Bitcoin approached the $90,000 mark at the first Wall Street open of 2026, as traders focused on a newly formed gap in CME Group7s Bitcoin futures that could signal a short-term price retracement.
- Bitcoin is attempting to break through $90,000 as U.S. markets reopen for the year.
- A fresh CME futures gap and clusters of long liquidations highlight the risk of a near-term dip.
- Gold is edging back toward record levels after ending 2025 as the best-performing major asset.
Data from TradingView showed Bitcoin gaining momentum during the Asia trading session ahead of the U.S. open. As traditional markets came back online, CME7s Bitcoin futures market printed a new downside gap, creating a potential target for spot prices.
One trader posting under the name Daan Crypto Trades described the new gap as an important level to monitor in the coming days, adding that the early-year calendar and upcoming weekend could lead to multiple gaps and a “messy” chart.
Historically, Bitcoin has often moved to “fill” newly created CME gaps within days or even hours after futures trading resumes, with prices gravitating back to the gap zone before resuming their trend.
Amid fresh January highs, derivatives analytics platform TheKingfisher cautioned that Bitcoin could retreat toward $88,000 to clear out late-arriving leveraged long positions. The firm pointed to a growing cluster of liquidation levels around that price on its high-leverage liquidation map and suggested traders reassess their risk if their liquidation levels sit near that area.
Monitoring platform CoinGlass reported that liquidity was building both above and below the market into the U.S. session, with more than $200 million in leveraged positions liquidated across major cryptocurrencies in the 24 hours to press time as prices pushed higher.
While Bitcoin attempts to hold near all-time highs, gold is also advancing after a brief pullback at the end of 2025. The XAU/USD pair is consolidating below $4,400 as it moves back toward record territory, following a year in which it outperformed most risk assets.
“Gold (+64%) was the best performing major asset in 2025 while Bitcoin (-6%) was the worst. Something we haven7t seen before in any calendar year (the inverse of 2013),” said Charlie Bilello, chief market strategist at wealth manager Creative Planning.
Recent analysis has highlighted the shifting relationship between Bitcoin and traditional safe-haven assets such as gold and silver. According to research cited by Cointelegraph, Bitcoin7s lagging performance in 2025 may reflect a consolidation phase rather than the start of a new long-term downturn, with historical patterns suggesting it could represent a “calm before the storm” for volatility.
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