Gate Daily (January 4): Bitcoin faces US attack, Venezuela stabilizes at 90,000; BitMine pledges 259 million USD worth of ETH

Bitcoin (BTC) surged over the weekend, currently around $91,190. Despite U.S. media headlines about attacking Venezuela and occupying private homes, Bitcoin prices remain resilient. BitMine has staked $259 million worth of ETH, bringing the number of validators in line nearly to 1 million.

Macro Events & Crypto Hotspots

1. Bitcoin price remains above $90,000 amid the backdrop of the U.S. attacking Venezuela, which ultimately led to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Initially, Bitcoin reacted little to the news with almost no fluctuation, then quickly rebounded above $90,000, making headlines. “The U.S. bombed a country and captured its leader, all over the weekend, yet Bitcoin hardly moved,” said Nic Puckrin, market analyst and founder of Coin Bureau, in a X post.

2. BitMine Immersion Technologies added 82,560 ETH to its staking system, worth about $259 million. As institutional demand for yields continues to grow, this has increased network validator queue congestion. Data from Arkham shows that in recent hours, a fund management company sent multiple large deposits to Ethereum’s BatchDeposit contract. According to on-chain analysis firm Lookonchain, with this new staking, BitMine’s total staked ETH has risen to 544,064 ETH, valued at approximately $1.62 billion at current prices.

News Highlights

1. U.S. spot crypto ETF trading volume surpasses $2 trillion, doubling in just half the time.

2. U.S. lawmakers propose legislation to ban officials from using prediction markets for “insider trading.”

3. Trump: Used air, land, and sea forces in military actions against Venezuela.

4. Bitmine added over 49,000 ETH staked, totaling over 590,000 ETH staked.

5. Yi Lihua:坚持趋势投资，赢或亏都是市场决定

6. Yi Lihua’s rebalancing strategy proved effective, with 626,574 ETH already breaking even.

7. Digital RMB ranks first on Baidu hot searches: interest paid on current account balances, fundamentally different from WeChat Pay and Alipay wallets.

8. Analysis: Bitcoin back above $90,000, but derivatives and spot ETF data show market sentiment remains cautious.

9. Two new wallets withdrew 2.08 million APAX from CEX 9 hours ago.

10. James Wynn opened a 10x leveraged PEPE long position.

11. Scam Sniffer: Crypto phishing losses in 2025 dropped 83%, but active market risks remain significant.

Market Trends

1. Latest Bitcoin news: $BTC surged over the weekend, currently around $91,190. In the past 24 hours, liquidations reached $58.06 million, mainly short positions.

2. Wall Street stocks closed mostly higher on the first trading day of 2026, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index up over 4%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 319.10 points, or 0.66%, to close at 48,382.39. The S&P 500 increased by 12.97 points, or 0.19%, to 6,858.47. The Nasdaq fell 6.36 points, or 0.03%, to 23,235.63. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index gained 284.342 points, or 4.01%, to close at 7,367.473.

(Source: Gate)

3. According to Gate BTC/USDT liquidation map, with current price at $91,348.00 USDT, if it drops to around $90,370, total long liquidations will exceed $173 million; if it rises to around $92,226, total short liquidations will exceed $206 million. Short liquidations are higher than longs, so it is advisable to control leverage ratios reasonably to avoid triggering large-scale liquidations during market fluctuations.

(Source: Coinglass)

4. In the past 24 hours, BTC spot inflow was $844 million, outflow was $784 million, net inflow was $60 million.

(Source: Coinglass)

5. In the past 24 hours, net outflows in contracts trading for $BTC, $ETH, $BCH, $1000PEPE, $SOL , etc., present trading opportunities.

X KOL Selected Opinions

Phyrex Ni (@Phyrex_Ni): “The biggest news today is that the U.S. directly arrested Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife in Venezuela. This event has attracted worldwide attention, especially in China and Russia. Many of you have probably seen a lot of information. I won’t say much about international relations, but the key is how this affects the U.S. risk market.”

“First, will it trigger political risks for Trump? Currently, Trump not only claims to have arrested Maduro and his wife but also states that the U.S. will temporarily operate in Venezuela until the transition is complete. This shifts the narrative from military action directly to regime change and trusteeship, which could more easily trigger domestic authorization disputes. This is the biggest risk for Trump himself.”

“Second, regarding oil, the U.S. has already imposed sanctions on Venezuelan oil tankers since December, meaning Venezuela’s oil exports have been suppressed for a month. Current restrictions are unlikely to push oil prices higher; instead, Trump’s statement that the U.S. will take over Venezuela’s oil might cause oil prices to fall, which is good for U.S. inflation.”

“For the overall risk market, Trump’s weekend actions might be aimed at avoiding impact on risk assets. After the weekend, the market should ease risk assessments. Everyone has been caught, and next, it’s about evaluating the possibility of U.S. military escalation. This action also reveals U.S. advantages in military, intelligence, and operational capabilities, which could positively impact the military-industrial sector. Still, we need to see how the U.S. stock market reacts on Monday.”

“Back to Bitcoin data, it’s pretty much in line with yesterday’s expectations. BTC price remained slightly volatile over the weekend. Although it’s above $90,000 now, we still need to watch how the U.S. stock market reacts to the post-holiday period and the Venezuela incident. The coming week might not be peaceful.”

“Weekend turnover has decreased, mainly due to short-term profit-takers exiting. Other early and losing investors haven’t reacted much. Investor sentiment remains quite stable, and even over the U.S. weekend, there’s no major movement. Ordinary crypto investors haven’t shown clear reactions to the Venezuela event.”

Today’s Preview

1. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung will visit China for a state visit from January 4 to 7, 2026.