Crypto Stocks Pare Gains as Bitcoin Retreats from USD 90,000 Rally
On December 17, 2025, the crypto market rally reversed with Bitcoin (BTC) falling about 3.9% to around $86,500 after retreating from a move above $90,000. Ethereum (ETH) dropped about 5.3% to around $2,850, while XRP declined approximately 4.1%.
Crypto-related miners also faced declines: Marathon Digital Holdings (MARA) fell 4.8%, Core Scientific (CORZ) dropped 6%, and other miners like CleanSpark (CLSK) and Riot Platforms (RIOT) slipped 0.38% and 0.7%, respectively. Meanwhile, Hut 8 Mining (HUT) stood out with a strong intraday gain of about 12.8% following the announcement of a 15-year, $7 billion lease with AI infrastructure firm Fluidstack.
Other crypto stocks softened with Circulor (CRCL) down 3.2%, MicroStrategy (MSTR) declining 2%, Galaxy Digital (GLXY) falling 1.9%, and Coinbase (COIN) retreating 0.55%. The CoinDesk 20 index fell about 1.5% for the day.
In macroeconomic news, Federal Reserve Governor Chris Waller criticized a neutral interest rate stance and suggested that job growth is near zero. Markets have priced in limited chances of a rate cut in January, with betting platforms Polymarket and Kalshi indicating over 70% odds of no cut, a view supported by CME FedWatch data.
