Bitcoin price news: BTC under $88,000 ahead of Fed week and Big Tech earnings
January 25, 2026
Bitcoin price news: BTC under $88,000 ahead of Fed week and Big Tech earnings
Bitcoin and major tokens weakened Sunday as markets positioned ahead of the Federal Reserve’s next rate decision and a heavy slate of Magnificent Seven earnings.
By Shaurya Malwa|Edited by Aoyon Ashraf
Updated Jan 25, 2026, 6:19 p.m. Published Jan 25, 2026, 5:48 p.m.

- Bitcoin fell below $88,000 in thin weekend trading, extending a weeklong pullback that has left most major cryptocurrencies sharply lower, amid macro and geopolitical tension.
- Market sentiment remains fragile after more than $1 billion in leveraged crypto positions were liquidated amid recent volatility in currencies and bond markets.
- Traders are watching potential Japanese yen intervention, U.S. political brinkmanship over a spending bill and a heavy tech-earnings calendar, as the Federal Reserve is expected to keep interest rates unchanged.
Bitcoin slipped below the $88,000 level on Sunday as crypto markets weakened in thin weekend trading, extending a pullback that has weighed on the crypto market over the past week.
BTC traded around $87,800 in U.S. afternoon hours, down roughly 2% over 24 hours, according to CoinDesk data. Ether fell toward $2,880, while solana, XRP and cardano each posted losses of between 3% and 5% on the day. Most major tokens have remained sharply down over the past seven days, reflecting the fragile sentiment across the market.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW

The move caused $224 million in liquidations on bullish bets in the last 24 hours, led by $68 million on bitcoin-tracked futures and $45 million on ether-based futures, according to CoinGlass data.
Weekend moves are often driven less by fresh information and more by positioning adjustments, particularly after periods of heightened volatility earlier in the week.
Traders are entering the new week on heightened alert for possible intervention in the Japanese yen after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned against “abnormal” market moves, comments that followed a sudden reversal in the yen late Friday.
The currency’s sharp rally raised caution across Asian trading desks, even as officials stopped short of confirming any action, per Bloomberg.
Elsewhere, political risk in the U.S. added to an already unsettled backdrop.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said his party would block a major spending package unless funding for the Department of Homeland Security is removed, increasing the risk of a partial government shutdown.
While such standoffs are familiar, they can tighten near-term liquidity conditions and weigh on sentiment across risk assets, particularly during periods of elevated positioning.
Previously, heading into a potential government shutdown, bitcoin has historically seen selling pressure, followed by a rally.

Currently, Polymarket traders are putting a 76% chance on a U.S. government shutdown by the end of this month.
Read more: Previous U.S. Government Shutdown Aligned With Bitcoin’s Bear Market Bottom
Attention now turns to the week ahead, with investors also looking to a heavy earnings week that includes results from several megacap technology firms, including Microsoft, Meta Platforms, Tesla, and Apple, among the “Magnificent 7” tech giants.
Traders will be watching for any clues on how these companies’ earnings trends are shaping artificial intelligence (AI)-related results. And market will likely move based on their comments for the AI industry outlook. Bitcoin, which is now trading like a risk asset, may also move with these results and comments.
Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve’s first rate decision of this year will also be widely watched by the traders. While the Fed is expected to hold rates steady at its upcoming meeting, the market will be closely watching what Chairman Jerome Powell says during his post-meeting press conference, which could move bitcoin and other asset classes.
Read more: Here’s what Fed’s highly anticipated rate decision this week means for bitcoin and the dollar
UPDATE (Jan. 25, 6:13 PM UTC): Updates throughout with data and additional context.
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Dec 22, 2025

KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
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By Shaurya Malwa, CD Analytics
43 minutes ago

Price stabilizes near recent lows after a volatile pullback from above $2.
What to know:
- XRP slipped nearly 4% as bitcoin fell below $88,000, with price action driven more by market structure and positioning than by changes to Ripple’s fundamentals.
- Spot XRP ETFs saw about $40.6 million in weekly outflows, suggesting institutional profit-taking and rotation rather than a loss of confidence in the asset.
- XRP remains range-bound in a tight consolidation between support around $1.88 and resistance near $1.93–$1.95, with fading volume pointing to a larger move once the current stalemate resolves.
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