.svg)
Bitcoin hovered near 91,000 dollars on Thursday, giving back part of its early January jump as the first crypto rally of 2026 began to slow. The largest cryptocurrency slipped about 2% over the previous 24 hours, though it remained more than 3% higher on the week, reflecting a market that is easing rather than reversing after the New Year burst of optimism. Ether fell around 3% on the day but was still up roughly 6% over seven days, according to CoinGecko data.
Price moves across majors were mixed. XRP led the downside with a drop of around 4.5% in 24 hours, even after a strong run that left it 17% higher over the week. Dogecoin held onto the best weekly performance among large caps, sitting more than 22% above where it started the year, while other top coins saw only modest pullbacks as traders trimmed risk rather than rushing for the exits.
The action in crypto mirrored a shift in traditional markets. Global government bonds extended a powerful rally, pulling the yield on the U.S. 10 year Treasury down toward 4.14% as softer economic numbers strengthened the case for Federal Reserve rate cuts later in 2026. A closely watched ADP report showed private payrolls rising by 41,000 in December, below economists’ median forecast of 50,000, which reinforced the view that growth is cooling enough for the Fed to ease without stoking fresh inflation.
For digital assets, that backdrop is a double edged sword. Lower yields and expectations of future Fed cuts tend to support speculative markets by reducing the appeal of cash and government bonds, but after a sharp early month move, many short term traders are locking in profits and waiting for clearer signals. With bitcoin and ether still comfortably in positive territory for the year and bond markets doing much of the heavy lifting on the macro side, crypto is entering a more measured phase in which rate cut bets matter, but no longer drive the kind of one way surge seen in the first days of January.
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)