Leading cryptocurrencies consolidated with thin liquidity on the first day of 2026, while stock futures rallied.
Sentiment Improves From ‘Extreme Fear’ To ‘Fear’
Bitcoin wobbled between $87,000 and $88,000 as bulls await a decisive breakout above $90,000. Trading activity remained thin, with volumes dropping 42% over the last 24 hours.
Ethereum continued to face heavy resistance at $3,000, while trading volume fell 37% on the first day of 2026. Dogecoin, meanwhile, rallied over 7%.
In the past 24 hours, 106,108 traders were liquidated, with total liquidations reaching $124.01 million, according to Coinglass.
Bitcoin’s open interest rose 1.60% in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, over 67% of Binance traders with open BTC positions were positioned long, according to the Long/Short ratio, down from 72% a day earlier.
The market sentiment eased from “Extreme Fear” to “Fear,” according to the Crypto Fear and Greed Index.
Top Gainers (24 Hours)
The global cryptocurrency market capitalization stood at $3 trillion, following an increase of 0.97% in the last 24 hours.
Stocks Futures Start 2026 Higher
Stock futures edged higher on New Year’s Day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average Futures rose 65 points, or 0.13%, as of 7:45 p.m. EDT. Futures tied to the S&P 500 rallied 0.14%, while Nasdaq 100 Futures gained 0.16%.
In 2025, major stock indexes posted solid gains overall, as the S&P 500 climbed 16% and the Nasdaq Composite surged 20%.
Markets were closed for New Year’s Day and will resume normal trading on Friday.
Will Bitcoin Break Through?
Michaël van de Poppe, a widely followed cryptocurrency analyst and trader, noted that Bitcoin is facing strong resistance at its 21-day moving average, somewhere between $88,000 and $89,000.
“I think, once it cracks that level, things should go fast to $100,000,” the analyst predicted. “I’m very, very, very excited for the upcoming days.”
Ted Pillows, another popular cryptocurrency market commentator, spotted an “Adam and Eve” pattern on Bitcoin’s 4-hour chart, where a close above the $94,000 neckline could drive prices to $103,000-$105,000.
The Adam and Eve is a reversal pattern that can appear in both uptrends and downtrends, characterized by a double top or double bottom formation.
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$BTCBitcoin$88338.01-0.44%Overview$DOGEDogecoin$0.1264-0.19%$ETHEthereum$2992.61-0.26%$SOLSolana$126.02-0.56%$XRPRipple$1.87-0.40%COINCoinbase Global Inc$225.50-0.28%MSTRStrategy Inc$151.92-0.02%Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
