Bitcoin Breaks Below $90,000: Is This a Buying Opportunity as ETH, XRP, and BNB Follow Suit?

Crypto markets hit a speed bump.

Major digital assets are flashing red today, with Bitcoin leading the retreat. The flagship cryptocurrency has slipped below a key psychological threshold, dragging other top tokens down with it.

Ethereum, XRP, and Binance Coin all turned lower in the wake of Bitcoin's move. It's a classic case of the king setting the tone for the rest of the court.

What's Behind the Dip?

Markets move in waves—this is just part of the cycle. Short-term volatility is the price of admission for long-term, generational wealth creation in crypto. Every major bull run has seen these strategic pullbacks, shaking out weak hands and resetting the board for the next leg up.

For seasoned investors, moments like this aren't a signal to panic; they're a signal to pay attention. It's when the noise fades that real opportunities emerge. Remember, the traditional finance crowd loves to call a dip the 'end' right before the next rally makes them look foolish—again.

Keep your eyes on the horizon, not the choppy water at your feet. The fundamentals of decentralization and digital asset adoption haven't changed. Sometimes the market just needs to catch its breath.

Crypto market turn to profit taking as liquidations take charge 

When bitcoin attempted to surpass $94,000 earlier in the session, sellers took control of the market and pushed it back into the $91,000–$92,000 range. Some market watchers believe holders have begun profit-taking, coupled with long liquidations, which reached $150 million in the last four hours, according to CoinGlass data. 

Looking beyond Thursday’s losses, Bitcoin and Ethereum recorded weekly gains of 3.2% and 5.1%, respectively. Other tokens, including XRP, BNB, Solana, Tron, Dogecoin, Cardano, and Hyperliquid posted up to 20% gains in the seven days ending Wednesday.

Bitcoin’s daily chart reveals that the asset briefly broke above its October downtrend into late December, only to face heavy resistance last Tuesday. According to market watchers on X, the crypto’s support levels now lie at $87,496 and $85,982–$86,291, based on retracement of the corrected October price rally and December lows. 

Bulls are holding their ground at the $83,712–$84,000 price marks, derived from the 2025 weekly low close and 38.2% retracement of the 2022 advance. If the sellers MOVE close and breach this threshold, the market could witness another multi-month downtrend eyeing the next target between $78,342–$79,127, levels last seen in April 2025.

CryptoQuant’s SOPR Ratio, which measures realized profitability between Long-Term Holders (LTH) and Short-Term Holders (STH), has also gone weak. The ratio dropped below 1 when Bitcoin tanked from highs NEAR $110,000–$120,000 in October down to the current $91,000 status, which means short-term holders are realizing losses while long-term holders are shedding their November 2024 to Q4 2025 profits. 

Ethereum faces institutional selling pressure

Ethereum’s US institutional interest is waning, owing to the $98.45 spot ETF outflow counted on Wednesday. Moreover, the Ethereum Coinbase Premium Gap, which compares prices on Coinbase to Binance, has flipped negative. 

The 14-day simple moving average dropped to -2.285, the lowest since February last year, spelling stronger selling pressures on US-based exchanges. The negative premium poses a hurdle for Ethereum to reclaim the $3,300 resistance level. 

As seen on CoinGecko’s charts, the crypto has struggled to shake off the effects of “doomtober,” where it peaked at $4,700 and fell steeply back to the $3,200 zone, failing to climb back up to $3,500 since November 15.

US jobs data in play: Markets recovery could be delayed

Crypto markets have been influenced by several factors in 2026, including geopolitical troubles between the US and Venezuela. However, the US labor market data released yesterday could have influenced today’s price shedding. As reported by the ADP, private employers added 41,000 new positions in December, a modest rebound after November’s revised decline of 29,000 jobs. 

ADP Chief Economist Nela Richardson noted that “even in those sectors that shed jobs this month, the shedding was not as strong as last month,” because December’s gains were more positive than expected. 

Economists suggest that investors are now looking at both jobs data and future Supreme Court decisions on global tariffs to find signs that could affect how much risk they are willing to take in digital assets.

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