Gate.io Launches INIT Perpetual Contract Pre-trading

January 3 data from The Block shows centralized exchange (CEX) spot trading volume in December 2025 hit its lowest level since September 2024, totaling $1.13 trillion. That’s a 32% drop from November 2025’s $1.66 trillion and a 49% decline from October 2025’s $2.23 trillion. Decentralized exchange (DEX) total trading volume also fell in December 2025, reaching $245 billion—down 20% from November’s $306 billion and 46% from October’s $451.2 billion.

On January 3, Matthew Sigel, VanEck’s Director of Digital Assets, outlined key takeaways in the firm’s 2026 Digital Assets Outlook, noting digital assets are sending a complex yet positive signal to start the year. Bitcoin’s prior cycle saw an ~80% peak-to-trough drop, but realized volatility has since fallen by nearly half—suggesting this cycle’s decline may shrink to around 40%. The market has already absorbed roughly 35% of that projected drop, per Sigel. Bitcoin’s historic four-year cycle (often peaking in the window after U.S. elections) remains intact following its early October 2025 high. This pattern points to 2026 being a year of consolidation, not sharp gains or a crash. Global liquidity in 2026 is mixed: rate-cut expectations offer support, but U.S. liquidity has tightened slightly as AI-driven capital expenditure booms collide with a fragile funding market, widening credit spreads. Crypto ecosystem leverage has been reset after multiple washouts, while on-chain act

On January 3, Onchain Lens monitoring data reveals that a whale address starting with 0x218A deposited 5.5 million USDC into Hyperliquid to boost its Ethereum short position via 10x leverage and collateral. The position is currently valued at $68 million, holding 21,820.69 ETH, with a liquidation price of $3,565.94.

**Jan 3** Per Onchain Lens monitoring, Bitmine restaked 82,560 ETH four hours ago, valued at $2.5907 billion. As of press time, its total staked ETH has reached 544,064, worth approximately $1.7 billion.

On January 3rd, HyperInsight monitoring (via its Telegram channel @HyperInsight) indicates that as Bitcoin and Ethereum rebound, the "BTC OG Insider Whale" is now near break-even following its buying activity roughly 20 days ago. Its total unrealized losses have narrowed to $6.11 million, with the following breakdown: - A 5x ETH long position with an unrealized loss of $5.73 million - A 5x Bitcoin long position with an unrealized loss of $1.4 million - A 10x SOL long position with an unrealized gain of $1.02 million

January 3rd Gold and silver prices pulled back Wednesday after hitting recent peaks. At press time, gold traded at $4,331 (down 4.82% from its peak), while silver stood at $72.8 (down 13.1% from its peak). Following precious metals’ weakness, the crypto market staged a stabilizing rebound. Per HTX data, Bitcoin surged overnight to break above $90,000 resistance, hitting a high of $90,961. It now holds above $90k at $90,157. Driven by Bitcoin’s rebound, the crypto space saw a New Year rally, with PEPE leading altcoin gains. Key 24-hour moves: - ETH: +4.31% to $3,129 - SOL: +5.13% to $132.63 - PEPE: +24.6% to $0.00000612 - SUI: +13.87% to $1.669 - VIRTUAL: +13.22% to $0.786 - DOGE: +12.53% to $0.142 In U.S. equities, crypto-related stocks trended higher even as the Nasdaq edged lower. Notable gains: - Coinbase (COIN): +4.59% - Circle (CRCL): +5.26% - MicroStrategy (MSTR): +3.43% - Bitmine (BMNR): +14.88% - SharpLink Gaming (SBET): +8.39% Garrett Jin, a