Bitcoin slides toward $91,000 with two CME pricing gaps coming into focus

Markets Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Bitcoin slides toward $91,000 with two CME pricing gaps coming into focus Unfilled price gaps in futures and ETFs are emerging as key downside reference levels for bitcoin as weakness emerges. By James Van Straten | Edited by Sheldon Reback Jan 7, 2026, 11:17 a.m. Make us preferred on Google CME BTC futures pricing (TradingView) What to know : Bitcoin weakness towards the $91,000 level aligns with a potential move to fill the CME weekend gap. A CME gap refers to an untraded price range that forms when bitcoin moves while CME futures markets are closed on Friday through Sunday. CME futures gaps near $90,600 and $88,000 remain closely watched for potential retracements. Bitcoin’s BTC $ 92,057.79 drop to just above $91,000 may be encountering technical gravity as an unfilled CME gap remains just below current prices. The gap was created over the weekend after CME bitcoin futures closed on Friday near $90,600 and reopened on Sunday evening around $91,600. STORY CONTINUES BELOW Don't miss another story. Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today . See all newsletters Sign me up By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . CME bitcoin futures are cash-settled contracts designed to track the price of the largest cryptocurrency. Unlike spot markets, they do not trade 24/7. Instead, they close for an hour each day and over the weekend, meaning price gaps can form if bitcoin moves markedly at those times. These gaps are closely watched by traders, because bitcoin has historically shown a tendency to retrace and trade back through them, a process commonly referred to as filling the gap. While not a guaranteed behavior, gap fills have occurred frequently enough to become an established market narrative. In many cases, the retracement happens within days — often within the first week — after the gap forms, although some gaps can remain open for longer. This behavior is comparable to the max pain theory in options markets, where widely observed technical reference points can influence price action. As with max pain, the CME gap dynamic can become self reinforcing, as traders position for a move toward the gap simply because it exists. A similar gap dynamic is also emerging in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) exchange-traded fund, which closed Tuesday at $52.45. Gaps are open around the $48 and $50 levels, highlighting how ETF trading behavior may increasingly mirror futures based technical patterns. As IBIT becomes more embedded within the bitcoin market structure and begins to rival CME futures in influence, these gaps could become another technical reference point for traders. As of press time, CME bitcoin futures are trading around $91,900. From this level, the price would need to fall roughly 1.6% to fill the weekend gap near $90,600, and a further 4% decline would be required to fill the New Year’s Day gap around $88,000. Bitcoin News CME Futures Bitcoin ETF More For You KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market By CoinDesk Research Dec 22, 2025 Commissioned by KuCoin KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market. What to know : 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. View Full Report More For You Metplanet valued at three-month high relative to bitcoin holdings after MSCI decision By James Van Straten | Edited by Sheldon Reback 1 hour ago Select bitcoin treasury equities gained after MSCI removed near-term index exclusion risk. What to know : Metaplanet’s multiple to net asset value (mNAV) rose to around 1.25, its highest level since before the October liquidation crisis. The move followed MSCI’s decision not to exclude digital asset treasury companies from its global indexes. Strategy (MSTR) rose around 5% in pre-market trading while price action across other bitcoin treasury companies remained relatively muted. 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