Asia Market Open: Bitcoin Steady At $88k As Risk Mood Lifts Asian Stocks, Gold Hits New High

Bitcoin held near $88,000 on Monday as Asian markets opened firmer and traders leaned into year-end positioning across equities, commodities and crypto, with liquidity thinning into the holiday stretch.

A broad Asia Pacific share gauge rose about 0.5%, led by tech, after last week’s dip revived talk of a final push higher into 2026.

Crypto did not lead the move, although Bitcoin edged up about 1% in early trading, echoing the steadier tone in risk assets.

Market snapshot

• Bitcoin: $88,561, up 0.6%
• Ether: $3,014, up 1.5%
• XRP: $1.92, down 0.5%
• Total crypto market cap: $3.08 trillion, up 0.5%

Gold Breaks Records As Rate Cut Bets Grow

US stock futures also ticked higher, building on a late-week rebound on Wall Street that saw the S&P 500 add about 0.9% on Friday.

Oil prices climbed as President Donald Trump intensified US efforts against Venezuelan tanker flows, including an interception near Venezuela and a separate pursuit in the Caribbean tied to sanctions enforcement.

In metals, gold jumped to a fresh record of $4,383.73 an ounce, supported by rate cut expectations, safe haven demand, and a softer dollar. Silver also pushed to a record, extending a powerful rally that has turned the metal into one of 2025’s standout trades.

Gold just touched a fresh record high during the Asian morning session—and silver is right there with it.#economy #markets #gold #silver #investing #investors pic.twitter.com/SANem10t0O

— Mohamed A. El-Erian (@elerianm) December 22, 2025

Derivatives Signal Quiet De-Risking Into Year-End

For crypto-native traders, the bigger story sat under the surface. 10X Research framed the setup as a market quietly de-risking into year-end, where derivatives can move price faster than headlines, even on low spot volume.

“Futures positioning, ETF flows, and option markets are sending a coordinated signal about how traders are de-risking into year-end.”

Macro watchers kept one eye on the Fed path. Cleveland Fed president Beth Hammack signalled a preference to hold rates steady for months, even as market pricing continued to lean toward two cuts in 2026, Reuters reported.

Asia also had China on the calendar, where Beijing left its key loan prime rates unchanged for a seventh straight month, a decision that reinforced expectations of targeted support rather than an immediate broad easing push.