Altcoins outpace bitcoin as precious metals' historic rally keeps macro focus sharp
Altcoins posted broader gains in quiet Sunday trading as bitcoin held a tight range near $88K and analysts weighed crypto against the surge in precious metals.
Altcoins outpace bitcoin as precious metals rally keeps macro focus sharp
Altcoins posted broader gains in quiet Sunday trading as bitcoin held a tight range near $88K and analysts weighed crypto against the surge in precious metals.
Updated Dec 28, 2025, 3:11 p.m. Published Dec 28, 2025, 11:41 a.m.
Bitcoin BTC$87,925.75 traded in a tight range on Sunday, as several major altcoins posted stronger gains, despite the broader macro backdrop remaining dominated by a historic rally in precious metals.
As of 10:35 a.m. UTC, total crypto market capitalization stood at $3.06 trillion, up 0.8% over the past 24 hours. bitcoin rose 0.5% to $87,872, and ether ETH$2,953.80 gained 0.5% to $2,939. Among major altcoins, XRP climbed 1.1%, solana SOL$124.72 advanced 1.3% and DOGE$0.1246 rose 1.3%, all outperforming bitcoin and ether over the same period.
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Bitcoin remains range-bound near $88,000
The 24-hour BTC-USD price chart from TradingView (based on data from Bitstamp) showed bitcoin trading within a narrow band. After sliding earlier in the session, price found support in the mid-$87,500s before rebounding toward the upper end of the range near $87,900. Each attempt to push higher was met with selling, while pullbacks were relatively shallow, a pattern consistent with consolidation in thin weekend liquidity.
24-hour BTC-USD price chart from TradingView
Crypto analyst Michaël van de Poppe said on X that bitcoin remains stuck between roughly $86,500 and $90,000. He said another test of the lower end of that range would be important because repeated retests can weaken support over time. If buyers fail to defend that area, he said he would next look toward $83,000 and then $80,000 as potential downside zones.
On the upside, van de Poppe said a move back toward $90,000 would be constructive if it also places bitcoin above its 20-day moving average, a commonly watched short-term trend indicator. Regaining that level, he said, could set the stage for a stronger move toward $105,000.
Glassnode’s on-chain levels frame where pressure may emerge
Glassnode posted an update showing that several widely followed on-chain price models have shifted slightly, with spot trading around $87,800. The analytics firm listed short-term holder (STH) cost basis at $99,900, active investors' mean at $87,700, true market mean at $81,100 and realized price at $56,200.
