Crypto woke up in a good mood. Market cap pushed higher, Bitcoin defended key levels like a seasoned heavyweight, and Ethereum quietly kept the engine running at full throttle. Meanwhile, geopolitics, a firm dollar, and selective altcoin explosions reminded everyone: this market never sleeps\u200a\u2014\u200ait just pretends\u00a0to.<\/strong><\/p>\n Over the past 24 hours, total crypto market cap climbed to roughly 3.14 trillion USD<\/strong>, implying about a 0.9\u20132% daily gain, extending the New Year\u2019s bullish run<\/strong>. Bitcoin dominance sits around 59.32%<\/strong>, signalling that investors still prefer blue\u2011chip<\/strong> exposure over deep speculative altcoins at this stage of the\u00a0cycle.\u200b<\/p>\n Rising US-Venezuela tensions<\/strong> and broader geopolitical risk pushed some capital toward Bitcoin as a \u201cgeopolitical hedge<\/strong>\u201d while equities chopped sideways.\u200bEarly 2026 is increasingly framed as a structural bullish turning point for crypto, supported by ETF flows<\/strong>, tokenization trends and a more constructive US policy\u00a0stance.\u200b<\/p>\n During the holidays, investor sentiment improved markedly and the Crypto Fear and Greed Index<\/strong> climbed to 42, signaling a return to a neutral<\/strong> market mood after a prolonged period of\u00a0fear.<\/p>\n Over 24 hours, Bitcoin <\/strong>traded roughly between 90,900 and 93,155 USD<\/strong>, with the latest prints near 92,800\u201392,900 USD, marking about a 0.9\u20131.1% daily advance<\/strong>. A pattern of higher lows above 91,500 USD suggests buyers are aggressively defending dips<\/strong> despite geopolitical noise.\u200b<\/p>\n Ethereum held above 3,150 USD<\/strong>, with a 24H range around 3,143\u20133,209 USD<\/strong> and a close near 3,163 USD, translating into roughly a 1.3% gain. ETH action is anchored in strong network growth and upgrade expectations<\/strong>, with several analysts eyeing a cleaner breakout only once the 4,000\u20134,061 USD region is reclaimed and\u00a0held.\u200b<\/p>\n BTC:<\/strong> heavy short liquidations (hundreds of millions USD in recent sessions), sustained institutional interest via derivatives and ETF narratives, and the \u201cdigital macro hedge\u201d story during geopolitical stress.\u200bETH:<\/strong> surging on\u2011chain activity, institutional staking and ETF\u2011style products, plus DeFi and tokenization themes driving persistent demand for block\u00a0space.\u200b<\/p>\n Fresh on\u2011chain data show a very active yet efficient Bitcoin network\u200a\u2014\u200afees are low, block times fast and hashrate near record territory. For investors, this combination is typical of a healthy bull phase where infrastructure can absorb higher usage without congestion or fee blow\u2011outs.\u200b<\/p>\n Supports:<\/strong> ~91,500 USD (yesterday\u2019s intraday dip region), ~90,900 USD (recent daily\u00a0low).\u200bResistances:<\/strong> ~93,000\u201393,200 USD (intraday highs and short\u2011cover cluster), then the round 95,000 and 100,000 USD zones as medium\u2011term targets.\u200b<\/p>\n During the holiday period, no adjustments were made to the BTCUSD position<\/strong>\u200a\u2014\u200aChristmas is for resting, not overtrading the market. The market has rewarded this patience, with Bitcoin now up 4.64%<\/strong> from our initial entry. At this stage, the only logical move is to raise the Stop-loss to $88,499<\/strong>, locking in a solid cushion of profit while letting the trend work in our\u00a0favour.<\/p>\n Ethereum\u2019s on\u2011chain picture remains extremely strong, with activity consistent with a \u201cfully engaged\u201d network rather than a dormant one. Daily active addresses, transactions and smart\u2011contract deployments underline a broad\u2011based DeFi, L2 and tokenization uptrend that often front\u2011runs price by several\u00a0months.\u200b<\/p>\n In the ETHUSD<\/strong> setup, the Stop\u2011loss order is placed at $2\u00a0911.70<\/strong>.<\/p>\n While exact intraday tick data vary by source, recent price action shows the US Dollar Index grinding higher with a positive daily change. A roughly +0.3% move in DXY indicates a firmer dollar versus major counterparts, driven by relative yield support and cautious risk sentiment.\u200b<\/p>\n US yields have edged higher<\/strong> and markets are reassessing how quickly the Fed will cut rates, delaying the \u201ceasy money\u201d\u00a0phase.\u200bGlobal equity indices (Nikkei, Hang Seng, Sensex, others) show mixed performance, supporting safe\u2011haven flows back into\u00a0USD<\/strong>.\u200b<\/p>\n For crypto investors, this means a rising DXY can cap upside or force consolidations; conversely, any clear DXY downtrend would likely act as fuel<\/strong> for the next strong BTC\/ETH leg\u00a0higher.\u200b<\/p>\n Edge often hides in fresh winners, but percentage moves only matter if volume is real and sustainable. The snapshot below blends information from top\u2011gainer lists on major venues (KuCoin and market\u2011wide trackers).\u200b<\/p>\n Market sentiment right now is cautiously bullish<\/strong>: market cap edges higher, BTC and ETH keep printing higher lows, and on\u2011chain data are strong, yet a firmer dollar and geopolitics are credible headwinds.\u200b<\/p>\n Bitcoin:<\/strong> As long as price holds above ~91,500\u201390,900 USD, the structure remains bullish with upside targets near 95,000 and then 100,000 USD; a decisive break below that range would open risk of a deeper test toward the 88\u201389K\u00a0zone.\u200bEthereum:<\/strong> Above 3,100 USD, ETH has room to test the 3,300\u20133,400 USD band, while a more aggressive breakout scenario is anchored around reclaiming and holding the 4,000\u20134,061 USD\u00a0region.\u200b<\/p>\n Analysts increasingly highlight 100,000 USD as an \u201cessential\u201d breakout level for BTC<\/strong>, beyond which ETF flows and macro liquidity could push the asset into a structurally higher\u00a0range.\u200bETH\u2019s <\/strong>longer\u2011term upside is tied to L2 scaling and real\u2011world tokenization; institutional tokenized bonds and treasuries on Ethereum\u2011aligned rails could justify prices above 4,500\u20135,000 USD<\/strong> over the\u00a0cycle.\u200b<\/p>\n Macro \/ BTC hedge narrative:<\/strong>DeFi \/ oracle narrative:<\/strong>L2 \/ scaling narrative:<\/strong>Interoperability narrative:<\/strong>High\u2011risk, high\u2011growth narrative:<\/strong><\/p>\n The crypto market is neither euphoric nor afraid\u200a\u2014\u200ait\u2019s alert, caffeinated, and watching the charts closely. Source: Coincentral.com, Tradingview.com, Coinranking.com<\/a>, Coingecko.com<\/a>, Coinmarketcap.com<\/a><\/p>\n More about Crypto market<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Originally published at <\/em>https:\/\/aipt.lt<\/em><\/a> on January 5,\u00a02026.<\/em><\/p>\n Bitcoin Holds Strong as Altcoins Surge\u200a\u2014\u200aWhat Comes Next?<\/a> was originally published in Coinmonks<\/a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bitcoin Holds Strong as Altcoins Surge\u200a\u2014\u200aWhat Comes\u00a0Next? Crypto woke up in a good mood. Market cap pushed higher, Bitcoin defended key levels like a seasoned heavyweight, and Ethereum quietly kept the engine running at full throttle. Meanwhile, geopolitics, a firm dollar, and selective altcoin explosions reminded everyone: this market never sleeps\u200a\u2014\u200ait just pretends\u00a0to. Market backdrop: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":124719,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-124718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124718"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=124718"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124718\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/124719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=124718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=124718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=124718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Market backdrop: what happened in 24\u00a0hours<\/h3>\n
Key macro and news\u00a0drivers:<\/h3>\n
Bitcoin & Ethereum: latest price action and\u00a0why<\/h3>\n
Main forces behind the\u00a0move:<\/h3>\n
Bitcoin on\u2011chain: key 24H\u00a0metrics<\/h3>\n
BTC 24H VWAP & S\/R\u00a0idea<\/h3>\n
Ethereum on\u2011chain: network at full\u00a0throttle<\/h3>\n
DXY: headwind or tailwind?<\/h3>\n
Main reasons DXY is firm and pressuring risk\u00a0assets:<\/h3>\n
Top 5 altcoin winners (24H)\u200a\u2014\u200awith volume\u00a0context<\/h3>\n
Top 5 altcoin gainers (last\u00a024H)<\/h3>\n
Current market, Bitcoin & Ethereum\u00a0outlook<\/h3>\n
Short\u2011term (next days to a week) scenarios:<\/h3>\n
Medium\u2011term (through 2026) narratives:<\/h3>\n
One \u201cgood\u201d project idea per narrative<\/h3>\n
Crypto Conclusion<\/h3>\n
Bitcoin keeps flexing its \u201cdigital hedge\u201d muscles, Ethereum is building patiently, and altcoins are\u2026 well, being altcoins. If this were a movie, we\u2019d be somewhere between the calm before the breakout<\/em> and don\u2019t blink or you\u2019ll miss\u00a0it<\/em>.<\/p>\n