Another day, another red Bitcoin candle. Why is crypto crashing? Liquidations have exceeded $658 million in the last 24 hours, primarily affecting optimistic positions, intensifying the downward move amid thinner, year-end trading volumes. This deleveraging process appears driven by efforts to scale back excessive borrowing built up during recent rallies, leading to cascading sales as positions are forcibly closed.
Yet even amid this purge, PIPPIN keeps ripping, hitting a fresh all-time high. These isolated altcoins moving against the broader market keep trader motivation high as they search for the next crypto to explode.
For now, let’s analyze what is influencing the crypto market and what we can expect for the rest of 2025.
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Bitcoin
3.39%
Bitcoin
BTC
Price
$86,459.05
3.39% /24h
Volume in 24h
$43.19B
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trading around $85,600–$86,500 after dropping below $86,000, marking a decline of about 4 percent over the past day.
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Ethereum
4.83%
Ethereum
ETH
Price
$2,949.82
4.83% /24h
Volume in 24h
$24.07B
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has declined around 5 percent to near $2,950, contributing to a total market capitalization of approximately $2.93 trillion, down more than 3 percent. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index stands at 11–16, reflecting extreme fear among investors, a sentiment level that has often appeared before periods of recovery in past cycles.
Miners have faced difficulties, including regional restrictions that led to around 400,000 machines going offline and an 8 percent drop in network hashrate, prompting some to sell holdings to cover expenses.
EXPLORE: 20+ Next Crypto to Explode in 2025
In the United States, economic data releases this week, including combined employment figures and retail sales indicators, may provide clues about consumer strength and influence expectations for interest rates. Geopolitical issues, such as ongoing U.S.-Venezuela tensions involving asset seizures, raise possibilities of localized effects but do not seem to be the main force in the current global market movement.
Extreme Fear Sparks Bottom-Fishing Talk as Key $80K–$81K Bitcoin Support Comes Into Focus
Amid this environment, many are viewing the extreme fear reading as a historical buy indicator, suggesting that such lows often precede recoveries. Analysts point to support levels around $80,000 to $81,000 for Bitcoin, warning that breaches could lead to further retreats, possibly toward $70,000.
Conversely, some interpret the current adjustments as necessary for sustainable growth, clearing out overextended positions in preparation for renewed interest in the coming year.
As the holiday period progresses, reduced participation could continue to amplify fluctuations, but positive shifts in macroeconomic data or policy signals might provide relief.
DISCOVER: 9+ Best Memecoin to Buy in 2025
Next Crypto to Explode: Outperformers in the Current Dip – PIPPIN Hits A New ATH
While the overall market declines with Bitcoin falling below $86K, select altcoins demonstrate resilience and upward potential, marking them as options for the next crypto to explode.
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Pippin
24.43%
Pippin
PIPPIN
Price
$0.4657
24.43% /24h
Volume in 24h
$48.43M
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stands out with positive price action, gaining over 13% in the last 24 hours and reaching a new all-time high near $0.46 even as bearish conditions persist. This AI-related meme token maintains elevated trading volume above $70 million.
Even during market downturns, stories of overnight riches continue to emerge.
Trader BxNU5a turned $180K into $3.6M in less than 2 months, a 20x return.
He spent $180K to buy 8.16M $pippin on Oct 24 and is still holding — now valued at $3.6M.https://t.co/cXwqW7fr9y pic.twitter.com/sIz9Ni3HSu
— Lookonchain (@lookonchain) December 16, 2025
At the same time, privacy coins gain more attention as traders turn to assets less affected by volatility and regulatory developments.
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Monero
0.38%
Monero
XMR
Price
$413.12
0.38% /24h
Volume in 24h
$217.99M
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performs strongly, staying near $410 with limited losses relative to leading crypto—supporting its role as a stable choice during market stress.
With increasing interest in privacy features due to traceability issues in major assets, projects like XMR may drive gains once conditions improve. These examples point to potential for significant increases as capital moves from dominant coins.
Stay tuned for the latest crypto news.
Whales Are Capitulating… One of the Costliest AI Token Bets Yet
A major whale has fully exited AI agent tokens on Base, turning a $23 million investment into just $2.58 million. The forced sell-off locked in a staggering $20.43 million loss, nearly 89%, with severe drawdowns across FAI, AIXBT, BOTTO, POLY, NFTXBT, and MAICRO.
This might be one of the worst investments ever.
A whale/institution spent $23M buying AI agent tokens on #Base and sold everything today for only $2.58M, resulting in a $20.43M(−88.77%) loss.
Breakdown:$FAI: −$9.87M(−92.31%)$AIXBT: −$7.81M(−83.74%)$BOTTO:… pic.twitter.com/DbEqIyD6xT
— Lookonchain (@lookonchain) December 16, 2025
MetaMask Goes Omnichain as Key US Market Data Poised to Fire Up BTC USD Price
MetaMask, the well-known and probably most widely used EVM wallet, has taken another step toward becoming an all-in-one wallet after rolling out native Bitcoin support, effectively transforming the product into a MetaMask Omnichain setup.
MetaMask users can now manage Bitcoin next to Ethereum and Solana assets without jumping between apps or relying on third-party bridges. The update lets users buy BTC with fiat USD, move it around on-chain, and swap across networks directly within the app.
BITCOIN HAS ENTERED THE CHAT
MetaMask now supports BTC.
pic.twitter.com/S6ZdDStnct
— MetaMask.eth
(@MetaMask) December 15, 2025
The timing, though, was just when a probable bear hit. BTC USD has just dropped below $90,000, but markets are already looking ahead to a busy stretch of US economic data that will likely shake things loose. Providing us with space to predict what comes next for BTC USD.
Nonfarm payrolls, unemployment data, and flash PMI figures are all due soon, and expectations are cooling. November payroll growth is projected at roughly 40,000 jobs, well below September’s 119,000. Unemployment is expected to hold at 4.4%, while recent PMI readings have slipped slightly as momentum slows down.
The PMI (purchasing managers index) is one of the cleanest reads on the business cycle, above 50 is expansion, below 50 is contraction. We’ve now been contracting for 9 consecutive months, signalling that the real economy has been cooling for nearly a year. Historically, long…
— BabyKaius (@KaiusCoin_Team) December 11, 2025
The post [LIVE] Crypto News Today, December 16 – Bitcoin Falls Below $86K Amid Extreme Fear and Significant Liquidations – Next Crypto To Explode? appeared first on 99Bitcoins.
