Daily Market Update: Bitcoin Stays Above $90K as Stock Markets Hit Record Highs

TLDR

• Bitcoin holds steady above $90,000 as investors allocate fresh capital at the start of 2026, with consolidation rather than selling pressure dominating price action.
• Ethereum shows strength on weekly and monthly charts despite cooling futures positioning, with open interest unwinding to July 2025 levels without triggering spot selloffs.
• U.S. stock futures trade flat Wednesday as the Dow crossed 49,000 for the first time and the S&P 500 flirts with 7,000, both hitting record highs on Tuesday.
• Gold is forecast to reach new record highs in 2026 after a 65% rally in 2025, driven by falling interest rates, central bank purchases, and geopolitical tensions.
• Major jobs data releases this week, including ADP private employment and Friday’s December jobs report, will test whether the early 2026 market rally can continue.

Bitcoin stabilized above $90,000 on Wednesday as crypto markets entered consolidation mode to start 2026. The price action reflects fresh capital allocation rather than renewed selling pressure.

The digital asset cleared the $90,000 level and held range-bound as Asian markets opened Wednesday. George Mandres from trading firm XBTO noted that the new year reset investor profit and loss statements to zero, requiring capital allocation to attractive opportunities.

Bitcoin faces competing forces in the current environment. With stocks, gold, and precious metals at all-time highs, the crypto market is caught between price correcting higher to align with other assets or moving lower to respect the traditional four-year cycle.

Ethereum traded around $3,247 on Wednesday, showing resilience despite cooling institutional positioning. The second-largest cryptocurrency outperformed bitcoin on weekly and monthly timeframes.

CME ethereum futures open interest declined to levels last seen in July 2025. Bradley Park from DNTV Research said rising open interest reflects institutional participation through ETF arbitrage trades, while falling open interest suggests an unwind.

The positioning reset has not triggered sharp spot market selloffs. Park described the recent pullback as a loss of momentum rather than a structural break.

Crypto Options Markets Show Shifting Sentiment

Options markets have de-risked aggressively across crypto assets. A Glassnode report showed open interest contracting while volatility expectations rose.

U.S. spot bitcoin ETF flows flipped back to net inflows. The reversal signals renewed institutional demand but also increasing sensitivity to profit-taking.

The data points suggest consolidation and rotation rather than broad risk-off moves. Bitcoin is absorbing competing macro narratives without breaking its upward trend.

Stock Markets Push to Record Highs

U.S. stock futures traded flat Wednesday morning after major indexes hit fresh records Tuesday. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures held just above unchanged, while S&P 500 futures hovered slightly below flat.

The Dow crossed 49,000 for the first time Tuesday, marking its second straight record close. The S&P 500 also finished at a record high as it approaches the 7,000 level.

Investors brushed aside geopolitical concerns following U.S. military action in Venezuela over the weekend. Tuesday’s rally continued the strong start to 2026 for equity markets.

Jobs Data in Focus This Week

Attention shifts to labor market data Wednesday with ADP’s monthly private sector employment report. Forecasts call for modest job growth after reports showed hiring essentially stalled in late 2025.

November JOLTS data will show job openings, quits, and layoffs. These releases set the stage for Friday’s December jobs report, which investors view as critical for assessing whether the economy is cooling enough to justify Federal Reserve policy changes.

Services sector data Tuesday showed momentum slowing in December. S&P Global’s final services PMI posted the slowest expansion pace in eight months.

Gold Expected to Rally Further

Gold is forecast to reach new record highs in 2026 after rallying nearly 65% in 2025. Banks cite falling interest rates, central bank buying, and geopolitical risks as key drivers.

The CES 2026 tech show continues with discussions centered on Nvidia as analysts debate whether the AI chipmaker faces a bubble or the start of another rally. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.45% Wednesday while Australia’s ASX 200 rose 0.38% after inflation data came in below forecasts.

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