Bitcoin Traders Kick Off 2026 Betting Big on Six-Figure Price Surge
Six digits or bust—that's the opening wager for 2026.
As the new year's first trading week unfolds, a bold consensus is forming among crypto's frontline: Bitcoin isn't just aiming for its old highs; it's gunning for a price tag that starts with a "1" followed by five more zeros. The chatter on derivatives desks and in Telegram groups isn't about if, but when the breakthrough happens.
The Psychology of a New Price Frontier
Crossing the $100,000 mark isn't just another milestone—it's a psychological Rubicon. For traders, it represents a validation of long-term theses that have weathered brutal bear markets and regulatory fog. The bet isn't placed on hope alone; it's anchored in evolving market structure, from institutional custody solutions to the creeping integration of crypto into traditional finance's plumbing—however reluctantly the old guard adopts it.
Futures Tell the Story
Look at the futures curve. The premium for longer-dated contracts paints a picture of sustained bullish conviction. This isn't fleeting spot market euphoria; it's calculated positioning for a paradigm shift. While skeptics point to macroeconomic headwinds, the counter-argument is simple: digital scarcity becomes more attractive precisely when traditional systems show strain. A cynical take? Wall Street might finally be buying the dip after a decade of calling it a scam, now that they've figured out how to charge fees on it.
The stage is set. The first major resistance wall sits at that towering six-figure level. Whether Bitcoin smashes through it in a matter of months or grinds higher through the year, one thing is clear: the market has already priced in a future where that price is not a ceiling, but a new floor.
Altcoins surge in price in tandem with BTC
According to data from Amberdata, open contracts in that particular option have surged by 420 BTC in the past 24 hours. At current BTC price levels, the open contracts in the $100,000 level equate to an open interest increase of $38.08 million.
Those open contracts are also the most among all January calls across all expiries on Deribit. Deribit Metrics revealed that the option had recently attained a notional open interest of $1.45 billion. The firm also noted that the January expiry accounted for $828 million.
“Flow remains dominated by rolls, with a notable uptick in interest around the 30 Jan 100K calls.”
-Jasper De Maere, Desk Strategist at Wintermute.
The open contracts align with the current bullish sentiment that dominated most of last year. In 2025, traders purchased call options for $100,000 to $140,000. QCP Capital believes that those bullish option plays could increase if Bitcoin’s price continues to rally and pushes above the $94,000 level.
At the time of publication, Bitcoin is trading at around $93,065, up more than 1.9% in the last 24 hours. Bitcoin has also surged nearly 6.2% in the past 7 days and about 4% in the previous 30 days.
QCP Capital stated last week that the post-December expiry positioning has already shifted. The firm noted that bitcoin perpetual funding on Deribit has increased above 30%, indicating that traders are currently targeting the upside.
QCP Capital also acknowledged that the shift was evident as spot prices pushed above $90,000, triggering hedging flows into perpetuals and near-dated calls. The firm believes that a sustained MOVE above $94,000 could amplify the current effect.
Other altcoins also gained as markets opened on Monday, driven by a reaction from traders due to the fast-moving political situation in Venezuela. At the time of publication, ethereum is trading around $3,174, up more than 1.83% in the last 7 days. ETH has also added nearly 1% for the day, but is down 7.61% in the last 12 months.
XRP has remained relatively unchanged in the last 24 hours, trading at around $2.128. The fourth-largest cryptocurrency has gained more than 7.3% over the past 7 days and approximately 1.2% in the last 30 days.
Solana plummeted by around 1.12% on Monday to $135.42. SOL is up more than 3% in the past 7 days.
U.S. intervention in Venezuela impacts crypto prices
The surge in the price of digital assets follows President Donald Trump’s announcement on Saturday to run Venezuela after capturing the country’s President Nicolas Maduro. The WHITE House has offered few details of what the plan to run the country would entail, which has ignited geopolitical tensions.
Trump’s actions have ignited fears globally about the implications of the U.S.’s intervention in Venezuela and its potential impact on oil prices. The President has invited U.S. energy companies to invest billions of dollars in Venezuela’s vast oil reserves and repair the country’s damaged infrastructure.
On Monday, Venezuela’s Supreme Court also appointed Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as acting President, granting her full presidential powers in place of ousted Maduro.
Author of the WealthMastery crypto newsletter, Lark Davis, argued that traders were using BTC as a hedge while traditional markets remained closed. He also believes that the U.S’s initiative makes Bitcoin the front-running indicator of sentiment if the fallout is mainly centered on oil.
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