Bitcoin showed a glimmer of hope yesterday, but ultimately took a sharp downturn. The price plunged by several percent in a short time, bringing it back into a danger zone. The rest of the crypto market is feeling the harsh impact, but this afternoon it hopes for a boost.
US Market Drags Bitcoin Down #
Things looked promising for the largest cryptocurrency. An overnight recovery recouped much of Sunday’s losses, but breaking above $90,000 proved too high a hurdle.
The bitcoin price continued to scrape against that level for some time, from around 9 a.m. until about 3:30 p.m. Things went awry precisely when the U.S. stock markets opened. That moment has often triggered sharp movements in the charts over the past weeks.
This time, the price took a hit. In less than an hour, it fell by just over 3 percent. Initially, a low was formed at $86,700, but in the evening it dropped further to $85,300, the lowest level since December 1.
Many analysts, including Benjamin Cowen, now expect a visit to the November 21 low around $80,000. After that, according to him, it could be time for a ‘relief rally’—a temporary recovery as there are no longer enough sellers.
Guessing we may see #Bitcoin sweep the prior low before any major relief bounce. pic.twitter.com/ddvpNMZXxn
— Benjamin Cowen (@intocryptoverse) December 15, 2025
At the time of writing, the BTC price on the OKX exchange is $86,428. On the Dutch exchange Bitvavo, the BTC price in euros is €73,533. Compared to 24 hours ago, BTC is down 3.57 percent.
Ethereum and Ripple Drop Over 5 Percent #
Altcoins have taken an even harder hit. Most coins are performing worse than bitcoin.
Notably, ethereum is the biggest loser in the top 10 with a 5.81 percent drop. Ripple and cardano are not far behind with losses of 5.34 and 5.03 percent, respectively. Additionally, solana is down 3.71 percent and dogecoin 4.93 percent.
There are also plenty of smaller altcoins recording losses of around 10 percent or more. For example, ondo is down 9.29 percent, and aster leads the top 100 list with a loss of 11.43 percent.
New US Jobs Report on the Agenda #
Something important is on the agenda today. At 2:30 p.m., the U.S. jobs report for November will be published.
Job growth and the unemployment rate, in particular, can steer the markets. It may sound counterintuitive, but investors are hoping for poor figures (i.e., lower job growth and higher unemployment). That would increase the likelihood of a new interest rate cut in January, which in turn would bring more capital seeking returns.