Crypto Today: Bitcoin Holds $88K, Altcoins Lead Gains & Turkmenistan Legalizes Crypto Mining

1. Bitcoin Holds Steady at ~ $88,000

Bitcoin remained range-bound near $88,678–88,960, showing resilience in the early 2026 session. Trading volumes were moderate, reflecting holiday-period liquidity. The broader market cap sat near $3.0 trillion with a modest uptick in total value over the past 24 hours.
📎 Source: CoinCodex market update
https://coincodex.com/article/79468/daily-market-update-for-january-02-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com CoinCodex
📎 Source: Crypto.News price overview
https://crypto.news/crypto-prices-today-january-2-btc-ada-sui-pepe-2026 crypto.news

2. Altcoins Show Stronger Momentum Than BTC

Select altcoins outperformed Bitcoin today, with PEPE up ~26.6%, Story +25%, and Klaytn gaining ~45.5% as traders rotated into high-beta assets. Major layer-1 tokens also saw modest gains, signaling renewed speculative interest.
📎 Source: CoinCodex top gainers report
https://coincodex.com/article/79468/daily-market-update-for-january-02-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com CoinCodex

3. Market Sentiment Improving But Still Cautious

Market sentiment improved slightly, with the Fear & Greed Index rising toward the low 30s, moving out of extreme fear territory. Derivatives data also showed cooling leverage and a decline in liquidations — signs that selling pressure may be easing after late-2025 drawdowns.
📎 Source: Crypto.News sentiment overview
https://crypto.news/crypto-prices-today-january-2-btc-ada-sui-pepe-2026 crypto.news

4. Turkmenistan Legalizes Crypto Mining & Exchanges

In a notable regulatory move — especially for a tightly controlled nation — Turkmenistan officially legalized cryptocurrency mining and exchanges. New legislation brings digital asset activities under civil law and creates a licensing framework, though crypto is still not recognized as legal tender or payment.
📎 Source: AP News
https://apnews.com/article/4504a5abac729d119d343d4a38e0be1a AP News

Takeaway

The first major session of 2026 shows stability in Bitcoin, select altcoin leadership, and policy evolution on the global stage. While holiday volume remains moderate, improving sentiment and regulatory shifts offer early clues that 2026 may bring broader engagement and renewed speculative interest — especially if Bitcoin holds support and altcoins continue outperforming.