
The cryptocurrency market faced mixed trading on December 18, with Bitcoin (BTC) falling below $104,000 after reaching an all-time high of $108,000 earlier in the day.
The broader market was seen in turmoil, with total market capitalization falling 1% to $3.71 trillion, while trading volume fell 8.6% to $185 billion.
Amid the volatility, Pudgy Penguins (PENGU) made headlines with an impressive 550% surge in 24 hours.
In contrast to the decline in the major cryptocurrencies, BitGate Token (BGB) also increased by 17%.
The Fear and Greed Index remained in the “extreme greed” zone, registering a high score of 80, indicating increased investor appetite despite market volatility.

Source: coinmarketcap
Bitcoin (BTC) Price Update
The price of Bitcoin slipped 2.96% in the last 24 hours to trade at $103,568.
Bitcoin’s market cap stood at $2.09 trillion with a dominance of 56.63%.
BTC ETFs experienced significant outflows, with Fidelity and Grayscale leading the way, while data from BlackRock is awaited.
This selling pressure contributed to Bitcoin falling below the $106,000 mark.
Ethereum (ETH) price update
Ethereum is trading down 4% at $3,869. ETH’s 24-hour range was between $3,836 and $4,040. Its market cap stabilized at $466 billion, and trading volume reached $35 billion.
Despite the decline, ETH ETFs saw notable inflows, with Grayscale and Fidelity leading accumulations.
altcoin performance
Among altcoins, US-based tokens like XRP, Stellar (XLM), and Hedera (HBAR) showed resilience, gaining 3% to 6% in the last 24 hours.
- xrp Ripple’s stablecoin RLUSD rose 3% to $2.55 as it went live, marking a significant milestone for the company.
- Solana (SOL) Recovering from its recent low, it rose 2% to $218.
Meanwhile, meme coins like Dogecoin (DOGE) and Shiba Inu (SHIB) suffered a decline of 3% and 4% respectively, indicating bearish sentiment in the meme coin segment.

Source: coinmarketcap
top gainers
- Pudgy Penguins (PENGU): Surges 550% to $0.03 after Binance listing, enters top 100 cryptocurrencies.
- Bitgate Token (BGB): Bitgate rose 17% to $4.18 after receiving a license from the Central Bank of El Salvador.
- Litecoin (LTC): Rises 7% to $125 on ETF approval speculation.
top losers
- Lido DAO (LDO): declined 9% to $2.08 amid adverse market conditions.
- Aptos (APT): fell 8% to $12.89, which represents a significant decline.
- Fantom (FTM): Down 7%, trading at $1.31.
The crypto market remains volatile, with major assets seeing short-term selling pressure. As volatility persists, investors should keep a close eye on macroeconomic factors and developments in the regulatory landscape, which could significantly impact market trends in the coming days.
Post Crypto Market Snapshot, Dec 18: Bitcoin drops below $104K as Pudgy Penguin surges 550% first appeared on Invez