Crypto market slides as U.S. equities turn lower.

Bitcoin Retreats to $92K as Gold, Silver Rally; ETF Inflows Boost Crypto

Bitcoin (BTC $91,099.70) pulled back to just above $92,000 on Tuesday after an early push toward $95,000, reversing a short-lived break in the weeks-long pattern of falling U.S. session crypto prices. BTC is now down 1.3% over 24 hours.

Altcoins followed suit. XRP, Monday’s top performer, dropped over 2%, while Solana (SOL $135.59) — initially boosted by Morgan Stanley’s plan for a spot SOL ETF — saw similar losses.

U.S. equities posted modest gains, with the Nasdaq up 0.4% and the S&P 500 up 0.3%, while metals surged: gold climbed 1% above $4,500, silver jumped 5% past $80, and copper topped $6 per pound for the first time.

Strong ETF inflows
Bitcoin ETFs recorded their largest single-day inflow in nearly three months at roughly $697 million, reflecting renewed institutional demand and the unwinding of year-end tax-loss harvesting. Ether (ETH $3,152.00) saw bullish flows in mid- and long-dated call spreads, signaling market conviction for the second half of 2026, according to Wintermute.

Options markets show cautious optimism. BTC skew remains negative due to systematic hedging, making risk-reversals — buying calls while selling puts — a cost-efficient way to express bullish bets.

Analysts increasingly view Bitcoin as a geopolitical hedge. Despite a 6% loss in 2025, BTC has already recovered a large portion. Historically, Bitcoin has never posted back-to-back losing years, and past rebounds after 2014, 2018, and 2022 suggest 2026 could be a strong year for crypto.

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