Crypto markets are approaching 2026 after a year defined by sharp volatility, fresh all-time highs, profit-taking, and a visible phase of maturation. 

Bitcoin strengthened its role as an institutional reserve asset, while Ethereum and XRP entered corrective phases following strong prior trends marked by uncertainty and rapid price swings.

On the macro side, the US Federal Reserve began its first rate cuts, labor market data showed early signs of cooling, and capital flows into digital assets became increasingly selective. 

As a result, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP now sit near technically significant levels. The central question for 2026 is whether global liquidity expands or pauses—and whether that liquidity flows decisively into cryptoassets.

Bitcoin (BTC) Price Analysis and 2026 Outlook

Bitcoin reached a new all-time high above $126,000 in 2025, driven largely by sustained institutional adoption. Corporations and sovereign entities continued to add BTC to their reserves. 

MicroStrategy accumulated roughly 660,645 BTC, while El Salvador increased its holdings to 7,502 BTC. 

Meanwhile, spot Bitcoin ETFs kept absorbing supply, reinforcing Bitcoin’s role as a long-term macro asset.

From a technical perspective, Bitcoin’s broader bullish structure remains intact despite losing the ascending channel that guided price action from March 2024 to November 2025.

Bank of Japan is about to hike rates with 0.25% on December 19

Bitcoin dumped the last 3 times the BoJ hiked interest rates:

March 2024 → -27%
July 2024 → -30%
January 2025 → -30% pic.twitter.com/GNjHyUIV3d

— Quinten | 048.eth (@QuintenFrancois) December 15, 2025

After setting its latest ATH, BTC corrected into a key demand zone near $80,000.

Resistance around $110,000 continues to cap upside attempts. Trading volume has slowed, a pattern typically associated with corrective phases rather than trend reversals.

Bullish Scenario

A strong reaction from the accumulated demand zone near $75,000 could set the stage for a renewed long-term advance toward $150,000–$170,000. 

A sustained breakout above the $100,000–$115,000 resistance cluster would confirm trend continuation, supported by renewed retail and institutional participation.

Range-Bound Scenario

If upside momentum remains limited, Bitcoin may spend much of 2026 trading between $70,000 and $110,000. 

This would represent a prolonged accumulation phase within the broader cycle, marked by choppy price action and false breakouts while the market waits for clearer monetary catalysts.

Bearish Scenario

A decisive loss of the $75,000–$80,000 demand zone would open the door to a deeper correction. 

In that case, $60,000–$40,000 could act as a rebalancing zone without invalidating Bitcoin’s long-term macro structure.

Ethereum (ETH) Price Analysis and 2026 Outlook

Ethereum experienced a pivotal year in 2025, reaching a new all-time high near $4,955. 

Network upgrades such as Pectra and Fusaka improved scalability and efficiency, while spot Ethereum ETFs began gaining traction. Staking activity and DeFi usage continued to underpin Ethereum’s fundamental value.

On the weekly chart, ETH remains within a broad long-term ascending channel. After printing new highs in August 2025, price corrected toward a relatively weak demand zone around $2,900.

While the long-term structure remains constructive, momentum has slowed compared to previous expansion phases. Short- and medium-term structures still lean bearish.

Ethereum whales on Binance are bidding the dip hard 🐋

57K ETH (~$159M) in buy orders are stacked just below the current price. pic.twitter.com/8GeVUmsskU

— Maartunn (@JA_Maartun) December 18, 2025

Bullish Scenario

A sustained recovery could allow Ethereum to target $5,700 and potentially $6,100, based on historical cycle extensions. 

A clean breakout above the channel resistance near $5,200 would reinforce Ethereum’s position as a leading asset in 2026.

Consolidation Scenario

If demand remains moderate, ETH could consolidate between $4,300 and $2,200. This range would signal equilibrium between buyers and sellers, framing 2026 as a transitional year rather than a breakout phase.

Bearish Scenario

A breakdown below the channel support would expose Ethereum to a deeper move toward $2,250–$1,600, an area that aligns with historical demand levels critical to preserving the long-term structure.

XRP Price Analysis and 2026 Outlook

Ripple ends 2025 with significantly improved regulatory clarity following a favorable resolution to its legal dispute with the SEC. 

This outcome revived institutional interest and reopened discussions around XRP ETF products, improving its standing within traditional financial markets. 

Large-scale institutional adoption could trigger a demand shock capable of pushing XRP to new highs.

Technically, XRP is in a corrective phase after a strong rally that peaked near $3.60 mid-year. Price has since pulled back into key demand zones, while multiple supply areas continue to limit short-term rebounds. 

This behavior aligns with a broader trend-regression phase.

Bullish Scenario

If 2026 proves favorable for Ripple’s institutional adoption, XRP could advance toward $3.83–$4.53. To achieve this, price must reclaim the $2.40 level and sustain buying volume, supported by positive regulatory developments.

Range-Bound Scenario

Should uncertainty persist, XRP may trade sideways between $3.00 and $1.60. While this reflects hesitation around banking adoption, it would also represent a healthy consolidation phase ahead of a future cycle.

Bearish Scenario

A breakdown below key supports could send XRP toward $1.20–$0.90. Such a move would imply the loss of critical levels, including the psychological $1.60 mark, alongside a cooling of speculative interest.

Final Take: Will 2026 Be a Lost Year or a Launchpad?

Price projections for 2026 point to a market balancing on a narrow edge. Bitcoin continues to display the strongest structural resilience, while Ethereum and XRP remain more dependent on specific catalysts. 

Upside potential exists, but it requires clear technical confirmation and fundamental follow-through.

One trend is undeniable: crypto markets are transitioning into a more mature phase. Both gains and drawdowns have become more controlled, with volatility compressing compared to earlier cycles.

A renewed bull run will depend on a more accommodative macro environment, deeper institutional adoption, and consistent regulatory clarity. 

If those forces align, 2026 may ultimately be remembered not as a stagnant year, but as the foundation for the next wave of all-time highs.

The post Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP: Which Crypto Will Shine the Most in 2026? appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Ethereum’s long-term trajectory has become a focal point again after Arthur Hayes laid out a sweeping forecast for the asset’s institutional future, price potential, and competitive space. 

His comments arrived as Ethereum trades near $3,200, fluctuating between $3,060 and $3,440 over the past week. Major players such as Tom Lee’s BitMine also increased their Ethereum holdings at an unprecedented pace.

Ethereum Becomes the Institutional Default

Hayes believes the market still misunderstands how deeply traditional institutions intend to integrate Ethereum. He argues that after years of failed experiments with private blockchains, banks now recognize the need for a public settlement layer.

“These organizations finally understand that you cannot have a private blockchain; you must use a public blockchain for security and real usage,” he said.

He links this shift to the stablecoin boom, which has forced banks to accept the value of on-chain settlement. 

According to Hayes, Ethereum is positioned as the only platform with the security, liquidity, and developer depth institutions need.

He expects this shift to drive a significant price resurgence for Ethereum in the coming cycle, complementing aggressive treasury accumulation by firms such as BitMine.

BitMine bought 33,504 ETH ($112 million) this week and 138,452 ETH (~$435 million) earlier in December, bringing its total to roughly 3.86 million ETH. That scale of accumulation has strengthened the narrative that institutions are positioning for Ethereum’s next major cycle. 

Privacy Remains Ethereum’s Biggest Weakness, But L2s Will Cover It

Hayes acknowledges Ethereum still lacks the privacy guarantees large institutions require. He notes that this is “the biggest thing Ethereum doesn’t have yet,” though he says Vitalik Buterin’s roadmap is actively addressing it.

Despite this gap, he argues institutional adoption will not be delayed. Instead, enterprises will deploy privacy-enabled Layer-2 networks while relying on Ethereum for settlement. 

He believes Ethereum L1 remains the “security substrate” regardless of whether activity occurs on L2s like Arbitrum or Optimism.

“There may need to be a debate about how fees are distributed between L2s and Ethereum L1,” he said, but he stressed that this does not change the underlying reality: institutions will still secure their operations using Ethereum.

This aligns with current ecosystem trends. Exchange balances are at multi-year lows, and whales have accumulated over 900,000 ETH in recent weeks, according to Santiment data. 

Institutional architecture continues to form around the Ethereum base layer, even as fees fall amid L2 migration.

A Narrow Field of Winners: Ethereum First, Solana Second

Hayes sees the future of public blockchains consolidating around a very small group. He places Ethereum as the clear long-term winner, with Solana in a distant but durable second place.

He credits Solana’s rise from $7 to $300 to intense meme coin activity in 2023 and 2024. However, he states Solana “needs a new trick” to outperform Ethereum again. 

While he expects Solana to remain relevant, he does not expect it to match Ethereum’s institutional role or long-term price strength.

Hayes views nearly all other L1s as structurally weak. He dismissed high-FDV chains such as Monad as over-inflated projects likely to collapse after an initial pump. 

“Monad won’t be able to compete with Ethereum

I have no belief that this is a legitimate blockchain.

It’ll never have any real usage.”

— Arthur Hayes

if you understand network effects, you know Ethereum’s here to stay at the top.

Monad’s solution is simple: build on… pic.twitter.com/EuXpU6VK1N

— rip.eth (@ripeth) November 29, 2025

50 ETH to Become a Millionaire by Next Election

Hayes offered his most explicit numerical prediction when asked how much ETH one would need to become a millionaire in the next cycle. 

He stated that Ethereum could reach $20,000, implying that 50 ETH would be enough to reach a seven-figure portfolio.

The BitMex founder expects this price target to materialize by the next US presidential election. His outlook aligns with the current supply environment: exchange reserves are shrinking, institutions are accumulating, and treasury buyers like BitMine continue to deploy hundreds of millions into ETH.

Arthur Hayes was just asked about Tom Lee saying $ETH could flip $BTC.

He says Ethereum is the best L1, with the most developers, the best DeFi, and the strongest talent. pic.twitter.com/EsQ74JpNRV

— SamAlτcoin.eth 🌎 (@SAMALTCOIN_ETH) October 21, 2025

If Ethereum fails to meet these expectations, Hayes says it will be due to narrative breakdown. 

Also, if stablecoin usage slows or institutions retreat from on-chain trading, Bitcoin could outperform Ethereum for a prolonged period.

However, he argues that current market structure favors Ethereum’s long-term dominance—especially as banks prepare to execute Web3 strategies on public infrastructure.

The post Arthur Hayes Makes Wild Ethereum Prediction for 2026 and Beyond appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Bitcoin continues to trade near $92,000 after this week’s rebound, yet a growing cluster of on-chain indicators now suggests the market has already slipped into a bearish cycle. 

This stands in sharp contrast to recent predictions from market leaders like Tom Lee and Arthur Hayes, who argue Bitcoin could still close the year significantly higher.

Bullish Predictions Clash With Data

Lee recently softened his earlier $250,000 target and now expects Bitcoin to remain above $100,000 into year-end. 

Meanwhile, Arthur Hayes maintains a much more aggressive view, calling the recent dip to the low $80,000s a cycle bottom and forecasting a potential move toward $200,000–$250,000. 

However, the current market structure does not align with either scenario.

CryptoQuant’s Bull Score Signals composite shows why. During previous bull phases, including late 2023 and early 2025, the model displayed broad green conditions across valuation, demand growth, network activity, and stablecoin liquidity. 

Since mid-2025, these components have turned consistently red. MVRV Z-score has flipped into overheated territory, network activity has weakened, and stablecoin buying power has declined. 

The pattern resembles the early stages of the 2022 downturn rather than a continuation of the 2025 rally.

Also, the Bull Score Index, offers a more granular view. Bitcoin spent the first half of 2025 in bullish territory with readings above 60. 

By late August, the score began falling sharply, dropping below 40 in October and remaining flat through November despite short-term price volatility. 

The latest reading sits in the 20–30 range, deep within bearish conditions. The bounce from last week’s lows has done little to shift the underlying cycle signals. 

Another, the Bull Score mapped to price, reinforces this view. The model has transitioned from green “extra bullish” signals earlier this year to persistent red “bearish” and “extra bearish” readings across September, October, and November. 

Even the recent recovery toward $92,000 is categorized as a bearish-zone rally, mirroring distribution phases seen in previous cycle tops.

Momentum Metrics Strengthen the Bitcoin Bearish Case

Market momentum indicators now echo the same cycle shift. RSI remains neutral around 50, signalling a lack of conviction behind this week’s advance. 

Chaikin Money Flow has stayed negative for most of the month, reflecting continued capital outflows even as price recovers. 

While MACD recently flipped positive, the histogram already shows weakening amplitude. This indicates the move lacks sustained momentum.

Additional signals deepen the caution. Short-term RSI spikes above 70 in recent days failed to hold, showing sellers remain active during every attempt at a breakout. CMF’s inability to return to positive territory highlights ongoing distribution rather than accumulation. 

Meanwhile, MACD’s fragile crossover mirrors conditions seen during past bear market rallies, where momentum improves briefly before rolling over.

Taken together, on-chain, liquidity, and momentum indicators point to a structural shift into a bearish cycle. 

If Strategy holds its 650K BTC this cycle (or sells only a little), we would not see another -65% drawdown like in 2022.

We are about -25% from ATH now, and even if a bear cycle comes, the downside would likely be smaller and look more like a broad sideways range.

Long-term… pic.twitter.com/71HBg0UDs7

— Ki Young Ju (@ki_young_ju) December 3, 2025

While Tom Lee and Arthur Hayes argue that Bitcoin could regain its earlier strength, current market data suggests the opposite. 

Unless stablecoin liquidity, network activity, and demand growth rebound decisively, Bitcoin’s recent recovery is more likely a temporary bounce than the beginning of a new upside phase.

The post Most Bitcoin On-Chain Indicators Signal a New Bear Market Cycle appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Arthur Hayes is standing by his prediction that Bitcoin could reach $200,000–$250,000 by the end of 2025, despite the October–November crash and lingering market fear. 

Speaking on the Milk Road Show on November 26, he said the recent drop to $80,000 marked the cycle bottom and argued that global dollar liquidity has turned a corner.

“I’m going to stick with it,” Hayes said when asked if his $200,000–$250,000 target still holds with only weeks left in the year. “If I’m wrong it doesn’t matter… I’m long, I’m still happy either way.”

Hayes Calls $80,000 the Bottom After Liquidity Shock

Hayes framed the entire move from Bitcoin’s $125,000 high down to $80,000 as a liquidity-driven reset, not the start of a new bear market.

He said his Bloomberg-based US dollar liquidity index showed about $1 trillion drained from dollar money markets between July and now. 

This came from the US Treasury refilling its account and the Federal Reserve continuing quantitative tightening.

People think Bitcoin runs on halving cycles.

Wrong.

It runs on liquidity, politics and the US business cycle. Which hasn’t even started yet.

2026 is where the fireworks starts:
– QT ending
– The US Midterm election
– Booming economy and stock market for reelection purposes
-… pic.twitter.com/aiyOOlODm1

— Quinten | 048.eth (@QuintenFrancois) November 28, 2025

According to Hayes, Bitcoin ignored that liquidity drain for months because ETF inflows and Digital Asset Treasury (DAT) issuances masked the damage. 

Once those flows flipped, he said, Bitcoin “fell down to where it should have been based on the dollar liquidity situation.”

ETF “Institutional Bid” Was Just a Basis Trade

Hayes argued that the widely celebrated ETF bid was badly misunderstood by retail traders.

The largest holders of BlackRock’s IBIT ETF are firms like Brevan Howard, Goldman Sachs, Millennium, Jane Street and Avenue. 

These are not long-only Bitcoin believers, he stressed, but basis traders exploiting a spread.

“They’re taking the IBIT ETF, they buy it, they pledge it with their broker, then they sell a futures contract… they were making let’s call it 7 to 10% per annum on that trade,” he said. 

As funding rates fell in September and October, those players unwound the trade by selling ETFs and buying back futures, turning ETF flows negative.

Retail investors then misread the outflows as “institutions dumping Bitcoin,” Hayes said, without understanding that institutions were only unwinding a funding strategy.

JP MORGAN IS MOVING BITCOIN INTO THE $318 TRILLION BOND MARKET.

JP Morgan has launched a new structured note that gives investors exposure to Bitcoin through BlackRock’s spot ETF (IBIT).

This matters because it pulls Bitcoin directly into the traditional bond and fixed-income… pic.twitter.com/HZQLM9YgGG

— Bull Theory (@BullTheoryio) November 28, 2025

Hayes also highlighted the role of Digital Asset Treasury companies, which issue stock and debt to buy Bitcoin when their market NAV trades at a premium.

When those stocks fell to par or discount, he said, this model broke. DATs could no longer issue new securities in an accretive way. 

Some even had an incentive to sell Bitcoin and buy back their own shares.

“All we know is that we have essentially bottomed on the liquidity chart and the direction in the future is higher,” he said. “That’s why I believe that the $80,000 dip on Bitcoin recently is the bottom.”

He expects the next leg of liquidity to come less from the Fed and more from the commercial banking system, pointing to early signs of renewed bank lending and political plans for a credit-fuelled industrial build-out.

Why Bitcoin Is “Stuck” Around $90,000 For Now

Asked why Bitcoin still trades near $90,000 if the liquidity outlook is improving, Hayes pointed to uncertainty over how aggressively the new US administration will actually create credit.

Markets, he said, still question how and when another “$10 trillion” of liquidity will materialise. 

Promises about bank lending, industrial policy, and a new Fed chair remain political talk until they turn into concrete programs and flows.

“Once we actually start to see things happen, markets will price a bigger forward on where this dollar liquidity situation is and risk assets like Bitcoin will accelerate their rise in price,” Hayes said.

The post Arthur Hayes Sticks To His Extreme Bitcoin Price Prediction for Year-End appeared first on BeInCrypto.