Bitcoin’s $90,000 Plunge: The Silent Energy Market Surge Signaling More Pain Ahead
Bitcoin just got rocked. The flagship cryptocurrency shed a staggering $90,000 in value, a gut-punch that's left the market reeling. But the real story isn't just on the charts—it's humming quietly in the background, in the energy markets.
The Hidden Lever
While traders stare at candlesticks, a parallel surge in power prices is tightening the screws. For an asset whose creation is fundamentally tied to electricity consumption, this isn't a side note—it's a core threat. Rising energy costs directly attack mining profitability, forcing weaker operations to unplug and sell reserves. It's a vicious, self-feeding cycle that the mainstream narrative often misses.
Pressure from the Source
This energy squeeze acts like a silent tax on the entire network. It doesn't need a regulatory announcement or a CEO tweet to exert pressure; it just quietly raises the break-even point for everyone. When margins get compressed at the source, the selling pressure flows downstream to exchanges. Call it the invisible hand of the market, with a higher electricity bill.
The dominoes don't stop falling at $90,000. The data suggests the infrastructure supporting Bitcoin's price is under direct assault. Until the energy equation stabilizes, the path of least resistance points down. It's a stark reminder that in crypto, sometimes the most important chart isn't the one on your screen—it's the one from your local power utility. After all, what's a few basis points of yield when your collateral is literally getting unplugged?
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The 30-minute Bitcoin-U.S. dollar chart from TradingView shows BTC peaking around $90,000 before sliding into the U.S. morning.
We saw West Texas Intermediate crude up about 1.77%, Gold down about 1.74%, and a U.S. 10-year rate gauge lower by about 0.44%, with the yield near 4.00%.
| BTCUSD | -0.85% | $86,828 |
| WTI crude | +1.77% | $58.00 |
| Gold | -1.74% | $4,451.75 |
| U.S. 10-year (rate gauge) | -0.44% | 4.00% |
The cross-asset mix put a bid under energy while metals and duration gave ground, a setup that can tighten financial conditions when markets price in more inflation pressure.
Oil’s MOVE followed weekend geopolitical developments and renewed attention on Middle East supply risks. According to Reuters, lighter year-end liquidity amplified the advance.
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Dec 22, 2025 · Liam 'Akiba' WrightGold’s drop also removed a tailwind that has supported “hard-asset” positioning.
Precious metals retreated after strong gains, with profit-taking weighing on gold and silver after record levels.
When cross-asset correlations tighten, a metals slide can reduce the marginal bid that sometimes spills into bitcoin alongside commodity exposure.
Rates were mixed, even as the 10-year yield dipped on the intraday snapshot.
Trading Economics showed the U.S. 10-year yield near 4.1% into late December.
For Bitcoin, real yields and the dollar often matter more than nominal yields. Higher real returns can raise the hurdle rate for holding non-yielding assets, while lower real yields can leave more room for risk allocation.
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A large year-end options expiry on Deribit can be followed by a period where dealers and funds rebuild hedges. Spot can move quickly when liquidity is patchy.
The weekend push above $90,000 and the quick reversal back to the mid-$80,000s fit that kind of tape. Hedging flows and deleveraging can dominate price discovery for short stretches even without a crypto-specific headline.
The next impulse for Bitcoin may come from U.S. macro releases rather than a crypto-native catalyst.
U.S. pending home sales were due Monday, followed by Case-Shiller home prices and Chicago PMI on Tuesday, then the Federal Reserve’s meeting minutes on Wednesday.
Barron’s flagged the minutes as a key read on how policymakers framed inflation risks and the path of policy into 2026.
Energy traders also watch weekly U.S. inventory data for whether crude’s move holds after the initial geopolitical impulse.
For traders, the cross-market tells are direct
A sustained crude bid that lifts inflation expectations can pressure long-duration assets and higher-beta trades, including crypto. A cooling in crude can take some of that pressure off.
In rates, a renewed climb in the 10-year yield from the low-4% area can tighten conditions even without a major dollar move. A drift lower can reopen room for Bitcoin to retest levels that failed over the weekend.
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Oct 29, 2025 · Andjela RadmilacOn the chart, the weekend rejection zone around $90,000 now sits as overhead supply, where stop orders and profit-taking can stack.
On the downside, the mid-$80,000s has been the first area of demand during the pullback. A break below that region could expose the low-$80,000s, where bids have previously appeared.
If oil remains firm into the Fed minutes and the bond market prices in more inflation risk, sellers could press for deeper liquidity below the mid-$80,000s.
If crude cools and yields stay contained, Bitcoin could rotate between the mid-$80,000s and the $90,000 area as post-expiry flows normalize.
