[LIVE] Crypto News Today, December 18 – Bitcoin Price Holds $85K Support as PIPPIN Leads Meme Coin and AI Sector: Next 100x Crypto?

[Ben Graham]

The market showed mixed price action on December 18, with heightened volatility, especially during the late session. Bitcoin BTC $87,371.24 1.35% Bitcoin BTC Price $87,371.24 1.35% /24h Volume in 24h $41.66B Price 7d Learn more briefly moved above $90,000 earlier in the session before facing selling pressure and returning to test the key $85,000 support level. As investors search for the next 100x crypto during this consolidation phase, BTC is currently holding near $86,900, up 0.56% over the past 24 hours but down 3.49% on the week.

Analysts continue to highlight the $85,000 zone as an important support area, supported by steady ETF inflows and on-chain data pointing to reduced near-term sell pressure.

(Source: Coinglass)

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Bitcoin and Major Altcoins Face Short-Term Pullback

Ethereum ETH $2,859.73 3.55% Ethereum ETH Price $2,859.73 3.55% /24h Volume in 24h $21.36B Price 7d Learn more recorded heavier losses, sliding to around $2,844 after a 2.85% daily decline and a 10.77% drop over the past week. Transfers from large holders to exchanges added pressure, raising concerns about additional supply entering the market. Solana SOL $123.99 3.75% Solana SOL Price $123.99 3.75% /24h Volume in 24h $5.37B Price 7d Learn more  also moved lower, trading near $123, down 3.31% on the day and 5.84% over the week, in line with broader weakness across altcoins.

Performance among other major assets was mixed. BNB gained 3.40% to trade near $835, while XRP climbed 3.54% to approximately $1.84. Stablecoins such as USDT and USDC remained close to their $1.00 peg.

Overall, the global crypto market capitalization stood near $2.91 trillion, reflecting a modest decline of nearly 2% over the past 24 hours.

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PIPPIN Standing on Business in the Meme Coin and AI Segment – Next 100x Crypto?

While large-cap assets corrected, the meme coin and AI segment has a shining star, PIPPIN, a Solana-based project combining meme culture with autonomous AI agents. After printing a large red candle that tested lower price levels, PIPPIN recovered decisively and is now trading around $0.44, with a market capitalization above $440 million. The rebound points to sustained interest from its community and continued engagement from larger holders.

(Source: Coingecko)

PIPPIN’s concept centers on an AI-generated unicorn that evolves into an active digital persona, supported by an open-source autonomous agent framework inspired by BabyAGI. Strong trading volumes and visible accumulation suggest that market participants are responding to both the narrative and the underlying technology rather than short-lived excitement alone.

However, not everyone is bullish. On-chain analysis from Bubblemaps has raised red flags about token distribution, showing that a concentrated cluster, potentially insiders, controls up to 80% of the supply, previously estimated at half and now valued at around $380–400 million. Community posts on X, including visualizations from Bubblemaps, have labeled PIPPIN a potential “ticking time bomb,” warning of manipulation risks and possible coordinated sells that could trigger sharp dumps.

With Bitcoin maintaining support above $85,000 and altcoins attempting to establish a base, attention is increasingly turning toward projects that combine strong engagement with practical innovation.

Could this market deliver the next 100x crypto?

Stay tuned for the latest crypto news.

23 minutes ago

Bitcoin Price Prediction: Why Did BTC Trigger Back-to-Back Short and Long Squeezes in a Single Session?

By Fatima

On December 17, Bitcoin saw a sharp and chaotic two-hour stretch that sent prices violently higher and lower within a short window.

The move began with a fast rally, then flipped just as quickly into a steep drop. Both sides of the market took hits. Each leg pushed Bitcoin roughly $3,000 in either direction, highlighting how aggressive trading had become during the session.

Bull Theory flagged the initial surge, noting that Bitcoin jumped about $3,300 in just 30 minutes. That spike forced the liquidation of roughly $106M in short positions. 

BREAKING: Bitcoin pumped $3,300 and liquidated $106 million worth of shorts in just 30 minutes.

But then it dumped $3,400 and liquidated $52 million worth of longs in next 45 minutes.

Insane level of manipulation in crypto. pic.twitter.com/5zrlnsIhgj

— Bull Theory (@BullTheoryio) December 17, 2025

According to the analyst, the speed and scale of the move made it a textbook short squeeze.

But the strength did not last. Over the next 45 minutes, Bitcoin gave back nearly all of those gains. Prices dropped around $3,400, triggering about $52M in long liquidations. 

Bull Theory described the reversal as a fast shift into a long squeeze, showing how quickly sentiment flipped.

Other market watchers pointed to the same episode from different angles. DEGEN NEWS described Bitcoin as printing “two straight volatile hourly candles,” emphasizing how unusual the back-to-back swings were. 

ZeroHedge tied the move to its long-running “10 am slam algo” idea, calling it a near $5,000 swing within about an hour at the time of its post.

Both ZeroHedge and Bull Theory have pointed to a pattern they say shows up around 10:00 a.m. EST. That timing lines up with the opening of US stock markets. And it’s where some of these sharp Bitcoin moves tend to appear.

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