[0x5d2 Address Bitcoin Short Trades Profit $12.5 Million in Two Months] According to Arkham data, the whale with address 0x5d2 achieved $12.5 million in realized and unrealized profits through Bitcoin short trades over two months. The trades began in late October, with a short position size of $63.6 million. Additionally, the account accumulated $9.6 million in funding fees during the trades and holds $3.5 million worth of BTCB (Bitcoin assets on the BNB Chain).

On December 23, Hyperinsight monitoring showed that the 'largest BTC short' on Hyperliquid used 20x leverage to short $165 million BTC, with an average entry price of $88,077.9 per coin, resulting in an unrealized profit of $2.4 million. Additionally, the account holds $54 million worth of ETH shorts with $1.8 million unrealized profit, as well as $18 million worth of SOL shorts with $500,000 unrealized profit.

[Bybit to Gradually Restrict Accounts Identified as Japanese Residents] Bybit's announcement states that accounts identified as belonging to Japanese residents will gradually face restrictions in order to comply with Japanese regulatory requirements. Users who fail to complete Level 2 identity verification (which requires proof of address) by January 22, 2026, will be considered Japanese residents, and restriction measures will be implemented starting in 2026. This move comes as Japan's Financial Services Agency strengthens its oversight of overseas cryptocurrency exchanges. Following the revision of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act in 2024, regulations on crypto asset derivatives trading will be tightened, and penalties for unregistered operators will be increased. Bybit has previously received three warnings from the Financial Services Agency and has been gradually withdrawing from the Japanese market.

[U.S. December Consumer Confidence Index Below Expectations] The U.S. December Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index was 89.1, below the expected 91, with the previous value at 88.7.

[A trader deposits 600,000 USDC into Hyperliquid to open an Ethereum long position] According to Onchain Lens monitoring, a trader deposited 600,000 USDC into Hyperliquid after a 3-month hiatus to open a 25x leveraged Ethereum long position. The current position is 5,063 ETH, with a liquidation price of $2,882.84.