Tether Buys 8,889 BTC as Bitcoin Falls Below $88K

Tether, the issuer behind [USDT](https://holder.io/coins/usdt/), has increased its [BTC](https://holder.io/coins/btc/) reserves by purchasing 8,889 BTC, valued at $778.7 million, from the Bitfinex exchange. This acquisition brings Tether's total Bitcoin holdings to 96,370 BTC, worth approximately $8.46 billion.

Bitcoin's price is currently under $87,500, experiencing a 1.1% decline over the past 24 hours.
US-based spot BTC exchange-traded funds saw a net outflow of $348.1 million on December 31, with a total monthly net outflow of $1.09 billion in December 2025.
The market faced a challenging Q4, with Bitcoin declining by 23%, marking its weakest performance since 2018.

Potential Scenarios for Bitcoin in 2026

A potential rate cut may lead to a volatile price range of $80,000 to $140,000.
A rising recession risk could push prices down towards the $50,000 zone due to strong ETF outflows.
If investment products see stronger outflows amidst favorable conditions, Bitcoin might trade between $120,000 and $170,000.