Spot Bitcoin ETFs posted their strongest week since October as institutional 
investors returned via regulated products, helped by reduced whale selling and 
tightening effective supply.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs attract $1.42B in strongest week since early October

The Bitcoin price resumed its hot start to the new year this week, jumping 
above the $97,000 mark for the first time since November 2025. The flagship 
cryptocurrency reignited debates about the current phase of the market in its 
latest attempt to reclaim its six-figure valuation. Having surpassed the 
previously formidable $94,000 technical level, the Bitcoin price seemed set to 
cross the $100,000 mark again. However, recent on-chain evaluation has brought 
focus on an ongoing phenomenon among a specific set of investors in the 
market. Bitcoin Price Action Could Hinge On STH Realized Price In a January 16 
post on the X platform, pseudonymous crypto analyst Darkfost revealed that the 
average realized price of the Bitcoin short-term holders (STHs) is another key 
level to watch. This price level represents the average price where the most 
recent (1-3 months) set of BTC investors acquired their coins. Related 
Reading: Bitcoin Tailwind: Cathie Wood Sees ‘Reaganomics On Steroids’ Ahead 
According to data highlighted by Darkfost, this STH realized price currently 
sits at around $102,000, meaning that the majority of the Bitcoin short-term 
investors are at a loss. The market pundit noted that this particular 
evaluation is adjusted to account for the 800,000 BTC recently moved by 
Coinbase. Darkfost noted that, as the Bitcoin price approached the realized 
price of the short-term holders, the investors are caught between two primary 
choices. It is either this group of investors holds and hopes for further 
upside, or they exit once they break even. Given that they are the most 
reactive set of investors, the Bitcoin short-term holders have not hesitated 
in taking short-term profits, as indicated by the latest exchange inflows. 
Darkfost, however, noted that the STH realized price level will be crucial to 
watch once all the profit-taking is done. Darkfost said that the Bitcoin price 
trading below this cost basis historically represents a good accumulation 
opportunity. Nevertheless, the analyst warned that bear market periods should 
be excluded, as short-term holders tend to witness prolonged drawdowns and 
pain during this season. STH Cost Basis Key For Momentum To Re-Accelerate 
Glassnode analyst Chris Beamish agreed in a recent post on X that the STH 
average realized price is a key inflection point. According to the market 
pundit, the Bitcoin price reclaiming this cost basis would signal that recent 
buyers are back in profit. Beamish stated that reclaiming the STH realized 
price would be necessary for bullish momentum to re-accelerate, while failure 
to do so would keep the BTC market in recovery mode. As of this writing, the 
Bitcoin price stands at around at $95,300, reflecting no significant change in 
the past day. Related Reading: Bitcoin Rally Accompanied By ‘Very Bullish’ 
Whale-Retail Behavior, Santiment Says Featured image from iStock, chart from 
TradingView

Bitcoin Price To $100K: Why All Eyes Are On The Short-Term Holders

In 2025, Web3 fraud surged to $15.87 billion, far surpassing the $2.5 billion 
plus lost to traditional hacks. Unlike isolated breaches, losses were spread 
across millions of transactions, reflecting the rise of “industrialized” crime 
networks that use address clusters and cross‑platform flows. Sophisticated 
Networks and ‘Authorized’ Fraud In 2025, the Web3 security landscape shifted 
dramatically. […]

Crypto Fraud Hits $15.8B in 2025, Far Outpacing Losses from Hacks and Exploits

The crypto user was reportedly deceived by an attacker impersonating Trezor 
support, tricked into revealing their hardware wallet seed phrase.

User loses $282M in one of the largest social engineering crypto heists

For a market that usually moves in one direction, some voices are starting to 
say this time might look a little different. Canary Capital CEO Steven McClurg 
said XRP could move on a different path from Bitcoin this year, pointing to 
enterprise use cases as a key reason. Related Reading: Futures Frenzy Pushed 
Crypto Exchange Volume To Nearly $80 Trillion In 2025 He made the remarks 
during a podcast with host Paul Barron, and outlined a cautious view of 
Bitcoin while singling out protocols tied to real-world tokenization. 
According to McClurg, the shift in focus toward practical applications may 
help a small set of tokens behave differently than the wider market. XRP And 
Hedera Seen As Practical Picks McClurg named the XRP Ledger and Hedera as 
examples of networks that could benefit from enterprise adoption and 
tokenization efforts. He argued that platforms with clear utility — like 
payment rails, tokenized assets, or stablecoin infrastructure — have a better 
chance of holding value when speculative momentum fades. Reports have 
disclosed that he does not expect these assets to race higher; instead, modest 
gains are the likeliest outcome, with growth described as low double-digit 
rather than explosive. Bitcoin Faces Additional Downside McClurg turned more 
negative on Bitcoin. He said he believes Bitcoin peaked on October 6, 2025, at 
$126,200. Since that date Bitcoin has slipped roughly 35% to about $95,800. He 
warned that prices could fall another 20–30% over the next six to nine months, 
which would place BTC roughly between $65,000 and $77,000 before the end of 
the cycle. Based on his view, a new all-time high is not expected in 2026 and 
the market may be entering a deeper correction. Markets Could Still Move 
Together Critics point out that altcoins often suffer greater losses when the 
market experiences a downturn, and history supports that caution. Liquidity 
tends to dry up during big Bitcoin sell-offs, and even assets with real use 
cases can be pushed lower in a broad risk-off episode. In layman&#8217;s phrasing, 
XRP might fall less than Bitcoin and therefore look stronger in comparison, 
but outright independence from Bitcoin is rare and usually temporary. Related 
Reading: Ethereum Staking Hits Record Levels As Buterin Urges Builders To 
Deliver Real Apps Relative Outperformance The More Likely Outcome According to 
McClurg’s perspective, what is most realistic is relative outperformance 
rather than complete separation. That means XRP and similar tokens could 
remain flat or show modest positive returns while Bitcoin weakens. Such a 
pattern would still be notable for holders and for enterprises planning 
tokenization projects, but it falls short of a dramatic price surge. Featured 
image from Bitpanda Blog, chart from TradingView

Cryptocurrency price in INR