[LIVE] Crypto News Today, December 15 – Why Is Crypto Down Today? Bitcoin Below $90K, Hashrate Drop, Ethereum Holds, Top Gainers Including BEAT

Ben Graham · December 15, 2025

As we edge closer to the holiday season, the crypto market is once again painting the charts red: a pattern many traders have come to recognize in recent years. On December 15, Bitcoin BTC $89,863.57 1.44% Bitcoin BTC Price $89,863.57 1.44% /24h Volume in 24h $29.50B Price 7d Learn more is sliding below the $90,000 mark, and here we try to answer the classic question: “why crypto is down today.” The retreat reflects a familiar year-end dynamic: thinning liquidity, traders booking profits after 2025’s strong rallies, and slower participation as markets gear up for the holidays.

Ethereum ETH $3,147.61 0.66% Ethereum ETH Price $3,147.61 0.66% /24h Volume in 24h $17.77B Price 7d Learn more has fared slightly better around $3,154, but most altcoins are still tagging along behind Bitcoin’s drop. Macro pressure, including risk-off sentiment in equities and shifting interest rate expectations, is amplifying the slide, while leveraged positions are being unwound in a market that’s increasingly sensitive to broader financial conditions.

Looking back at holiday periods in past years, crypto markets have often shown thin trading volumes and elevated volatility around late December, as many investors step back and wait for fresh catalysts in the new year. That can make price moves feel more exaggerated, both up and down, than during busier months.

Historically, Bitcoin has bounced around this time of year before finding renewed momentum once liquidity returns.

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Why Is Crypto Down Today? Bitcoin Hashrate Decline

Bitcoin has dipped below $90,000 amid year-end profit-taking and thinner trading volumes that make price moves larger. Institutional outflows from ETFs continue, adding pressure. Uncertainty ahead of Federal Reserve decisions, with lower chances for further rate cuts soon, contributes to the cautious tone. Altcoins like Solana and Cardano show bigger daily drops, while the total market cap stays near $3 trillion.

Bitcoin’s network hashrate dropped 17.25% in the past week to 988.49 EH/s, based on F2pool data reported earlier this month. This change points to possible adjustments in mining due to profitability or costs.

According to @punk8185, the total network hashrate dropped by approximately 100 EH/s yesterday, a decrease of about 8%, with at least 400,000 Bitcoin mining rigs shutting down, mainly due to the closure of Bitcoin mining farms in Xinjiang, China. The specific reasons for the… https://t.co/u92YaLYJcV

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) December 15, 2025

Meanwhile, the Binance Smart Chain (BSC) maintains steady use, with over 2.4 million daily active users recently and zero-fee stablecoin transfers extended until December 31. As Christmas nears, holiday patterns and year-end tax moves could bring more price changes across the market.

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Standout Gainers in the Market: What Is BEAT?

Some tokens post gains despite the overall dip. Audiera BEAT leads with a 64% increase to $2.75. Other performers include Four (FORM) up 18.7% to $0.3384, MYX Finance (MYX) up 13.9% to $3.53, Rain (RAIN) up 8.06% to $0.008031, ChainOpera AI (COAI) up 6.43% to $0.5490, and 币安人生 up 5.79% to $0.1259.

BEAT powers the Audiera platform, a Web3 version of the classic Audition dance game with over 600 million past users. It combines AI agents, NFTs, music creation, and dance gameplay on BNB Chain. Players earn rewards through challenges, mint assets, and interact in a metaverse setting. Recent gains reflect interest in entertainment and GameFi projects.

$BEAT first liquidated all the short, then liquidated all the long, then again liquidated all the short

We saw the same pattern in $PIPPIN pic.twitter.com/6XvqsWV0EX

— Lumeo Lab (@LumeoLab) December 12, 2025

Macro conditions, including Fed policy effects on risk assets and correlations with tech stocks, influence prices.

Stay tuned for the latest crypto news.

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Bank of Japan Prepares Gradual Exit From ETF Holdings

By Fatima

According to Bloomberg, the Bank of Japan is expected to begin selling its massive exchange-traded fund holdings as early as next month, according to sources familiar with the plan.

The unwind is designed to be extremely gradual, potentially stretching over several decades, to avoid disrupting financial markets. Officials agreed at a September policy meeting to sell ETFs at a steady pace of about ¥330 billion per year based on book value.

As of late September, the central bank’s ETF portfolio was valued at ¥83 trillion in market terms, with a book value of ¥37.1 trillion. Sales could be paused if a major crisis emerges.

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