19,368 BTC at the end of November, and produced 460 BTC the same month. The restricted BTC refers to assets pledged as collateral and is held in a separate custody account.
Riot Platforms also stated that the December report will be its final monthly production and operations update as the company shifts to quarterly disclosures that focus on overall business performance, data center strategy, progress, and Bitcoin mining. The company announced in October that Bitcoin mining was no longer its end goal, and outlined plans to repurpose its power infrastructure to support a proposed 1-gigawatt AI data center campus.
Morgan Stanley Ventures Deeper Into Crypto
Morgan Stanley is planning a major crypto push in 2026, with plans to unveil a digital wallet and expand trading in Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Solana (SOL) on its proprietary ETRADE platform. The investment bank also submitted an application to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for an Ethereum trust just 48 hours after filing for Bitcoin and Solana trusts.
The proposed Ethereum Trust will hold ETH directly and is Morgan Stanley’s first push into crypto investment vehicles. Morgan Stanley’s foray into crypto highlights growing institutional acceptance as it attempts to establish itself as a leading player in tokenization and crypto markets.
Bitcoin Could Reach $2.9M By 2050: VanEck
VanEck analysts believe Bitcoin (BTC) could reach $2.9 million by 2050 if it becomes a settlement currency for international and domestic trade and is added to the reserves of more central banks. The target price assumes a 15% compound annual growth rate, and Bitcoin settling between 5% to 10% of international trade and 5% of domestic trade by 2050. The analysts added that global liquidity expansion and monetary debasement would be the primary drivers of Bitcoin’s rally.
Bitcoin is not a tactical trade in this framework; it functions as a long-duration hedge against adverse monetary regime outcomes. While short-term price action remains a function of global liquidity cycles and leverage, the long-term value accrual will be driven by Bitcoin’s convergence with the structural deficiencies of the sovereign debt system.
The analysts estimated that central banks could hold up to 2.5% of their assets in Bitcoin, while a $2.9 million price point would imply the flagship cryptocurrency represents 1.66% of global financial assets.
Mystery Polymarket Trader Quietly Disappears
A Polymarket account that earned $400,000 from a highly controversial and suspiciously timed trade on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has quietly disappeared, with the account in question no longer accessible on the prediction market platform. The account page for “0x31a56e” now returns a dead link. The account owner had posted $32,000 on Maduro’s removal just before the news of his capture was made public.
The development comes amidst growing concerns in the crypto community about high-profile bets and unusual trading activity on prediction market platforms. Polymarket has yet to respond to whether the account had been deactivated, if it was a glitch, or if the profile had been deleted. A post by Lookonchain summed up the concerns,
Insiders are betting on the Polymarket that the US strikes Iran by Jan 31, 2026. 4 newly created wallets simultaneously placed bets that the US strikes Iran by Jan 31, 2026, when the change was below 18%, and haven’t made any other bets. Do they know something?
Some US lawmakers have backed legislation aimed at curbing insider trading on prediction markets and crypto platforms.
Bitcoin (BTC) Price Analysis
Bitcoin (BTC) extended its recent downtrend, briefly falling below $90,000 on Thursday. The flagship cryptocurrency fell to a low of $89,200 on Thursday before reclaiming $90,000 and settling at $91,026. Selling pressure persisted on Friday, with the price down nearly 1% at $90,306.
Market sentiment remains cautious, with institutional inflows registering a steep decline over the past few days. Spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded a third consecutive day of outflows, with investors pulling $398.8 million on Thursday. However, analysts believe the market is absorbing supply instead of capitulating.
A closer look at the daily chart shows that BTC is in a broad symmetrical triangle defined by a descending trendline from $107,000 and a rising support base beginning at $80,000. Analysts point out that BTC’s current market structure reflects compression rather than exhaustion. BTC continues forming higher lows, suggesting that buyers are stepping in and the overall market remains constructive. Resistance sits at around $94,500, and a close above this level could trigger a move towards $100,000. However, if BTC fails to hold on to the $90,000 support level, it could see a pullback to $85,000 or $80,000. BTC price action remains cautious, and a clean break above resistance levels could see the price target $100,000.
BTC started the previous week in the red despite reaching an intraday high of $90,325, losing momentum, and settling at $87,110, down almost 1%. The price recovered on Tuesday, rising 1.48% to $88,397. However, selling pressure returned on Wednesday as BTC fell 1.02% to $87,497. Bullish sentiment returned on Thursday as the price rose 1.42% to $88,738. Buyers retained control on Friday as BTC rose 1.37% and settled at $89,957.
Source: TradingView
Price action remained positive over the weekend as BTC rose 0.71% on Saturday and 0.99% on Sunday to reclaim $90,000 and settle at $91,494. Bullish sentiment intensified on Monday as BTC rose nearly 3%, crossing $93,000 to $93,870. Selling pressure returned on Tuesday as BTC fell to a low of $91,203. However, it reclaimed $93,000 and settled at $93,772, ultimately registering a marginal decline. Selling pressure intensified on Wednesday as the price fell nearly 3% to $91,279. BTC briefly slipped below $90,000 on Thursday, dropping to a low of $89,200 before reclaiming $90,000 and settling at $91,026. The price is down nearly 1% during the ongoing session, trading around $90,295.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.