Bitcoin tops $91,000 with ether, dogecoin higher amid U.S. action on Venezuela

• Bitcoin surged above $91,000 as traders extended a 2026 rebound amid geopolitical developments in Venezuela.
• Major cryptocurrencies like ether, solana, and cardano also posted gains, driven by a liquidation flush and increased risk appetite.
• Political changes in Venezuela, including U.S. plans for involvement, influenced market volatility and trading dynamics.

Bitcoin climbed above $91,000 on Sunday as traders extended the early 2026 rebound across major tokens, with ether, solana and cardano posting broad gains as geopolitical headlines out of Venezuela added to risk appetite.

Bitcoin traded around $91,300 in Asian morning hours, up about 1.4% on the day and more than 4% over seven days. Ether rose roughly 1% to near $3,150 and is up about 7% on the week, while solana gained about 1.6% and has climbed more than 8% over seven days. XRP hovered just above $2, rising about 0.6% on the day and nearly 10% over the week, while cardano was modestly higher on the day and up about 8% in seven days.

The move followed a sharp liquidation flush that cleared crowded positioning and reset near term leverage.

Data showed roughly $180 million in futures positions liquidated over the past 24 hours, with about $133 million coming from shorts and $47 million from longs. The imbalance suggests traders were caught leaning against the rally, forcing buybacks as prices pushed higher.

Sunday’s gains also came as traders reacted to a fast moving political situation in Venezuela.

President Donald Trump said the U.S. plans to “run” Venezuela, while the White House offered few details on what that would entail. Venezuela’s Supreme Court granted Vice President Delcy Rodríguez all presidential powers in an acting capacity after ousted President Nicolás Maduro was taken into U.S. custody.

Trump also signaled a focus on Venezuela’s oil, saying the U.S. would have a “presence in Venezuela as it pertains to oil,” and suggested U.S. troops on the ground would not be necessary if Rodríguez “does what we want.”

Crypto traders often treat such headlines as a volatility catalyst rather than a direct macro driver, but the risk tone can still matter.

In periods when liquidity is thinner, even modest spot demand can push prices through technical levels and trigger stop driven moves in futures markets.

That dynamic is amplified when shorts are positioned for a pullback, as forced covering can turn a grind higher into a sharper break.

• KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
• This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
• Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
• Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
• Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.

• JPMorgan said the Bitcoin network hashrate fell for a second straight month in December, signaling easing competition among miners.
• Mining profitability continued to slide, with block reward revenue per exahash hitting a record low, down 32% year over year, alongside weaker gross profits.
• Despite weakness last month, U.S.-listed bitcoin miners and data center operators posted strong gains in 2025, with the group’s market cap up 73% for the year.

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