Crypto stocks jump as bitcoin suddenly breaks $90,000; HUT and COIN lead gains

December 17, 2025

Crypto stocks jump as bitcoin suddenly breaks $90,000; HUT and COIN lead gains

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Mining stocks, trading platforms, and cryptocurrency infrastructure firms saw significant gains, including Hut 8, Riot Platforms, and Coinbase.

By Francisco Rodrigues|Edited by Aoyon Ashraf

Updated Dec 17, 2025, 3:52 p.m. Published Dec 17, 2025, 3:36 p.m.

Price and depth chart on laptop (Austin Distel/Unsplash/Modified by CoinDesk)
  • The price of bitcoin (BTC) surged over 2.8% in an hour, rising above $90,000 to mark a fresh session high and triggering gains across crypto-linked companies.
  • Mining stocks, trading platforms, and cryptocurrency infrastructure firms saw significant gains, with HUT, RIOT, and COIN rallying.
  • The broader cryptocurrency market is also showing signs of renewed momentum, with other cryptocurrencies, such as Ether and XRP, also seeing gains of 2.3% and 2.5%, respectively, and Bitcoin treasury firm Strategy (MSTR) rising 1.6%.

Shares of crypto-linked companies are rallying after the price of bitcoin BTC$88,440.70 surged more than 2.8% in an hour to rise above $90,000, marking a fresh high and reigniting interest across the sector.

The price jump triggered gains across mining stocks, trading platforms and cryptocurrency infrastructure firms. Bitcoin miner Hut 8 (HUT) outperformed the wider sector, rising 14.4% to $42, while rival CleanSpark (CLSK) saw a 5.1% rise after the opening bell to top $12, and Riot Platform (RIOT) rose 3.5% to near $14.

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Read more: Bitcoin re-takes $90,000 as price spikes early in U.S. session

These mining firms depend heavily on bitcoin’s price for revenue, with rising BTC prices often meaning fatter mining margins and a more sustainable environment. However, HUT had surged 20% in early trading after announcing a 15-year, $7 billion lease agreement with AI infrastructure firm Fluidstack.

Potential catalysts for the broader rally include traders weighing the possibility of Fed Governor Chris Waller as the frontrunner to succeed Jerome Powell as the next Chair of the Federal Reserve. Waller has made dovish comments, saying the neutral fed funds rate may be 50 to 100 basis points below previous expectations.

However, on prediction markets, the Feds’ perceived future policy direction doesn’t appear to be as dovish. On Polymarket, traders are assigning a 77% probability to a no rate cut next month. On Kalshi odds are at 78%. CME’s FedWatch shows a similar chance.

Coinbase (COIN), the largest publicly traded crypto exchange in the U.S., also posted solid gains, up 2.27% to $258. The company earns a cut of trading volume, which typically spikes during volatile periods, as December has been proving to be.

The company is also set to unveil a series of upgrades later in the day, which are expected to include tokenized assets, onchain AI agents, and additional Base features.

Bitcoin treasury firm Strategy (MSTR), which holds 671,268 BTC worth $60.3 billion, rose 1.6% to $170. While bitcoin rose to surpass the $3,000 mark, several other cryptocurrencies saw similar performance, with ether increasing 2.3% in an hour to surpass $3,000 and XRP rising 2.5% to near $2.

The broader crypto market is showing signs of renewed momentum after weeks of consolidation.

Read more: Bitcoin shorts scramble for the exits as BTC climbs

UPDATE (Dec. 17, 15:51 UTC): Updates to add prediction markets’ odds for rate cuts.

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By James Van Straten, Oliver Knight|Edited by Sheldon Reback

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Bitcoin surged from an intraday low near $86,200 to reclaim $90,000, driven by aggressive spot buying and a wave of short liquidations.

What to know:

  • Over $110 million in bitcoin short positions were liquidated in the past hour, according to Coinglass alongside a muted rise in open interest
  • The action points to spot-driven demand rather than leveraged bets driving BTC’s surge to $90,000.
  • Bitcoin’s cumulative volume delta jumped 1,100% during the rally, signaling aggressive buying pressure not seen since early December.
  • Global Macro Investor’s Julien Bittel says an “oversold” RSI reading supports a prolonged bull market, arguing the traditional four-year cycle has broken down as bitcoin dominance climbs toward 60%.


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