Crypto Market Shakeup: BTC & ETH Slide as Fear Index Hits 28 - What’s Next?
Fear grips the crypto market as Bitcoin and Ethereum lead a widespread retreat. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index plunges to 28—deep into 'Fear' territory—signaling a sharp shift in investor sentiment.
Market Pulse: Reading the Fear
That 28 reading isn't just a number. It's a flashing warning light. It tells us traders are selling on emotion, not fundamentals. The slide in BTC and ETH prices acts as the primary catalyst, dragging down altcoins in a classic risk-off cascade. Liquidity tightens. Leverage gets unwound. It's a textbook fear cycle.
Behind the Slide: More Than Just Jitters
This isn't random volatility. Major assets don't slide in unison without a trigger. Look for the usual suspects: macro pressure, regulatory whispers, or a major over-leveraged position blowing up. The market's pricing in uncertainty, and right now, uncertainty spells 'sell.'
The Silver Lining? History Rhymes
Here's the cynical finance jab: Wall Street spends millions on sentiment analysis to do what a free index tracking crypto Twitter panic does perfectly. Extreme fear often creates the best long-term entry points. Markets overshoot in both directions. While weak hands flee, the infrastructure keeps building. Remember, the last time fear was this palpable, it set the stage for the next leg up.
The path forward hinges on whether this is a healthy flush of excess or the start of something deeper. One thing's certain: when the Fear Index screams, it's time to listen—then decide whether to run or to load up.
Major Crypto Events Today
Source: Forex Factory
24-Hour Crypto Market Update: Prices, Volume & Trends
The global cryptocurrency market today recorded a capitalization of $3.21 trillion, reflecting a 1.4% downward trend in the last 24 hours. Total trading volume noted $117.5 billion.
Bitcoin’s (BTC) dominance over the industry remains intense, with 56.7%, while ethereum (ETH) carries 11.9%. As of now, 19908 cryptocurrencies are being tracked. The largest gainers of the industry are Polkadot and XRP Ledger Ecosystem in the last 24 hours.
Note: BTC and ETH are often viewed as less volatile historically, but still risky.
Bitcoin (BTC) price today reached $91240.06, dipping by 1.36% in the last 24 hours, with a trading volume of $41.43 billion and a market cap of $1.82 trillion.
Ethereum (ETH) is priced today at $3167.68, slightly dipping 2.7% in 24 hours with a trading volume of $22.1billion and a market cap of $382 billion.
(Trending data is based on a combination of 24-hour price movement, trading volume, and CoinMarketCap.com trending metrics.)
Dinosol (DINO) is at $0.001146, up 10.19%, with strong activity reflected in a $2.4M trading volume (TV).
Yooldo (ESPORTS) is at $0.4315, down 6.32%, while recording a high $192.4 million in daily TV.
Brevis (BREV) trades at $0.4597, gaining 24.53%, supported by a heavy $884.5 million TV.
zkPass (ZKP) is at $0.1960, surging 62.02%, with $434.21 million in TV.
KGeN (KGEN) stands at $0.2019, slipping 6.3%, despite a solid $520.43 million TV.
(Ranked by 24-hour percentage gain)
MYX Finance (MYX) is at $5.25, up 8.39%, with a trading volume of around $25.6 million.
Canton (CC) is at $0.1395, gaining 2.88%, supported by a daily trading volume of nearly $26.3 million.
Polygon (POL), formerly MATIC, trades at $0.1297, up 2.75%, while recording a high trading volume of about $91.2 million.
(Ranked by 24-hour percentage loss)
Pump.fun (PUMP) is at $0.002359, down 8.87%, with a heavy $135.3 million trading activity showing active selling pressure.
Pudgy Penguins (PENGU) stands at $0.01205, slipping 7.26%, while recording a strong $208 million in daily TV.
Story (IP) is at $2.02, declining 7.04%, with comparatively lower but notable trading activity of $49.8 million.
Stablecoins noted a 0.2% negative change over the past 24 hours, with a market capitalization of $312 billion and trading volume of $94.7 billion.
The Decentralized Finance (DeFi) market declined 3.6% over the last 24 hours, recording a market cap of $112.8 billion and trading volume at $4.36 billion. Defi dominance globally marked 3.5%.
Fear and Greed Index Today
Source: Alternative Me
Today’s Fear & Greed Index is 28 (Fear), down from 42 yesterday. Compared to 20 last week and 22 last month, sentiment slightly improved but remains cautious due to corrections, profit-taking, and macro uncertainty limiting investor confidence.
Latest Crypto Market News Today, 8 January
(Note: All of these updates affect traders, as they affect liquidity, sentiment, and potential returns, and thus have to be monitored closely.)
Prediction markets TG Bot Polycule was hacked, affecting $230,000 in user funds. Launched by PMX Trade and backed by AllianceDAO, it marks the first major prediction Bot crypto theft case reported.
A major crypto whale closed a large Bitcoin long after a pullback, booking a $3.8 million loss, despite earlier $96 million ETH profits, and withdrew most USDC from Hyperliquid exchange.
Flare launched the first XRP spot market on Hyperliquid, enabling FXRP/USDC trading, boosting DeFi use, on-chain liquidity, decentralized custody, and allowing seamless bridging back to the XRP Ledger after trading completion.
World Liberty Financial said its unit, World Liberty Trust, filed a de novo application with the OCC on January 7 to seek a national trust bank charter for issuing USD1.
The US Senate Banking and Agriculture Committees will vote on January 15 on US crypto rules, advancing long-negotiated legislation toward Senate coordination, the House-passed Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, and President Trump’s approval.
JPMorgan Kinexys and Digital Asset will deploy JPM Coin on the Canton Network in 2026, enabling issuance, transfer, and instant redemption, expanding compliant blockchain payments for institutions worldwide, and regulated finance.
Comparative Insight
Bitcoin is down 1.36%, whereas Ethereum fell 2.7%. Altcoins were split, with zkPass and Brevis skyrocketing, and memecoins and NFTs experiencing selling, which is indicative of selective risk-taking as opposed to industry recovery. Also, the fear index fell from 42 to 28 is huge.
What This Means for Crypto Users
Cryptocurrency users must be on the lookout because the market is volatile. Large volumes imply active trading, whereas declining sentiment and performance of mixed assets imply short-term uncertainty, and risk management, diversification, and news monitoring will be very important to navigate the existing conditions.
Risk Context: This commentary is not a long-term conditions commentary but only informational. It does not indicate the direction of the price or indicate an action to be taken on the investment.
CoinGabbar’s Opinion
Based on the last 24 hours Cryptocurrency update, the investing remains high-risk but selectively beneficial. There are opportunities in assets with good performance, but there is general caution because of the fear of the crowd, regulatory trends, and uneven price action across the major cryptocurrencies.
Disclaimer: This is not financial advice. Do Your Own Research before investing. CoinGabbar is not liable for any financial loss. The crypto assets are risky, and you may lose all your investments. Not all regions can offer some of the services or assets discussed.
