Crypto Markets Rally Ahead of Holidays

Major digital assets recorded modest gains on Monday, Dec. 22, as the market regained its footing ahead of the Christmas holidays following recent volatility.

Bitcoin (BTC) rose 2.5% over the past 24 hours to $90,125, while Ethereum (ETH) surged 3.2% to $3,060. Other large-cap coins also posted gains: BNB increased 2.3% to $867, XRP rose 2.2% to $1.94, and Solana (SOL) gained 3.3% to $128.

BTC Chart

The total cryptocurrency market cap currently stands at $3.13 trillion, up 2% on the day, with a 24-hour trading volume of $101 billion. Bitcoin dominance is at 57.4%, while Ethereum maintains 11.8% of the market.

Today’s biggest gainers were Sky (SKY), which rose 6.7% to $0.068. NEAR Protocol (NEAR) followed with a 6.2% gain to $1.55, while Aptos (APT) climbed 5.2% to $1.64.

The biggest losers included Canton (CC), which fell 14.9% to $0.089. Aave (AAVE) dropped 11.3% to $154.79, while Rain (RAIN) declined 5.1% to $0.007.

Liquidations and ETF flows

Over the past 24 hours, crypto markets saw roughly $207 million in liquidations, according to Coinglass, with about $66 million in long positions and $142 million in short positions wiped out.

Bitcoin accounted for the largest share, with more than $65 million liquidated, followed by Ethereum at $58 million, while other altcoins made up nearly $13 million.

In the ETF space, Bitcoin ETFs saw nearly $158.3 million in outflows, while Ethereum ETFs experienced around $76 million in outflows. XRP and Solana ETFs recorded inflows of $13 million and $4 million, respectively, according to SoSoValue data.

Digital asset investment products also saw $952 million in outflows last week, marking the first net redemptions in four weeks, according to CoinShares’ weekly Fund Flows report. The decline was largely driven by delays to the U.S. Clarity Act, prolonging regulatory uncertainty.

The outflows were mainly concentrated in the U.S. ($990 million). Ethereum led the declines with $555 million withdrawn, followed by Bitcoin at $460 million, while Solana and XRP continued to attract inflows.

Gold and Silver Rally

The market uptick comes amid broader political and regulatory developments. U.S. authorities recently released heavily redacted documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, drawing renewed scrutiny over transparency.

Meanwhile, safe-haven assets are in focus as gold surged above $4,400 per ounce, hitting a new all-time high. Silver is also trading near record levels.

On the geopolitical front, U.S. and Ukrainian envoys described recent Miami talks on ending the war in Ukraine as “productive and constructive,” though no major breakthroughs were achieved. The discussions revolved around security guarantees and economic recovery frameworks.