Bitcoin (BTC) Price Today - January 2: BTC Recovers Above $95,500 Mark; XLM Emerges as Top Gainer

Bitcoin (BTC), the world's oldest and most valued crypto, managed to recover and climb above the $95,500 mark early Thursday.

Bitcoin price rose over 2 percent on Thursday, trading above the $95,000 mark, while other altcoins also landed in the green zone. At the time of writing, the global crypto market cap stood at $3.36 trillion, registering a 24-hour jump of 2.89 percent. Among the top crypto gainers over the past 24 hours were Stellar (XLM), Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL), and Algorand (ALGO).

Top Crypto Gainers Today (January 2)

As per CoinMarketCap data, here are the top five crypto gainers over the past 24 hours:

Stellar (XLM)

Price: $0.422624-hour gain: 24.12 percent

Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL)

Price: $4.9224-hour gain: 20.37 percent

Algorand (ALGO)

Price: $0.396824-hour gain: 19.89 percent

IOTA (IOTA)

Price: $0.339424-hour gain: 19.37 percent

XDC Network (XDC)

Price: $0.0850724-hour gain: 18.95 percent

Top Crypto Losers Today (January 2)

As per CoinMarketCap data, here are the top crypto losers over the past 24 hours:

Bitget Token (BGB)

Price: $5.9524-hour loss: 1.64 percent

UNUS SED LEO (LEO)

Price: $8.7324-hour loss: 1.09 percent

FTX Token (FTT)

Price: $3.7624-hour loss: 1 percent

Monero (XMR)

Price: $193.2024-hour loss: 0.52 percent

What Crypto Exchanges Are Saying About Current Market Scenario

Mudrex co-founder and CEO Edul Patel told ABP Live, “The New Year has brought renewed buying interest to the broader crypto market with tokens such as XRP, Chainlink, Cardano, and others going up as much as 15% in a day. Bitcoin too is up almost 1.5%, trading near $95,000. ETFs saw strong year-end inflows with ETH ETF’s net inflows standing at $36 million, suggesting a revival in institutional trading activity. With Trump assuming office soon acting as a major catalyst, we could see some price action in the coming weeks.”

Avinash Shekhar, Co-founder & CEO, Pi42, said, “Bitcoin continues to consolidate just below $95,000 as open interest drops to two-month lows. This decline shows a cautious market with a reduced demand for leverage signaling limited downside potential. Bulls are in an attempt to defend some critical levels while continued resistance remains a challenge near $98,000. Meanwhile, Ethereum is under bearish pressure with the decline in whale activity and with derivatives traders increasing their selloffs. Though continuing inflows are there for ETFs and improved funding rates signal a potential for a bounce back to levels above $3,500. The crypto market continues its bumpy ride, struggling with macroeconomic uncertainty, and its influence on slight price movements, and switching sentiments for short-term traders.”

Sathvik Vishwanath, CEO and co-founder of Unocoin, said, “Bitcoin (BTC) has been struggling to hold prices above $95,000 since December 28, with demand for leveraged positions falling. Bulls faced $470 million in liquidations, while bearish sentiment eased as Bitcoin tested levels below $92,000. Open interest in bitcoin futures fell to a two-month low, signaling reduced market activity. However, the 15% futures premium suggests continued bullishness. Optimism for bitcoin rose after U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned of a debt ceiling breach, which could stoke inflation fears and boost bitcoin's appeal as a hedge. Fiscal impasse may dampen market appetite but boost bitcoin ETF appeal.”

Shivam Thakral, CEO of BuyUcoin, said, “The cryptocurrency market has shown remarkable activity, particularly with XRP experiencing a significant 14.7% surge, reaching highs of $2.41. This uptick positions XRP as a top performer among the leading cryptocurrencies, amidst a bullish sentiment for 2025. Notably, XRP's market cap has soared to over $132 billion, with daily trading volume increasing by 36% to $6.3 billion. Additionally, Ether's ETF inflows have reached $2.6 billion in December, reflecting strong investor interest.”

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