Bitcoin slides below $87K: Is the crypto winter officially here?

Bitcoin sliding below $87,000 feels like the start of a new crypto winter, but the evidence suggests a more brutal, macro-driven reset than the opening chapter of a multi-year freeze. Analysts report that after reaching above $126,000 in October, the world’s largest cryptocurrency has dropped more than 30% in a matter of weeks, with over $200 billion wiped from the broader market as Ethereum and other major cryptocurrencies fell 5–10% in a single session

That kind of move is painful and late-cycle, yet it still sits within the range of a violent correction in a long bull phase rather than a definitive turn into a deep, grinding bear market. What has changed is the backdrop. A sharp spike in Japanese bond yields, the slow unwinding of the yen carry trade, record ETF outflows and heavy derivatives liquidations have collided to drain liquidity from one of the most leveraged corners of global markets. 

Whether this becomes a full-blown crypto winter depends less on Bitcoin itself and more on how far global funding costs rise, how quickly investors de-risk, and whether institutional buyers see this as a buying opportunity or a reason to step back further.

What’s driving Bitcoin’s latest slide?

Bitcoin’s drawdown is being driven by macro forces that sit far outside the blockchain. Japan’s government bond market has jolted higher, with 10-year yields surging towards 1.84–1.85% and two-year yields touching 1% for the first time since 2008 after Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda signalled a possible rate hike at the 18–19 December meeting. 

That shift threatens to unwind the yen carry trade, where investors have borrowed cheaply in yen for decades and deployed capital into higher-yielding assets worldwide, including US bonds, equities and crypto. According to analysts, as Japanese yields rise and the yen strengthens, those trades become more expensive to sustain, forcing capital back home and reducing global liquidity.

Crypto sits at the sharp end of that adjustment. Over the last major leg down, total market capitalisation dropped by roughly 5% in 24 hours, with Bitcoin and Ethereum both sliding over 5%. Thousands of traders were liquidated as some $600–$640 million in leveraged positions were wiped out. 

The immediate trigger was a break of support around the high $80,000s, which triggered stop-loss orders and margin calls on overextended long positions. The result was not a slow fade but a cascade: macro stress hit Japanese bonds, risk sentiment cracked, and leverage in the crypto complex did the rest.

Why it matters

As per experts, this episode is significant because it confirms Bitcoin's position in the global hierarchy of assets. Despite talk of “digital gold”, the market continues to treat BTC as a high-beta macro trade, extremely sensitive to shifts in liquidity and funding costs. When traditional markets move into “risk-off” mode, crypto is one of the first places investors reduce exposure. 

The current sell-off is unfolding alongside growing concerns about US fiscal sustainability, record Treasury issuance, and the end of ultra-loose Japanese policy, which together signal that the post-2008 era of cheap leverage is being repriced.

It also lays bare the limits of the new institutional architecture around Bitcoin. Reports indicate that spot ETFs in the United States, which were hailed as the bridge between crypto and mainstream finance, have just recorded their worst month since launch, with around $3.5 billion in net outflows and repeated days of heavy redemptions. 

The flagship IBIT fund alone saw withdrawals exceeding $500 million on its worst single day and more than $2.4 billion over the month, despite remaining one of the most successful ETFs globally in terms of assets and fees. That suggests institutional capital is willing to exit quickly when macro conditions turn, even if it remains structurally interested in Bitcoin over the long run.

Impact on markets, industry and investors

The ETF complex sits at the heart of how this correction is being transmitted. Analysts report that after months of near-constant inflows, the tide has turned: five straight weeks of net redemptions in November, a single day with roughly $900 million heading for the exits, and a notable change in tone from “buy every dip” to “wait for clarity”. 

Bitcoin ETFs still hold over $70 billion in assets and represent a significant share of the total supply, so when they move in one direction for several weeks, they significantly influence price discovery, extending far beyond crypto-native exchanges.

The pressure is broad but uneven across the digital-asset space. Spot Ether ETFs registered around $1.4 billion in outflows over the month, marking their weakest stretch on record, while Solana products experienced more than 20 days of inflows before a new ETF launch led to a sizable single-day withdrawal. XRP vehicles, by contrast, have yet to see any net outflows and have accumulated hundreds of millions in fresh capital, whereas Dogecoin products have disappointed with muted debut volumes. The pattern suggests investors are becoming more selective, rotating away from crowded trades and towards assets perceived as having stronger or cleaner narratives.

On the trading side, the absence of aggressive dip-buyers has been striking. In prior corrections, lower prices were quickly met with demand from both retail and institutional desks eager to “buy the blood”. This time, nervousness ahead of key US data, Federal Reserve communication and the Bank of Japan’s meeting has kept many on the sidelines. With fewer standing bids under the market, leveraged positions have been unwound more violently. That has turned Bitcoin’s usual volatility into something closer to a macro shock absorber for the entire crypto complex.

Expert outlook

Analysts are divided on whether this marks the start of a true crypto winter or a severe shakeout within an ongoing cycle. On one side is the argument that Bitcoin’s surge above $120,000 was always stretched, fuelled by easy liquidity, ETF hype and a reach for yield in a world still adjusting to higher rates. 

From that perspective, a 30% pullback that resets froth and flushes out leverage is not unusual within a broader bull market, especially for an asset as volatile as BTC. The $80,000–$85,000 band now stands out as a key support zone; if it holds and macro conditions stabilise, the recent drop may be remembered as a sharp correction rather than the start of a bear market.

The more bearish camp focuses on the structural shift in global funding. If the Bank of Japan continues to raise rates and the yen carry trade unwinds more broadly, liquidity could tighten across risk assets for longer than crypto bulls expect, according to analysts. Combined with heavy US debt issuance, a slowing Chinese economy and more cautious central banks, that scenario would leave less room for speculative excess across the board. In that world, Bitcoin might need to reprice to a level that reflects not just its supply schedule and adoption, but also a higher global cost of capital.

What both sides acknowledge is that the days of free money are over. The post-2008 bond bull market, where yields ground lower and leverage got cheaper year after year, looks to have ended. For Bitcoin, that creates a tension between its narrative and its behaviour. It still aspires to be a hedge against inflation and monetary debasement, yet in practice it trades like an amplified expression of risk sentiment. The next year will reveal whether institutional holders are prepared to keep allocating through a choppier macro regime, or whether they treat BTC as just another trade to exit when the cost of carry rises.

Bitcoin technical insights

At the start of writing, Bitcoin (BTC/USD) has slipped back toward $85,800, losing momentum after a brief stabilisation phase. The immediate downside focus remains on the key $84,600 support zone - a level where a break could trigger sell liquidations and open the door to deeper declines. Above price, the next major thresholds sit at $101,400 and $116,000, where any recovery rally is likely to encounter profit-taking or renewed buying interest.

Price continues to track the lower Bollinger Band, reflecting persistent bearish pressure and a market still struggling to regain directional strength. Until BTC can reclaim the mid-band and hold above it, the broader trend remains tilted downward.

The RSI has dipped sharply to around 43, reversing from an earlier bounce and sliding back toward the oversold region. This shift signals a weakening of momentum and suggests that sellers remain in control. While oversold conditions could eventually attract bargain hunters, the current setup still favours caution as Bitcoin tests critical support.

Key takeaway

Bitcoin’s slide below $87,000 feels ominous, but it looks more like a violent macro-driven reset than a clear confirmation that a fresh crypto winter has begun. The move has been driven by rising Japanese yields, a tentative end to the yen carry era, heavy ETF outflows and cascading liquidations, not a loss of faith in the underlying technology. Whether this evolves into a deeper, longer downturn will depend on how far global funding costs rise and how institutions react to a world where money is no longer free. For now, the market is caught between two stories: a maturing asset adapting to a harsher macro climate, and a familiar boom-and-bust cycle that still has another chapter to write.