What's happening in the crypto market today? Bitcoin falls below $90.000 amid job uncertainty

Bitcoin loses support at $90.000 after disappointing US jobs data is released. We analyze the impact of the Fed's monetary policy, the drop in bond yields, and the outflow of capital from ETFs at the start of 2026.

The cryptocurrency market is facing a correction after initial gains in January. Bitcoin, the leading cryptocurrency by market capitalization, has fallen below the psychological and technical level of $90.000, registering a 2% drop in the last 24 hours. This downward movement is a direct response to the release of US private sector employment figures, which came in below economists' projections, injecting nervousness into financial traders.

Despite Bitcoin's price maintaining a cumulative gain of over 3% this week, today's trading is dominated by caution. Investors are reassessing their portfolios in light of a macroeconomic environment showing signs of weakness, prioritizing liquidity and reducing risk exposure as they digest the implications of new data on the health of the US economy.

Employment cools in December and monetary policy recalibrates

The main trigger for the volatility currently seen in cryptocurrencies lies in the December jobs report, which showed the creation of only 41.000 new jobs in the private sector. This figure falls significantly short of the 50.000 jobs anticipated by the consensus of analysts and experts. The discrepancy between expectation and reality has served as a warning sign of a potentially more pronounced economic slowdown than anticipated, which alters the Federal Reserve's roadmap.

The reaction in debt markets to the release of this data was immediate. The yield on 10-year Treasury bonds fell to 4,14%, a move that demonstrates investors' search for safe havens amid uncertainty. Historically, a weak labor market pressures central banks to ease financial conditions to stimulate the economy. In this regard, futures markets have already begun to price in a higher probability of at least two interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve this year.

However, while lower interest rates typically benefit riskier assets like Bitcoin, the immediate reaction has been negative. This suggests that, in the short term, the fear of an economic recession weighs more heavily on investor sentiment than the promise of cheap money in the future. 

The correlation between monetary policy and the valuation of crypto assets remains close, and any indication of structural fragility in the US economy quickly translates into selling in the crypto market.

Bitcoin retreats, ETFs register outflows, and altcoins move in various directions

The recent correction in Bitcoin's price was accompanied by mixed movements in other major cryptocurrencies. Furthermore, it comes amid a broader withdrawal of institutional capital. 

Bitcoin-linked exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the spot market have experienced significant outflows, reaching $486 million in just two days. This data is crucial, as it reflects that large wealth managers are adopting a defensive stance, pausing their purchases or liquidating positions due to the lack of clarity in the short-term macroeconomic outlook.

The ripple effect of Bitcoin has also been strongly felt throughout the rest of the ecosystem. Ethereum, the second most important cryptocurrency in the market, fell by 3%, while XRP suffered a sharper decline of 4,5%, leading the losses among the largest assets by market capitalization. 

However, the market exhibits anomalies that demonstrate speculation has not entirely disappeared: Dogecoin has managed to decouple from the overall trend, maintaining a weekly gain of over 20%. For experts, this divergent behavior underscores the fragmented nature of the market at the start of 2026, where specific assets can be driven by their own narratives, independent of the general sentiment.

From a technical and fundamental perspective, Bitcoin continues to act as a barometer of global confidence. While the drop below $90.000 doesn't necessarily invalidate the long-term uptrend, it does confirm that the asset's sensitivity to institutional capital flows and macroeconomic data is higher than ever.

The market remains attentive to the Federal Reserve's next decision.

Today's close left markets with a sense of caution. Bitcoin remains in a watchful zone as traders await clearer signals about whether it can reclaim the $90.000 mark. That possibility will largely depend on the next inflation data releases and the Federal Reserve's monetary policy decisions. Meanwhile, investors are trying to determine whether the slowdown in job creation is merely a temporary adjustment or the beginning of a phase that will require more drastic measures from the central bank.

Meanwhile, movements in the stock and bond markets will continue to influence the behavior of digital assets. The correlation between Bitcoin and stock indices has intensified in recent months, reinforcing the idea that the cryptocurrency acts as part of the global risk asset mix.

For investors, today's market activity confirms that volatility will continue to be a core component of the crypto ecosystem.