Many crypto analysts have stated that, as the market matures, volatility will result in significant price movements. Still, we are seeing positive signs of increased adoption and utility, which can only mean another bull run or slow-burning rise in value in 2026.
Contributing factors include macro headwinds in the U.S., such as the Fed interest rate decision on December 10th, ongoing tariff wars, farmer subsidies and regulatory choices. Wild swings in the market will continue.
While all these issues can be disconcerting, the underlying factor is that crypto has been widely adopted institutionally and internationally, and its infrastructure is here to stay. There are differing opinions on how December will finish, but either way, it will be an erratic few weeks, while long-term focus is positive.
We continue to see more people adopting crypto, more access to fiat-to-crypto payments and vice versa, and mass adoption by the general public adding crypto to their investment portfolios. Let’s dive in to see what happened over the past 7 days.
A Great Time to Buy Low and HODL
The cryptocurrency market continues to dip, creating an opportunity for serious crypto enthusiasts to buy low and HODL. The Fear/Greed Index hasn’t fluctuated much since last week and has hovered around 20, where some traders sell, and others look for a bargain. The overall crypto market has stabilized around 3t USD but is down almost 21% from 2 weeks ago.
Positive News For DOGE Utility
The meme-inspired digital asset, Dogecoin, has been in the doldrums since mid-November. The price has been in a very tight range and is currently trading at 0.1413 USD. Last week, the token bounced as high as 0.1522 USD but has since come off and is up 3% for the week.
The utility has grown exponentially over the past 3 years, reaching an all-time high of 0.6358 USD in May 2021. The industry-wide adoption of the coin is growing, and the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, now allows its residents to pay city taxes and admin fees with Dogecoin, negotiated through Binance.
The institutional investor Vanguard has expressed interest in launching a Dogecoin ETF as it expands its options for investors and gives Dogecoin more visibility as a token with increasing utility.
Bitcoin Back to Staggered Upward Progress
After Bitcoin plunged to 83k USD on December 1st, it has since rebounded and is currently trading around 90k USD. This 7% bounce retraced some of November’s 17% losses, as traders believe the Fed will cut 25 basis points from the current interest rate. BTC outflows amounted to 60m USD but rebounded somewhat as Blackrock inflows of almost 29m USD helped stop the bleeding.
Whales made significant purchases, buying up 650m USD of BTC as short positions were liquidated. The market saw net buyers of BTC as the week ended.
Bitcoin held strong at the 87k USD support level and rose as high as 93k USD earlier in the week. While many traders have said the past year has been a bear market for BTC, others have optimistically suggested that the worst is over and that a rally in the coming year is imminent.
Many traders have experienced a very tough year and are prepared for any price fluctuations as they have already weathered the current storm. As the market matures, so does the infrastructure’s complexity, driven by the growing involvement of Wall Street and the increasing number of institutional investors.
With the integration of Wall Street and the adoption of BTC, the network will continue to mature and grow, benefiting the entire market.
4% Ethereum Price Surge
On December 3rd, Ethereum saw a 4% price surge. The network activated its Fusaka upgrade, and the price shot up by almost 800 USD.
The upgrade saw increased trading across multiple exchanges as buyers expressed interest in the improved network. Most of the interest is coming from L2 ecosystems that will improve their off-chain transaction processing (batching hundreds of transactions into one compressed transaction).
Since the upgrade rollout, the price of ETH has flattened out as traders figure out whether the momentum will continue. This will be based on market adoption, and if the L2 changes will reduce overall fees.
These changes won’t make Ethereum deflationary, but they should set a new standard for the network’s long-term growth (users/cheaper). Over the week, the price of ETH rose over 10% and is currently trading at 3.1k USD
Is LTC is Bouncing Back?
In the past week, Litecoin has bounced off monthly lows. The altcoin is currently trading around the 83 USD level, with strong support at 80 USD. The coin has remained in a narrow range but looks headed for higher highs as recent news has emerged. A Singaporean company, Coinut, launched Wrapped Litecoin on the Ethereum (WLTC) network on December 1st.
The new tokenized version of LTC can be used between LTC’s blockchain and ETH’s ecosystem. Users of Litecoin will now have access to Ethereum’s DeFi and dApps (also staking, yield farming and lending). WLTC will be able to utilize ETH’s decentralized exchanges, increasing trading options and liquidity, which are not as well supported on the LTC platform.
Other significant advantages for WLTC include ERC20 contracts, which give users opportunities to earn rewards and greater access to the ETH financial ecosystem. Of course, this will depend on user adoption, which has been declining since other ETH-wrapped assets emerged in 2024.
Our Analysis Suggests Another Bull Run is Not Far Away
There’s always doom and gloom when prices aren’t going the way most crypto investors want them to. Obviously, that means up. However, this isn’t the FOREX market where currency volatility is mild. As a crypto adopter, the mindset you should always have is that cryptocurrency will swing 5% to 30% across higher-market-cap coins, and even more so with lower-cap coins.
The most crucial factor to consider is what the future holds for cryptocurrency. There’s only one conclusion we can come to, and that is more coins with a utility purpose that will become a mainstay part of the future financial circuit and continue adoption as more people understand the importance of adding crypto to their investment portfolio.
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