In early 2026, a brief respite from the weeks-long trend of declining cryptocurrency values during U.S. trading hours was quickly reversed. Bitcoin, which had surged towards $95,000 as American markets opened, retreated to just above the $92,000 mark shortly after noon on the East Coast. This represented a decline of 1.3% over the previous 24 hours.
XRP, which spearheaded Monday’s crypto surge, experienced a drop of over 2% in just two hours. Similarly, Solana saw its value decrease after an initial boost when Morgan Stanley announced plans to offer a spot SOL ETF.
For further insights: Bitcoin targets $94,000 as cryptocurrency prices maintain early gains for two consecutive sessions
The downturn coincided with modest gains in U.S. stock markets — with the Nasdaq up by 0.4% and the S&P 500 rising by 0.3%. The metals market exhibited more significant movements; gold climbed by 1%, reclaiming $4,500 per ounce while silver surged by an impressive 5%, surpassing $80 per ounce for the first time in history. Copper also advanced by 1.1%, exceeding $6 per ounce for an unprecedented milestone.
Strong Start for ETF Inflows in 2026
On Monday, Bitcoin ETFs recorded their largest single-day inflow in nearly three months at approximately $697 million — indicating renewed institutional investments and adjustments following year-end tax-loss harvesting strategies. Ether demonstrated even stronger inflows with substantial block trades focused on mid- and long-term upside through call spreads; this suggests that traders are confident about price increases heading into the latter half of 2026 according to Wintermute’s crypto trading analysis.
The options market continues to reflect cautious optimism as stated by Jake Ostrovskis from Wintermute’s OTC division. He noted that traders are positioning themselves favorably for both BTC and ETH but remain mindful of underlying structural dynamics affecting these assets’ performance patterns—particularly regarding BTC’s negative skew driven largely by systematic overwriting and hedging practices among entities treating bitcoin like treasury assets.
This has made risk-reversals—where calls are purchased while puts are sold—a cost-effective strategy to express bullish sentiments on future price movements according to Ostrovskis.
Looking ahead, recent price trends suggest that bitcoin is increasingly viewed as a geopolitical hedge rather than being closely linked to inflation or central bank policies; instead it appears more aligned with statecraft considerations and long-term strategic positioning remarked Matt Mena from crypto research firm 21shares.
Mena pointed out that despite Bitcoin suffering a loss of around six percent throughout all of last year (2025), it has already regained much ground within just one week into this new year (2026). He emphasized that historically speaking; bitcoin has never recorded back-to-back years filled with losses.
Indeed after periods where cryptocurrencies ranked among poorly performing asset classes they have frequently rebounded sharply—as seen post-market declines witnessed during years such as those occurring between (2014), (2018) & (2022). If this historical trend persists then there is potential indication suggesting strong prospects lie ahead throughout digital asset landscapes during upcoming months within current calendar year – namely twenty twenty-six!