Crypto Starts 2026 Strong: ADA Up 7%, BTC and ETH Lead Rebound
Digital assets started 2026 in a relatively steady manner as Liquidity picked up, coming off the holiday season...
Quick overview
- Digital assets began 2026 steadily, with liquidity improving post-holiday season as investors cautiously rebuild portfolios.
- Bitcoin and ether saw modest gains, with Bitcoin rising to nearly $88,700 and ether approaching $3,009, while Cardano's ADA surged 7%.
- Investor focus remains on major assets like Bitcoin and ether, with the Altseason Index indicating strong Bitcoin dominance and caution in the market.
- Despite a global risk-on mood supporting market rises, investors are still hesitant, preferring to wait for clearer macroeconomic signals before increasing their trading activity.
Digital assets started 2026 in a relatively steady manner as Liquidity picked up, coming off the holiday season, which had been a bit of a slowdown for trades, and investors are being cautious as they rebuild their portfolios. Bitcoin and leading tokens did start to move higher, but the gains so far were more a result of targeted positioning than a sign that people were looking to take on more risk.
Bitcoin ticked up by about 1% to almost $88,700 – while ether gained roughly the same as well, moving up to near $3009, as it continues to slowly recover from a bit of a dip in late December. Cardano’s ADA was the big winner, though, jumping 7%, and it stood out from the rest of the pack among the major tokens. Other majors such as Solana, XRP, and BNB also traded higher, but the gains were much more subdued.
Liquidity is in Bitcoin’s Corner as Altseason Comes to a Halt
Just checking the flow data,, investors are still pretty focused on having deep enough pockets to move money around rather than jumping into the smaller assets. The analysts at crypto payments outfit B2BINPAY said that capital is still concentrated in bitcoin and ether, with people being pretty choosy about the handful of major alternatives they choose to play.
🔥 Big shift already in motion.
With US stablecoin laws moving forward 🇺🇸 and MiCA setting the framework in the EU 🇪🇺, 2026 looks like the year of clearer rules, institutional confidence, and real adoption.
Regulation isn’t killing crypto it’s validating it. 🚀
The builders who… pic.twitter.com/liQLFHGcPW— 🌪Crypto Adil 🌪 (@CryptoAdil_100x) January 1, 2026
The Altseason Index is still sitting around 16, and historically, that has been associated with strong bitcoin dominance and people being pretty cautious in the wider crypto space. This suggests that the recent gains are a function of people putting their money into core assets rather than trying to rotate into riskier stuff.
Global Risk On Mood is Supporting the Rise – But the Conviction isn’t there yet
The start of the year crypto bounce has coincided with a global risk-on move in markets, and that’s seen Asian equities rise by about 0.8%, with tech stocks leading the way. The Nasdaq 100 futures have also gone up 0.6% – which is decent – and have outdone the rest of the us benchmarks. Precious metals – i.e., gold and silver – also went up, with gold trading at a bit over $4350 per ounce and silver up over 1% as people expect the central banks to do a bit more to loosen up the money supply later this year.
Despite all that, people are still being pretty cautious. Seeing bitcoin hold up at the high $80,000 range and ether stay above $3000 is being viewed as a stabilizing influence rather than the start of a big trend. For now, it looks like the market is consolidating – and people are waiting for a bit more clarity from the macro situation or some policy changes before they start to get more aggressive with their trades.
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