Overview
- Bitcoin jumped toward $89,000 on a cooler 2.7% U.S. CPI print before sliding back to around $86,000, extending this week’s sharp intraday reversals.
- U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs logged a $457.3 million net inflow on Dec. 17 led by Fidelity’s FBTC and BlackRock’s IBIT, a day after $277 million in outflows, underscoring volatile institutional demand.
- Options data show heavy put positioning around the $85,000 strike, negative skew and rising implied volatility near 45%–50%, signaling defensive hedging into the Dec. 26 expiry.
- Derivatives liquidations swelled to roughly $500 million over 24 hours as total crypto capitalization again tested below $3 trillion, with Bitcoin’s market dominance near 60%.
- On-chain metrics highlight renewed selling by long-term holders, and market-depth readings point to thin liquidity heading into the Bank of Japan decision and the holiday period.