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Bitcoin price dropped 0.89% to $87,384, but institutional inflows into spot ETFs remain strong, signaling continued long-term confidence.
Ethereum gained 0.26%, approaching the $3,000 level as ETH ETFs recorded significant new inflows despite short-term volatility.
AI tokens outperformed the market, while altcoins like Solana stayed stable and mid-cap projects showed selective strength.
Crypto prices today showed varied performance across major digital assets. Bitcoin retracted from recent highs while several altcoins posted gains. The market saw volatility, with AI tokens leading the charge even as broader market sentiment remained cautious. The total market cap stood at $3.01 trillion, down by 0.31% at press time. Here’s why the crypto market is down today, based on CoinMarketCap data.
Bitcoin price fell 0.89% over the past 24 hours to trade at $87,384.95, pulling back from its recent rally. Despite the dip, BTC maintained its dominant position with a market cap of $1.74 trillion and strong trading volume of $62.4 billion. The pullback comes after weeks of strong performance, with traders taking profits at elevated levels.
According to CoinSwitch Markets Desk, “BTC saw intraday swings, briefly dipping to $86,500 before buyers quickly stepped in and lifted prices back toward $87,000-$87,500. The $86,500 zone continues to act as a strong support, with market repeatedly bouncing from that level.”
CoinSwitch analysts further explained, “US PPI came in at 2.6% versus the 2.7% expectation, slightly softer, meaning inflation is cooling steadily. This improves the odds of a December rate cut. US equities also recovered from last week’s sell-off. In the near term, BTC may continue consolidating between $86,500 and $88,000. Sentiment would strengthen if the price pushes cleanly above $90,000.”
Bitcoin spot ETFs continued to attract institutional money, recording $128.7 million in net inflows on November 25. Fidelity's FBTC led the charge with $170.8 million in new investments, while BlackRock's IBIT added $83 million. However, some funds like ARKB and HODL saw investors pulling money out.
Strategy, one of the largest corporate Bitcoin holders, confirmed its reserves remain strong even in worst-case scenarios. The company said its BTC holdings would still cover its debt by 5.9 times even if Bitcoin dropped to its average purchase price of $74,000. The firm added that coverage would stay at 2 times even if BTC crashed to $25,000.
Also Read: Crypto Prices Today: Bitcoin Price Recovers to $88,247, XRP Spikes 8.51% and Solana Climbs 5.04%
Ethereum price gained 0.26% to reach $2,936.10, inching closer to the psychologically important $3,000 level. ETH's market cap stood at $354.37 billion with 24-hour trading volume hitting $22.3 billion. The second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap showed resilience despite broader market weakness.
Ethereum ETFs mirrored Bitcoin's positive fund flows, bringing in $78.6 million in fresh capital. FETH and ETHA saw strong demand from investors, though Grayscale's ETHE recorded a $23.3 million outflow as some holders exited their positions.
Market analyst Tom Lee from Fundstrat offered a bullish long-term view on Ethereum despite expecting near-term weakness. Lee said ETH could briefly drop to $2,500 but remains positioned for a ‘supercycle’ that could push prices to $7,000-$9,000 as soon as January.
Crypto prices today showed mixed results among top altcoins. XRP price fell 2.59% to $2.18, marking the biggest decline among major cryptocurrencies. Despite the drop, XRP maintained its fifth-place ranking with a $131.69 billion market cap and strong trading volume of $4.42 billion.
Solana price managed to edge up 0.03% to $138.40. It showed stability amid market turbulence. SOL's market cap reached $77.4 billion with an impressive 24-hour volume of $4.44 billion, reflecting continued interest in the high-speed blockchain network.
BNB, Binance's native token, dipped 0.35% to $859.83 but held onto its sixth-place position with a market cap of $118.43 billion. The token saw moderate trading activity with $1.91 billion in daily volume.
Stablecoins continue to be pegged to the US dollar, amid fluctuating crypto prices today. Tether (USDT) traded at $0.9995, up 0.02%, while USD Coin (USDC) traded at $0.9997 and was up by 0.01%. The total combined market cap between USDT and USDC exceeds $259 billion and provides essential liquidity to the crypto market.
TRON continues to move upward and saw a 0.66% increase to $0.2745, resulting in a market cap of $25.99 billion. Dogecoin (DOGE) has dropped by 0.66% to $0.1506 and continues to perform poorly. Meanwhile, Cardano (ADA) continues to be in a slump with a decrease of 1.05% to $0.4207.
Apart from individual token performance, crypto prices today were influenced by strong sector-specific trends. AI-related cryptocurrencies jumped nearly 2%, with KAITO surging 12.5% and Bittensor gaining 7.3%. SocialFi, DeFi, and Meme tokens also posted advances, showing selective strength in certain market segments.
Layer 2 solutions and PayFi sectors faced selling pressure, though some tokens like zkSync and Dash managed to post gains against the trend. The sector rotation suggests investors are becoming more selective rather than abandoning crypto markets entirely.
Cathie Wood's Ark Invest made aggressive moves to increase crypto exposure during Tuesday's market dip. The investment firm bought $13.5 million worth of Block shares, $7.6 million in Circle Internet Group, and $3.86 million in Coinbase stock across its various ETFs. Ark also picked up shares of Bullish, Robinhood, and one of its own spot Bitcoin ETFs, signaling confidence in crypto's long-term prospects.
Bitwise launched a new Dogecoin ETF (BWOW) holding 16.4 million DOGE tokens valued at approximately $2.5 million. The fund carries a 0.34% management fee, though Bitwise said it would waive fees for one month or until the fund reaches $500 million in assets, whichever comes first. The tokens are held in custody by Coinbase.
Also Read: Dogecoin News Today: DOGE Gains Strength as Price Rebounds From Key Support Zone
Crypto prices today reflect a market in transition, with institutional money continuing to flow into Bitcoin and Ethereum products even as short-term volatility persists. The combination of strong ETF demand, selective sector strength in AI and DeFi tokens, and aggressive buying from major investors like Ark suggests underlying confidence remains intact despite recent price weakness.
1. What happened to Bitcoin today to cause its prices to fall?
The price of Bitcoin fell below $8800 today largely as a result of profit-taking following an aggressive 2-week price rise. Short-term traders have taken their profits while long-term institutional investors continue to accumulate Bitcoin via spot ETFs, signalling that long-term confidence exists in Bitcoin even though short-term volatility continues.
2. How can Ethereum remain strong despite the weakness in most altcoins?
The increased investor interest in Ethereum-based ETFs has attracted new liquidity to the ETH market, resulting in a significant price increase this week. Therefore, while some analyst predictions, as seen with some of the funds, were negative, the general trend for Ethereum continues to be positive, and a long-term price rally will likely result from the expected continued growth of the Ethereum ecosystem.
3. What altcoins did the best on the market today?
Solana and TRON have demonstrated the greatest degree of resilience to this week's selloff because of slight price increases (compared to all other top altcoins that declined). Both projects are benefiting from strong network activity, heavy trading volume, and increased investor confidence in the future scalability of both projects.
4. Why are AI related tokens doing so well in the current market climate?
Investor focus on the AI sector has shifted into high gear this week, as evidenced by the rapid price increases of several AI-focused cryptocurrencies. In this environment of strong fundamentals and a real-world use case, tokens such as KAITO and Bittensor will likely be standouts during general market uncertainty.
5. Is institutional interest growing within the cryptocurrency market?
Yes, institutional investors, including firms like Ark Invest, continue to build their exposure to both Bitcoin and Ethereum, as well as companies that provide services in association with such. With strong ETF inflows being reported along with newly established ETF's, and continued purchases being made, it appears that institutional investors continue to possess confidence concerning the long-term viability and growth of the crypto marketplace.
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