Bitcoin at $85,654 today, underperforms broader crypto market by over 4% — what experts say amid low-risk cycle

Bitcoin price today: The world's largest cryptocurrency Bitcoin has slipped below the $86,000 mark for the first time in two weeks, Bloomberg reported, citing weak investor sentiment.

Akshat Siddhant, Lead Quant Analyst at Mudrex told Mint, “The crypto market is consolidating, with Bitcoin near $86,000 and Ethereum around $2,950. The pullback has been driven by short-term whale profit-taking of nearly $2.78 billion and rising expectations of a Bank of Japan rate hike, which has pressured risk assets.”

“Weak macro signals from China, slowing domestic industrial output, have reinforced concerns around global growth, pressuring commodities, equities, and now crypto,” according to Nischal Shetty, Founder at WazirX. Oil prices are another indicator of how geopolitical events will shape investor interactions with crypto, he added.

Bitcoin price today: Token underperforms broader crypto market

Moving deeper into bear territory, at time of writing at 9 am on 16 December, the token was trading at $85,654.93 apiece, down 4.07% over the past 24 hours, with market cap down 4.13% at $1.7 trillion, and trading volumes down 8.76% to $43.69 billion, according to data on CoinMarketCap.

An analysis by CoinMarketCap showed Bitcoin underperformed the broader crypto market as over $394 million liquidations, mostly longs, triggered stop-losses. Bears also pulled the markets after the United States Senate delayed crypto market structure bill to 2026.

“While retail and mid-sized wallets actively bought the dip, absorbing nearly $474 million in buy-side flow, this demand was shaken up by $2.78 billion in whale selling,” according to Shetty.

Bohan Jiang, senior derivatives trader at FalconX told Bloomberg Bitcoin is in a “choppy range between $85,000-94,000” amid “continued lack of interest and low volumes across the board”.

Notably, Bitcoin is down about 30% from its all-time record high of more than $1,26,000 in October 2025. The token continues to make watchers anxious as it hovers close to its 2025 low, of around $74,400 (recorded in April).

Crypto markets today: Ether, Dogecoin, XRP down 5% each

Further, the Bloomberg report noted that other cryptocurrencies such as Dogecoin, Ether and XRP fell by 5% each. It added that crypto company stocks also spiralled downwards, with Strategy slumping over 9%, and Coinbase Global Inc. down around 7%.

The CoinDCX Research Team noted that Bitcoin has maintained its bearish streak and altcoins are also facing the aftermath of the upward pressure.

At time of writing, CoinMarketCap data showed the world's second largest crypto Ethereum trading at $2,933.91, down 5.75% over the past 24 hours. Its market cap was also down 5.79% at $354.1 billion, and 24-hour trading volumes were at $27 billion (up 45.05%).

• XRP slid to $1.86, Solana to $125, and Cardano below $3.9, and BNB around $853, as per CoinDCX.
• The top gainer for the day is Audiera, which surged by 27.82%, followed by pippin by 24.56% and MYX Finance by 10.32%.
• Besides, Aster plunged by 12.40%, followed by Ondo by 10.18% and Midnight by 9.86%.

Crypto, Bitcoin in low-risk cycle: Here's what experts say

According to Nischal Shetty, Founder at WazirX said that the global markets “remain firmly in risk-off mode, and Bitcoin and Ethereum are reflecting that shift rather than resisting it”.

Siddhant feels that despite the price drop, broader outlook remains constructive. “Institutional confidence is evident as Strategy added 10,645 BTC to its treasury, signaling continued accumulation.”

He added that buyers must defend the $84,000 support zone to prevent further downside, while a sustained move above $92,700 would confirm a trend reversal and put Bitcoin back on a bullish path.

The CoinDCX team concurred that “market sentiment continues to remain under fear, not slipping to extreme fear, indicating the traders expect a reversal soon”.