Crypto Markets Update: Bitcoin Rises Amid Weak Risk Appetite on December 15, 2025
Bitcoin trading around $89,900 after a rally from Sunday’s $88,000 low, with an intraday high reaching $94,300 following the Federal Reserve’s 25 basis point rate cut last week.
More than half of the top 100 tokens declined over the past 24 hours, while Bitcoin dominance rose to about 58.4%, up from 56.8% in September, indicating a shift toward larger-cap assets as new tokens proliferate.
The CoinDesk 20 index was up 0.16% on Monday, whereas the CoinDesk 80 index fell 0.77%, highlighting weakness in smaller and riskier altcoins.
Derivatives activity showed a rise in DOGE open interest to 10.80 billion DOGE, the highest since November 20, accompanied by moderately positive funding. XRP open interest increased over 3% near a potential $2 support, while Bitcoin open interest largely remained unchanged.
Ethereum front-end put options were pricier than those for Bitcoin, implying a net bearish bias on the ETH/BTC pair. Several altcoins including ZEC, TAO, AERO, and SKY fell up to 4.5%.
Liquid staking tokens outperformed their peers, with LDO and ETHFI rising approximately 2%. ETHFI also announced a 10% ETH cashback promotion, called "Ethmas," for Ether.fi card users.
The altcoin season indicator stood at 19 out of 100, far below September’s peak of 78 and recent highs, reflecting investor preference for larger-cap tokens amid ongoing risk-off sentiment.
