Bitcoin is trading near $86 today, while altcoins extend their losses.

• Bitcoin falls below $87, putting pressure on other cryptocurrencies.
• ASTER and ONDO lead the declines with double-digit losses.
• Federal Reserve and Polymarket increase uncertainty surrounding CBDC.

Tuesday, December 16, 2025 – The last 24 hours have been difficult for those betting on a rise in the cryptocurrency market. A rapid and intense drop hit the sector as a whole, with Bitcoin (BTC) nearing a two-week low and several altcoins extending their losses.

Bitcoin (BTC), which had been trying to hold near the $90 mark, lost support and plunged to the $85.100 range. The movement occurred without a single evident trigger, but market readings pointed to possible factors that helped increase selling pressure in the short term.

At the time of publication, Bitcoin is currently trading at US$86.291,10, down 3,5% on the day, reflecting caution among market participants following the sudden correction and increased volatility in major market pairs.

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Among the points observed, the perception that the chance of Kevin Hassett — seen as favorable to cryptocurrencies — assuming the presidency of the Federal Reserve has decreased has gained strength. On Polymarket, the favoritism has shifted to Kevin Warsh, who is described as more cautious regarding the sector and has already shown support for the creation of a CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) in the United States.

After touching the $85.100 region, Bitcoin reacted and recovered some ground, starting to fluctuate again above $86. Even with the partial recovery, the pullback affected the asset's overall indicators, bringing its market capitalization to around $1,72 trillion, while BTC's dominance over altcoins remained around 59,2%.

As is often the case in corrections, altcoins felt the impact most strongly. Aster (ASTER) led the declines among popular names, falling 12% on the day to near US$0,81. Midnight (NIGHT), Pump.fun (PUMP), Ondo (ONDO), and Worldcoin (WLD) also appeared among the negative highlights, with double-digit losses during the period.

On the other hand, few cryptocurrencies managed to hold onto gains on December 16th. Canton (CC), Provenance Hash (HASH), and Monero (XMR) were among the rare exceptions, with modest increases in the 1% to 2% range.

With the widespread pullback, the total cryptocurrency market capitalization fell to approximately US$3,03 trillion, representing a 4,1% decline in just one day.

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