The crypto market similarly opened on December 18, following the day prior, amid fear and uncertainty, and Bitcoin has remained between $86,000 and $87,000. Market liquidity continues to thin heading into year-end, with the combined crypto market cap precariously above $3 trillion and at risk of losing this key level before 2025 ends.
Surprisingly, memecoins have shown the most significant gains in recent days, with PIPPIN and TROLL posting overnight gains of +5% and +6%, respectively. These Pump.fun coins are surging after a federal court recently allowed a second amended class-action complaint to move forward involving Pump.fun, Solana Labs, and multiple Solana-linked entities.
EXPLORE: Coinbase Announces Equity Perps, Solana Trading, Kalshi Prediction Markets and Much More
For now, bulls and bears are divided: many believe we are already deep into a bear market and that every pump should be viewed as a dead cat bounce, while others see the current price action as a heavy correction before a possible next leg higher in 2026. There is likely to be heavy volatility throughout the remainder of 2025 and into the new year as bulls and bears fight for control of the charts.
If we sweep 80k and then rally back to 90k, were the 90k+ bulls right or wrong?
— Trader Koala (@trader_koala) December 18, 2025
Traders go Risk-Off Amid Market Uncertainty, but Memecoins Offer Glimmer of Hope – Best Crypto to Buy?
Bitcoin ETF flows have posted two consecutive red days, with over $500M exiting various BTC ETF products since December 16 amid deepening market uncertainty, underscoring investors’ defensive stance in December.
These outflows have added further pressure to the Bitcoin price, which is currently trading at $87,200 and is struggling to regain $90,000 before 2025 ends.
While Bitcoin and other major caps continue to struggle, the memecoin sector is surprisingly offering the market a glimmer of hope in a sea of red. Even with the ongoing legal battles in the US, Solana Pump.fun tokens are showing the most strength, namely PIPPIN
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Pippin
13.94%
Pippin
PIPPIN
Price
$0.4232
13.94% /24h
Volume in 24h
$23.60M
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Price 7d
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and TROLL.
In the past 24 hours, PIPPIN is up nearly +7% overnight, while TROLL is in the green with a +5% gain. Whether this will amount to a sustained pump in the Solana memecoin space remains to be seen, but for now, it is being treated with caution amid broader market uncertainty.
Once again, Monero is the only major cap in the green today, up +0.8%, underscoring demand for established privacy-focused tokens from market participants.
XMR has outperformed most of the market over the last 12 months, up 95%, and, notably, Monero is up 145% on the year when paired against Bitcoin.
During times of uncertainty, it is prudent to stick with strength. Right now, XMR, TROLL, and PIPPIN continue to lead the way and are top candidates for the best crypto to buy while waiting for greener days.
$XMR chart looks very promising
After the success of Zcash and the entire anonymous crypto, it's obvious that Monero is the next target for the uber growth pic.twitter.com/ef2TsyCAFz
— Web3_Vibes (@W3Vibes) December 18, 2025
DISCOVER: Top Solana Meme Coins to Buy in December 2025
Dwindling Liquidity Heading into Year-End as Traders Re-Position With a ‘Risk-Off’ Approach
As year-end approaches, the market lacks significant crypto events on the calendar, leaving price direction largely driven by macroeconomic sentiment, liquidity conditions, and year-end adjustments.
Historically, as the holidays draw near, lower trading volumes tend to increase volatility, which can lead to more pronounced price movements in either direction. While some traders will continue to seek the best crypto to buy in 2026, most are taking a risk-off approach.
Ongoing longer-term themes, such as regulation, institutional interest, and demand for ETFs, continue to influence market expectations. For now, the focus remains on whether Bitcoin can hold the key $81,000 level or decline into deeper retracements as we close out 2025.
Crypto Fear and Greed Chart
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Just yesterday, OG investor Peter Brandt called for Bitcoin to hit $25,000 in 2026, which sparked a fresh wave of fear among retail investors who are already panic-selling every relief pump across the market.
This investor fear is shown in the Fear and Greed Index, which currently stands at 17, extreme fear. While this is up from a yearly low of 11 last month, it remains extremely low and reflects current market sentiment.
Here is today’s latest news, updated as it comes in.
Bank of England Rate Decision and US CPI Stir Volatility: BTC USD Fights For Foothold as Trump Targets Venezuela Oil
Today is an essential day for global cryptocurrency markets, as the US will release its latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures in the next few hours, while the Bank of England is expected to announce an interest rate cut around the same time. BTC USD is holding steady at $87,000, up +0.2% on the day, with U.S. CPI data expected to bring a fresh wave of volatility to the market.
The entire crypto market cap is down 0.8% over the past 24 hours, at just over $3 trillion, according to CoinGecko data. Adverse news from the US CPI could push it below that crucial level and back into the $2 trillion range.
Read the full story here.
Coinbase Announces Equity Perps, Solana Trading, Kalshi Prediction Markets and Much More
With the massive Coinbase announcements at its ‘System Update’ event that kicked off this evening (December 17), at 8pm P.T, its COIN stock has responded by dropping -3.3% in the afternoon session and is currently trading for $244.19.
Coinbase’s announcements include built-in Prediction Markets by integrating Kalshi into the platform, equity perps for non-US citizens, and the ability to trade Solana tokens on-chain directly on the Coinbase exchange, among other new features.
Read the full story here.
H Crypto +30% BEAT Crypto +23%: Hottest Crypto to Buy Right Now?
H and BEAT crypto have both posted strong moves, with H crypto up around 30% and BEAT gaining 23%. Why are these two moving while many tokens are chopping sideways, if not dumping?
H, a crypto token of Humanity Protocol, and BEAT are benefiting from new narratives entering the space; it is expected, psychologically, as humans, that we are always rotating attention toward projects that feel different, something untapped.
At the moment, both coins, although pumping on the same day, are sitting in two very separate corners of the market. One leans heavily into identity and privacy, the other into gaming, AI, and culture.
Each one of the runs shows the same thing. New narratives tied to actual usage tend to run. But for how long? Let’s break them down and judge which one is the hottest crypto to buy right now.
Read the full story here.
The post Crypto News Today (December 17): Bitcoin Price Clings on to $86K With Bears Firmly in Control Heading into 2026 – Best Crypto to Buy During The Dip? appeared first on 99Bitcoins.