Crypto Market

Crypto	BTC	ETH
Weekly High	$ 94,420	$ 3,293
Weekly Low	$ 89,800	$ 3,069

BTC and ETH Market Insight

In the second week of 2026, following a rapid surge from around 86,000 to 95,000 in the first week, the cryptocurrency market entered a phase of consolidation as anticipated.

BTC hovered around the support at 90K, held up by supportive gamma exposure clustered lower (particularly around the $85K–$90K strikes) while negative gamma above spot capped upside and kept price action pinned in the tight $90–92K range. Major alt coins like Ethereum and Solana followed similar patterns, with brief pumps followed by pullbacks. Overall sentiment remained cautious, with no major breakout despite high early volumes; Fear & Greed Index stayed in Neutral despite the small retreat in price.

The market was relatively quiet with no significant events on either the macroeconomic or microeconomic sides. However, participants should remain cautious about the geopolitical events that could linger and influence the market direction in the early to mid-2026.

In summary, the week started with momentum but ended in pullback to digest prior gains while awaiting clearer macro direction for a firmer breakout.

Upcoming Macro Calendar - Source: Trading Economics

Options Market

BTC and ETH options markets reflected cautious sentiment amid a $2.3 billion Deribit expiry on January 9, with BTC's put-call ratio at 1.07 (max pain $90k) and ETH's at 0.88 (max pain $3.1k), signaling mixed positioning as calls slightly dominated ETH while puts edged BTC. Implied volatility picked up in tandem with realised volatility, compressing the volatility risk premium (VRP). Skew shifted bearish, with short-dated OTM puts trading at around 7 vol point premiums over calls for both assets, indicating defensive hedging. ETF netflows flipped from early inflows to outflows, netting mixed but ultimately subdued institutional demand.

Altcoins and Blockchain News

Altseason Signals Intensify: As BTC consolidates, capital is rotating into mid-to-large cap altcoins, pushing their trading volume share above 55%.
XRP & SOL Lead Majors: XRP surged nearly 30% while SOL rose over 12%, driven by growing expectations for spot ETF approvals in 2026.
RENDER Dominates AI Sector: RENDER led the market with a 57% weekly gain, solidifying AI as a primary investment theme for 2026.
Solana "Alpenglow" Upgrade: Solana announced a major consensus upgrade to enhance network stability and performance for long-term scalability.
Stablecoin Payment Adoption: Stablecoin platform Rain secured $250M in funding, highlighting the shift of crypto payments into mainstream commerce.
Meme Coin Volatility: Speculative interest remains high, with assets like BONK frequently topping gainers lists due to increased risk appetite.
Ethereum Recovery: ETH broke above $3,200 with a 10% gain, signaling a bullish trend as ecosystem activity and Layer 2 adoption accelerate.

New Compliance Regulations: A California law targeting "unclaimed" crypto assets (idle for 3+ years) has sparked discussions on self-custody and asset safety.
Institutional Rebalancing: To start 2026, institutional funds are shifting capital into undervalued altcoins as traditional markets hit record highs.
Presale Market Resurgence: Early-stage funding for innovative projects (AI, Mine-to-Earn) is accelerating, indicating a return of retail "new money" appetite.

Macro

The major benchmarks finished the first week of 2026 with solid gains: the DJIA rose +2.3%, the S&P 500 added +1.6%, and the Nasdaq increased +1.9%. The Chinese stock market also rallied to start the year: the Shanghai Composite Index advanced +3.82%, the CSI 300 added +2.79% while the Hang Seng index shed 0.41%.

Disclaimer

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