Major cryptocurrencies traded mainly flat or slightly higher on Tuesday, Dec. 30, as markets remained quiet near year-end and overall trading activity stayed light.
Bitcoin (BTC) rose 0.8% over the past 24 hours to around $88,040, while Ethereum (ETH) gained just over 1% to $2,966, according to The Defiant’s price page. BNB climbed 0.7% to $857, XRP advanced 0.9% to $1.87, and Solana (SOL) rose 0.6% to $123.93.
The global cryptocurrency market capitalization rose to about $3.07 trillion, up about 1% over the past 24 hours. Total trading volume for the day came in at $98.8 billion. Bitcoin dominance ticked slightly higher to 57.4%, while Ethereum dominance stood at 11.7%.
CoinGecko data showed that tokens tied to the Polkadot ecosystem and the XRP Ledger ecosystem were among the strongest performers on the day.
Among the top gainers, Canton (CC) rose 6% to almost $0.14, LEO Token (LEO) gained 3% to $8.85, and Aptos (APT) climbed 2% to $1.71.
On the losing side, Toncoin (TON) fell 3.3% to $1.61, Internet Computer (ICP) dropped 3.2% to $2.87, and Mantle (MNT) slid 2.9% to $0.97.
Liquidations and ETF Flows
Over the past 24 hours, total liquidations reached a relatively modest $143.06 million, with $65.95 million coming from long positions and $77.11 million from short positions, according to Coinglass data. Bitcoin and Ethereum accounted for the largest share, with roughly $42 million and $38 million liquidated, respectively.
In ETF markets, Bitcoin spot ETFs continued their outflow streak, recording $19.3 million in net outflows, while Ethereum ETFs saw $9.6 million exit, also marking the fourth day of consecutive outflows. In both cases, however, the net outflows were relatively small.
In contrast, XRP ETFs attracted $8.4 million in inflows, continuing their inflow streak since launching, except for Dec. 26 when the products saw no inflows or outflows. Solana ETFs showed a similar pattern, with $2.9 million in net inflows, signaling selective interest in crypto investment products beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Macro Developments
Markets also reacted to new details from the Federal Reserve on Tuesday. Notes from the Fed’s December meeting showed officials were split on whether to cut interest rates.
While the Fed did approve a small rate cut earlier this month, some policymakers said inflation is still a concern and that rates may need to stay high for longer. Others warned that the economy could slow if rates remain too restrictive.
“With respect to the extent and timing of additional adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate, some participants suggested that, under their economic outlooks, it would likely be appropriate to keep the target range unchanged for some time after a lowering of the range at this meeting,” the minutes said.
Meanwhile the Crypto Fear & Greed Index remains in the “extreme fear” zone, where it’s mostly been this month.
