Virtual assets, including Bitcoin, have rebounded since the start of the new year. Opinions on this year’s outlook remain divided, with some anticipating a recovery while others urge caution.
According to CoinMarketCap on the 4th, Bitcoin traded above $91,000 per coin. It had hovered around $87,000 in late December. Bitcoin, which had been rising since the new year, briefly fell below $90,000 due to the aftermath of U.S. airstrikes on Venezuela but quickly recovered.
This marked Bitcoin’s first recovery above the $90,000 threshold in about 20 days since December 13th of last year. Bitcoin had hit an all-time high of $125,000 on October 12th of last year but plummeted afterward as risk-averse sentiment spread.
Major altcoins also showed simultaneous strength. Ethereum, the second-largest by market cap, rose 5.96% to $3,147 since the start of the year. Ripple surged over 8% to $2.03.
Cryptocurrency-related stocks also rallied across the board. On the 2nd at the New York Stock Exchange, shares of virtual asset exchange Coinbase closed up 4.59% from the previous trading day. Circle, a representative stablecoin stock (+5.26%), and Strategy, a Bitcoin accumulation company (+3.43%), also ended their first trading day of the new year in positive territory.
Experts analyze that investment sentiment is flowing back into virtual assets. However, views on the medium- to long-term outlook remain split. Grayscale, the world’s largest crypto trust product manager, cited risks of a declining dollar value and the spread of stablecoins as reasons for Bitcoin’s high likelihood of reaching a new all-time high in the first half of 2026. Conversely, The Wall Street Journal highlighted potential near-term challenges for Bitcoin, pointing to outflows from Bitcoin exchange-traded funds, ETFs, and accelerated global capital shifts toward artificial intelligence, AI-related stocks as key variables.
