Research

Looking ahead to early 2026, with marginal improvements in macro liquidity and implied volatility (IV) at relatively low levels, the market may enter a high-level consolidation and accumulation phase. Should trading volume and realized volatility rebound in tandem, BTC and ETH could see a phase-wise upside breakout.

Gate Research: On December 31, the crypto market saw a mild recovery with a slight uptick in risk appetite. BTC and ETH traded on the stronger side of their respective ranges, with BTC consolidating between $88,000–$89,000 and awaiting a directional breakout, while ETH held firmly in the $2,950–$3,000 zone, showing relatively stronger structure as its consolidation phase approaches an inflection point. On the sector front, ELIZAOS, CC, and RECALL posted notable gains driven respectively by AI Agents, RWA institutional partnerships, and AI trading competitions. Structurally, the market cap of tokenized equities reaching new highs and a rebound in ETH staking demand are key positive signals at this stage, though the sustainability of this trend remains contingent on market sentiment and the actual delivery of expected catalysts.

Gate Research Daily Report: On December 31, the crypto market saw a mild recovery with a slight uptick in risk appetite. BTC and ETH traded on the stronger side of their respective ranges, with BTC consolidating between $88,000–$89,000 and awaiting a directional breakout, while ETH held firmly in the $2,950–$3,000 zone, showing relatively stronger structure as its consolidation phase approaches an inflection point. On the sector front, ELIZAOS, CC, and RECALL posted notable gains driven respectively by AI Agents, RWA institutional partnerships, and AI trading competitions. Structurally, the market cap of tokenized equities reaching new highs and a rebound in ETH staking demand are key positive signals at this stage, though the sustainability of this trend remains contingent on market sentiment and the actual delivery of expected catalysts.

BTC consolidated between $87,000 and $90,500 and gradually stabilized, but upward momentum remains limited. ETH continued its low-level recovery, slowly climbing after finding solid support around $2,900. CC surged 43.84% over the past week, standing out as the top performer. Ethereum led net inflows with nearly $200 million. This trend largely reflects defensive capital reallocation during a contraction phase. Transaction volumes on crypto payment cards continue to expand, and stablecoin payment use cases are accelerating, emerging as one of the few areas that maintain growth certainty in a cautious market environment.

Gate Research Daily Report: Bitcoin continues to trade within a narrow range, having faced resistance near the $90,000 level four times since mid-December. Recent price action in Ethereum suggests a clear shift toward a wait-and-see market sentiment, with bullish momentum weakening while bears have yet to take effective control. ZEROBASE surged 61.82%, mainly driven by sector rotation into privacy-focused tokens, while ZRT gained 27.80%, largely fueled by investor sentiment. The RWA sector’s TVL has surpassed that of DEXs, ranking as the fifth-largest vertical in DeFi. Bitcoin’s year-end rebound toward $90,000 has lost momentum amid insufficient demand and weakening on-chain activity. Meanwhile, as silver prices surged to record highs, trading volume in tokenized silver increased by more than 1,200%.

Gate Research: On December 29, the crypto market continued its recovery amid the low-liquidity environment brought on by the overlapping Christmas and New Year holidays. Mainstream assets showed signs of structural recovery, with overall risk appetite warming moderately but remaining cautious. TOKEN surged sharply due to its low circulating market cap combined with leaderboard effects, reflecting short-term speculative momentum.

Gate Research Daily Report: On December 29, during the low-liquidity environment caused by the overlap of the Christmas holiday and the upcoming New Year, the crypto market continued its structurally corrective trend. BTC rebounded above $88,000, while ETH is hovering near the $3,000 mark, with market sentiment remaining cautious. In terms of daily highlights, TOKEN, TAKE, and RIVER were active due to speculation, staking incentives, and product mechanism drivers. On the Alpha side, Polymarket Builders’ weekly trading volume hit a record high of $50 million; Uniswap completed the historic burn of 100 million UNI and pushed forward its fee redistribution mechanism; Solana co-founder Toly expressed optimism with a prediction that stablecoin market size would surpass $1 trillion.

Gate Research Daily Report: On December 25, BTC first experienced a clear pullback before staging a rebound, while ETH underperformed BTC overall. After rebounding into the USD 2,960–2,980 range, ETH failed to hold its gains and quickly retreated. GT remained relatively stable over the past 24 hours, with prices mainly oscillating between USD 10.10 and USD 10.25, while CHEEL drew market attention with a surge of up to +97.10%. Meanwhile, XRP ETF net assets surpassed USD 1.25 billion, though the price continued to trade within a narrow range. ZachXBT revealed a vulnerability in the Trust Wallet browser extension, resulting in losses of at least USD 6 million for users. In addition, BTC spot ETFs recorded continued net outflows over the past week, signaling a noticeable weakening in short-term market sentiment.

Gate Research Daily Report: On December 25, BTC first experienced a clear pullback before staging a rebound, while ETH underperformed BTC overall. After rebounding into the USD 2,960–2,980 range, ETH failed to hold its gains and quickly retreated. GT remained relatively stable over the past 24 hours, with prices mainly oscillating between USD 10.10 and USD 10.25, while CHEEL drew market attention with a surge of up to +97.10%. Meanwhile, XRP ETF net assets surpassed USD 1.25 billion, though the price continued to trade within a narrow range. ZachXBT revealed a vulnerability in the Trust Wallet browser extension, resulting in losses of at least USD 6 million for users. In addition, BTC spot ETFs recorded continued net outflows over the past week, signaling a noticeable weakening in short-term market sentiment.

Gate Research: BTC and ETH remain in a weak consolidation phase, with price levels trending lower and rebounds lacking sustainability. Periodic spikes in volatility indicate that market sentiment remains fragile and highly sensitive to key price levels. On the derivatives side, following the earlier deleveraging cycle, fresh capital has yet to return meaningfully, with open interest staying at relatively low levels; liquidation dynamics continue to be skewed toward long positions, suggesting that confidence has not fully recovered and that near-term risks of further consolidation or pullbacks persist. From a quantitative strategy perspective, moving-average trend breakout models demonstrate solid trend-capturing capability in assets such as DOGE, ADA, and SOL, though they may be constrained by signal lag during fast, one-sided market moves.

Gate Research Weekly Report: Bitcoin’s short-term trend remains bearish, while Ethereum is also trading within a downtrend channel, indicating that market direction is still uncertain. BEEFI surged 31.72%, mainly driven by technical momentum, while ZBT rose 35.50% following a strategic-level technical upgrade. Bitcoin options are set for a concentrated expiry this Friday, marking the largest expiration on record. Nvidia acquired AI chip startup Groq in its largest acquisition to date. Maple Finance completed a record-breaking single loan of $500 million. Polymarket stated that the recent user account breach was caused by a third-party vulnerability, which has now been fixed. HYPE, SUI, and SVL are scheduled to unlock approximately $246 million, $61.61 million, and $12.67 million worth of tokens respectively over the next seven days.

Gate Research: Bitcoin’s short-term trend remains bearish, with prices consolidating below key resistance levels. Ethereum is also trading within a descending channel, reflecting continued uncertainty over market direction.BEEFI surged 31.72%, driven primarily by technical momentum, while ZBT jumped 35.50% following a strategic technology upgrade. This Friday marks the largest Bitcoin options expiry on record. Nvidia has agreed to acquire AI chip startup Groq for approximately $20 billion in cash, its largest acquisition to date. Meanwhile, Maple Finance completed a record-breaking single loan of $500 million, with outstanding borrows on the platform reaching an all-time high.

On December 24, the crypto market remained in a weak consolidation phase, with risk appetite staying subdued. BTC traded within the $87,500–88,000 range, where downside momentum showed marginal easing but overhead resistance remained intact; ETH stabilized near $2,900 and rebounded into the $2,950–2,970 range, indicating a recovery-driven move rather than a trend reversal. In terms of market highlights, CXT surged sharply amid infrastructure-related developments and low circulating supply dynamics, ICNT advanced on the back of enterprise adoption progress and renewed cloud infrastructure narratives, while PIPPIN’s gains were largely driven by technical breakouts and short-term speculative flows.

Gate Research Daily Report: On December 24, the crypto market remained in a weak consolidation phase, with risk appetite staying subdued. BTC traded within the $87,500–88,000 range, where downside momentum showed marginal easing but overhead resistance remained intact; ETH stabilized near $2,900 and rebounded into the $2,950–2,970 range, indicating a recovery-driven move rather than a trend reversal. In terms of market highlights, CXT surged sharply amid infrastructure-related developments and low circulating supply dynamics, ICNT advanced on the back of enterprise adoption progress and renewed cloud infrastructure narratives, while PIPPIN’s gains were largely driven by technical breakouts and short-term speculative flows. Structurally, easing OTC selling pressure suggests the de-risking phase is approaching its later stages, while the Solana ecosystem is showing a bifurcated trajectory, shaped by financing pressure at Upexi on one hand and the introduction of yield-bearing treasury assets via OpenEden on the

BTC rebounded after a swift dip near $83,800, while ETH regained a foothold above the $3,000 psychological level over the weekend. Overall, the crypto market is showing a technical rebound rather than a trend reversal. BEAT surged more than 46.00% last week, making it the top-performing token. Ethereum emerged as the primary destination for capital inflows, significantly outperforming other networks. Within the BSC ecosystem, competition among prediction markets has intensified sharply. Opinion has taken a leading position, supported by low fees and early liquidity advantages. While newer platforms have introduced innovations in mechanisms and incentives, their marginal contribution to overall market scale remains limited.