Bitcoin surged above $96,000 on Tuesday, marking its strongest move in weeks. At press time, the asset traded around $96,000, up roughly 4.4% over 24 hours. The breakout lifted bitcoin above January’s consolidation range and about 5% above its seven-day low near $91,700.


Trading activity increased sharply. Bitcoin’s 24-hour volume reached $55–68 billion, while market capitalization rose to around $1.92 trillion. Circulating supply stands just under 19.98 million BTC.


ETF inflows support the rally

U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs recorded $753.7 million in net inflows, the largest daily total since October 7, 2025. Fidelity’s FBTC led with $351 million, followed by Bitwise’s BITB at $159 million and BlackRock’s IBIT at $126 million.


Nick Rick, director of LVRG Research, said, "The BTC ETF inflows represent a resurgence of institutional demand, signaling that investors are aggressively reallocating capital after a period of year-end caution." Ethereum ETFs also posted $130 million in positive flows.


Vincent Liu, CIO of Kronos Research, added, "Improving regulatory clarity and the unwind of over-leveraged short positions further accelerated price action, with the rally notably led by spot demand rather than leverage."


Regulatory delays weigh on markets

The Senate Agriculture Committee postponed its markup of the Digital Asset Market Structure CLARITY Act until Jan. 27. Chairman John Boozman confirmed legislative text would release Jan. 21. The delay highlights ongoing disagreements over stablecoins, DeFi oversight, and SEC–CFTC authority.


The bill cannot advance without both Senate committees’ approval, despite the House passing its version in mid-2025.


Corporate exposure and macro factors

Strategy (MSTR) shares jumped 6.63% to $172.99, following the company’s disclosure of adding 13,627 BTC to its holdings, bringing its total to 687,410 BTC.


Macro data also influenced sentiment. December U.S. inflation remained steady at 2.7%, with core CPI at 2.6%, supporting expectations of no near-term rate changes. Political uncertainty rose as the Department of Justice opened a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell over June 2025 testimony.


Technical outlook

Bitcoin reclaimed short-term support above key moving averages. Immediate resistance sits at $98,000–$104,000, while former resistance near $94,000 may now act as support. Sustaining above $96,000 could open the path toward the psychological $100,000 level.


Source: Hodlfm.com