Geopolitical tensions and market skepticism are reshaping investor strategies amid rising inflation and volatile conditions.

The post Ozan Tarman: Geopolitical uncertainty drives market volatility, skepticism towards US headlines fuels investor caution, and potential equity market squeeze looms | Odd Lots appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

AI's unchecked growth threatens societal stability as companies prioritize profits over ethical considerations.

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The rise of AI-driven transactions could revolutionize digital economies, emphasizing automation and efficiency in financial systems.

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Psychedelics like psilocybin could revolutionize anti-aging by enhancing brain neuroplasticity and altering perception.

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Metanova Labs revolutionizes drug discovery by leveraging decentralized AI to screen billions of molecules efficiently.

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Bitcoin Magazine

Bitcoin Volatility Falls as Asset Matures, Charles Schwab Report Finds

A new report from Charles Schwab suggests bitcoin is shedding one of its defining traits: extreme volatility. That might be good or bad news.

According to the firm’s analysis, bitcoin’s price swings have declined sharply in recent years, with the asset now exhibiting less volatility than some of the largest U.S. technology stocks. The report found BTC’s historical volatility (HV) dropped to 42% in 2025 — roughly half of what it recorded in 2021 — marking a significant shift as the cryptocurrency matures into a widely traded financial asset.

Schwab’s data shows bTC now behaves similarly to major equities, and in some cases appears more stable. Shares of Tesla posted a 63% HV reading in 2025, while Nvidia registered 50%, both exceeding BTC’s 42%. Measures of daily price movement, such as average true range as a percentage of price, also show a comparable trend.

Despite the decline in volatility, bitcoin remains prone to sharp drawdowns. The report notes bitcoin fell as much as 32% in 2025, with losses extending into early 2026. Over a longer three-year window, BTC recorded a peak-to-trough decline of 50%, underscoring that large swings—while less frequent—have not disappeared.

Still, those losses were not unique. Tesla experienced a deeper drawdown of 54% over the same period, while Nvidia declined 37% at its worst point. The data highlights a broader trend: high-growth technology stocks can exhibit volatility levels on par with, or exceeding, bitcoin.

Bitcoin’s long-term volatility is still high

Zooming out further, bitcoin’s long-term volatility profile remains elevated relative to traditional assets. During the 2022 market downturn, the cryptocurrency fell 77% from its peak, compared to declines of 74% for Tesla and 66% for Nvidia. 

However, Schwab noted that Tesla’s overall volatility metrics across the five-year period still outpaced BTC.

The report also compares BTC to commodities, showing that silver futures often exhibited more erratic day-to-day price movements despite smaller overall drawdowns. Gold, by contrast, maintained relatively steady gains with lower volatility.

Within crypto markets, bitcoin’s relative stability has become more pronounced. Ethereum continues to trade with higher volatility and deeper drawdowns, with the gap between the two assets widening since 2021.

Schwab concluded that BTC’s evolution reflects its growing integration into mainstream finance.

A clear example of Wall Street’s deepening embrace of bitcoin is Morgan Stanley’s spot Bitcoin ETF, MSBT, moving closer to launch after receiving an official NYSE listing notice, a step analysts say often signals an imminent debut. 

If approved, the fund would become the first spot BTC ETF issued by a major U.S. bank, distinguishing it from existing products offered by asset managers like BlackRock and Fidelity.

Editorial Disclaimer: We leverage AI as part of our editorial workflow, including to support research, image generation, and quality assurance processes. All content is directed, reviewed, and approved by our editorial team, who are accountable for accuracy and integrity. AI-generated images use only tools trained on properly license material. In Bitcoin, as in media: Don’t trust. Verify.

This post Bitcoin Volatility Falls as Asset Matures, Charles Schwab Report Finds first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Morgan Stanley Moves Closer to Bitcoin ETF Launch With NYSE Listing Announcement 

Morgan Stanley’s long‑awaited spot Bitcoin exchange‑traded fund, the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust (MSBT), has taken a major procedural step toward trading after the New York Stock Exchange confirmed an official listing notice for the product. 

Bloomberg Senior ETF Analyst Eric Balchunas says the listing typically signals a launch is “imminent.”

If approved by regulators, MSBT would mark the first spot Bitcoin ETF issued directly by a major U.S. bank rather than an asset manager. Existing U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs have been launched by firms such as BlackRock and Fidelity.

Morgan Stanley’s wealth management division oversees one of the largest networks of financial advisors in the industry, with roughly 16,000 advisors and trillions in client assets under management. 

That distribution reach could make MSBT a significant channel for Bitcoin exposure in traditional portfolios.

The ETF’s fee structure has not yet been disclosed. The flagship U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF from BlackRock, iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), currently charges around a 0.25% management fee, with other issuers ranging from 0.20% to 0.30% annually.

Morgan Stanley’s bitcoin moves

Last week, Morgan Stanley confirmed that its proposed spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund will trade under the ticker MSBT on NYSE Arca, according to an updated filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The filing details the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust, a passive investment vehicle designed to track the spot price of bitcoin through direct holdings. Shares will reflect the value of bitcoin held in custody, allowing investors to gain exposure through brokerage accounts without owning the cryptocurrency directly.

Speaking at the Digital Asset Summit on Tuesday, Amy Oldenburg, Head of Digital Asset Strategy at Morgan Stanley said that Wall Street’s move into digital assets reflects a long-term effort to modernize financial infrastructure. 

“We’ve been on a journey around the entire modernization of financial infrastructure for years,” she said, rejecting the idea that banks are acting out of fear of missing out.

The trust plans to seed the fund with 50,000 shares, expected to raise roughly $1 million in initial proceeds. 

Coinbase Custody Trust Company will serve as the primary bitcoin custodian, holding most assets in cold storage and facilitating transfers tied to share creation and redemption. 

BNY Mellon will handle administration, transfer agent duties, and cash custody, managing accounting, shareholder records, and cash operations for the trust.

The structure mirrors models used across the spot bitcoin ETF market, with a portion of holdings moving into trading wallets during share creation or redemption, when authorized participants exchange cash for bitcoin or redeem shares for the underlying asset.

The filing notes that custody insurance is in place but shared across multiple clients and may not cover all losses, a standard disclosure among spot bitcoin ETFs. 

This post Morgan Stanley Moves Closer to Bitcoin ETF Launch With NYSE Listing Announcement  first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bitwise Joins Lombard’s Bitcoin Smart Accounts to Help Unlock Institutional Yield

Bitwise Asset Management has become the first strategic yield partner in Lombard’s Bitcoin Smart Accounts ecosystem, signaling a growing bridge between institutional custody and productive on-chain Bitcoin deployment. 

The collaboration is designed to unlock yield and liquidity for an estimated $500 billion in BTC currently held in regulated custody, without requiring asset transfers or modifications to existing custodial arrangements, Lombard said. 

Scheduled for a Q2 2026 launch, Bitcoin Smart Accounts will allow high-net-worth individuals, institutional asset managers, and corporate treasuries to earn yield or borrow against BTC while maintaining full control of their assets. 

Bitwise will provide institutional-grade yield strategies, combining DeFi lending with curated real-world asset portfolios, while Morpho will facilitate stablecoin liquidity for borrowing products.

Jacob Phillips, co-founder of Lombard, highlighted the significance of institutional adoption: “Following the February introduction of Bitcoin Smart Accounts, we’ve observed substantial demand for solutions that enable productive Bitcoin deployment while preserving existing custody. Bitwise brings the credibility and capabilities required to serve this market at scale.”

The partnership addresses longstanding operational inefficiencies in institutional Bitcoin markets. Traditionally, holders seeking liquidity faced three limited options: exiting custody, using opaque OTC lending channels, or selling assets — each presenting risk, cost, or lost upside. 

Lombard’s Smart Accounts leverage custodian-integrated infrastructure to recognize Bitcoin positions as collateral using cryptographic receipts (BTC.b) without transferring the underlying asset.

Generate returns while preserving bitcoin 

Hunter Horsley, CEO of Bitwise, framed the collaboration as a milestone for institutional Bitcoin: “We’re seeing growing demand for strategies that generate returns while preserving Bitcoin’s core properties. 

This partnership helps shape an ecosystem where BTC can function as productive, yield-generating capital while maintaining security and compliance standards.”

According to Horsley, the recent BTC rebound and dip is attracting institutional interest, with investors viewing sub-$70,000 levels as an opportunity to accumulate. While some retail traders remain cautious, looking for signs that the market has found a floor, larger investors are approaching the pullback with a different perspective.

Horsley believes long-term holders may feel uncertain during price drops, whereas institutions are seizing the chance to enter at levels they previously thought were out of reach. Some buyers are taking advantage of broader market weakness, as BTC becomes part of a wider selloff in liquid risk assets, creating renewed opportunities for accumulation.

The architecture for the collaboration is designed to scale. Each new custodian or protocol integration increases the utility of the system, creating network effects akin to those seen in ACH or SWIFT over decades. 

Lombard plans to expand custodian partnerships and whitelisted protocol integrations throughout 2026, aiming to mobilize hundreds of billions in institutionally held BTC into productive on-chain capital.

Editorial Disclaimer: We leverage AI as part of our editorial workflow, including to support research, image generation, and quality assurance processes. All content is directed, reviewed, and approved by our editorial team, who are accountable for accuracy and integrity. AI-generated images use only tools trained on properly license material. In Bitcoin, as in media: Don’t trust. Verify.

This post Bitwise Joins Lombard’s Bitcoin Smart Accounts to Help Unlock Institutional Yield first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

As Bitcoin Consolidates, Signs Point to Potential Bottom Amid Market Calm: Research

Bitcoin’s price has steadied after recent volatility, suggesting the worst of the market turbulence may be behind investors.

Following a sharp weekend selloff that pushed bitcoin from around $75,000 to lows near $67,000, the digital asset has rebounded, supported by signs of constructive U.S.–Iran talks and easing selling pressure from ETFs and long-term holders. 

Despite closing the week down roughly 6%, the cryptocurrency shows resilience in its current range.

Research from K33 highlights that bitcoin has been trading sideways between $60,000 and $75,000 in recent weeks, a pattern often linked to market bottoms. 

K33 Head of Research Vetle Lunde noted that this consolidation reflects stabilization in both exchange-traded product flows and long-term holder behavior. “With bitcoin trading below $100,000, fewer investors are inclined to exit positions, helping anchor prices,” Lunde said.

ETF flows have turned mildly positive since late February, signaling an end to the heavy distribution phase that began after October’s all-time highs.

Meanwhile, supply held for more than six months is rising again, reinforcing the market’s structural stability.

Broader financial conditions remain uncertain, with rising oil prices, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, and a hawkish Federal Reserve limiting risk appetite. Open interest in bitcoin perpetual swaps hovers near yearly lows, funding rates remain negative, and institutional participation has been muted.

Still, K33 describes the environment as constructive. Reduced selling pressure, stabilized flows, and range-bound price action suggest bitcoin may be transitioning out of a distribution phase toward a potential bottom. 

For medium- and long-term investors, the current low $70,000 levels could represent an attractive entry point, even as macro uncertainty keeps upside limited in the near term.

What’s going on in Iran? 

Negotiations involving Iran, the United States, and Israel are ongoing but remain indirect and uncertain.

The U.S. has put forward a multi-point proposal aimed at ending the current conflict, reopening key shipping routes like the Strait of Hormuz, and limiting Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. 

Talks are being mediated through countries such as Oman and Pakistan rather than conducted face-to-face.

U.S. officials say progress is being made and describe the discussions as productive. However, Iran publicly denies that formal negotiations are taking place, while still acknowledging backchannel communication. 

This reflects a common strategy where Iran avoids signaling concessions domestically while remaining engaged diplomatically.

Major disagreements remain. Iran is demanding an end to military actions, security guarantees, and compensation, while rejecting limits on its missile program. The U.S., meanwhile, is pushing for restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activity.

The situation remains unstable, with diplomacy and military activity happening simultaneously. 

At the time of writing, bitcoin is $70,800.

This post As Bitcoin Consolidates, Signs Point to Potential Bottom Amid Market Calm: Research first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bitcoin Price Rises as Iran Signals Push for Full End to Conflict

Bitcoin price moved higher on Wednesday as markets reacted to signs that Iran may seek a full end to its conflict with Israel, not only a temporary ceasefire.

The shift in tone, reported by regional media and echoed in diplomatic signals from Washington, helped lift risk assets and pushed oil prices lower.

The Bitcoin price rose back above $72,000 after trading near $69,000 earlier in the session. The move followed reports that a one-month ceasefire could form part of a broader agreement that includes limits on Iran’s nuclear program and a pledge to avoid future weapons development. 

Traders treated the development as a step toward de-escalation in a conflict that has weighed on global markets.

Oil reacted first. Brent Crude dropped more than 4%, falling from above $104 to below $100 within minutes of the report. The price is now roughly $96-$98 depending on reports.

The decline signaled easing concern over supply disruptions in the Middle East, a region central to global energy flows. Lower oil prices often support risk assets by reducing inflation pressure and improving liquidity conditions.

Bitcoin price followed. The asset has traded in close alignment with broader market sentiment in recent months, moving with equities and other risk-sensitive assets rather than acting as a hedge. As oil fell and equity futures rose, bitcoin price reversed earlier losses and climbed back above a key psychological level.

The geopolitical backdrop remains complex. Officials in Washington have signaled ongoing talks with Tehran, while reports suggest a multi-point proposal aimed at ending hostilities. 

At the same time, military activity in the region has not stopped, underscoring the fragile nature of any agreement. Markets continue to adjust to each headline, with rapid shifts in sentiment driving short-term price moves.

On top of this, gold has fallen roughly 25% from its January peak and about 12% since late February — its longest losing streak in over a century — while Bitcoin price held above $70,000.

Bitcoin price action over the last week

Bitcoin’s behavior reflects that tension. Earlier in the week, the asset dropped below $70,000 as escalation fears triggered a broad sell-off across risk markets. The rebound above $71,000 highlights how quickly sentiment can change when traders perceive a path toward stability.

Institutional demand has also supported prices. Flows into spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds and continued accumulation by large holders like Strategy have helped anchor the market near current levels. 

Bernstein says Bitcoin has likely bottomed and maintains a $150,000 year-end target, citing strong ETF inflows and rising corporate demand. It also highlights Strategy as a key driver, with the firm continuing to raise billions to expand its already massive bitcoin holdings.

Still, the market faces competing forces. Interest rate policy in the United States remains a key factor, with higher rates placing pressure on risk assets. At the same time, geopolitical developments continue to drive short-term swings, often overriding macro trends in the near term.

For now, bitcoin’s response to the latest headlines suggests that traders view the prospect of a broader resolution as a positive signal. The combination of falling oil prices, steady institutional demand and improving sentiment has given the market a lift, even as uncertainty remains.

This post Bitcoin Price Rises as Iran Signals Push for Full End to Conflict first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Cravin combines provably fair verification with a Fair Value Guarantee that returns the difference in Credits when an item lands below the box price, pairing auditability with a smoother user experience.

For years, the industry’s consumer story has centered on spending. Stablecoin rails, merchant settlement, and checkout tools still dominate crypto’s retail pitch. The idea is familiar: make digital assets easier to use at the point of payment.

Another idea may prove more useful outside finance.

Instead of asking shoppers to pay with crypto, some platforms are borrowing a verification model crypto helped popularize: commit to a result before the reveal, then give the user enough data to check that nothing changed afterward. In practice, that means hash-based or seed-based verification that turns a fairness claim into something the customer can test.

Cravin is a useful example because the bigger story is not just how users pay. The platform supports crypto payments via Coinflow, but the payment value still converts into internal Credits rather than remaining as cryptocurrency. The verification step comes later in the process: before a box is opened, the result is locked with a cryptographic hash, and after the reveal, the user can verify the outcome was not altered.

Verification is leaving the payment conversation

Cravin is part of a broader move toward systems users can check for themselves. In simple terms, the platform locks in an outcome before the reveal, then gives users a way to verify it afterward.

The jargon is less important than the trust model. When a platform publishes a pre-committed input, then reveals the underlying data later, a user can rerun the logic and see whether the displayed result matches the committed one. When those inputs are not exposed, there is far less for a buyer to independently audit. The customer is mostly left with published odds, product tables, or the platform’s own assurance that the reveal was fair.

That distinction matters because consumer internet products still lean heavily on trust-based claims. Randomness, rarity, and drop odds are often presented as things the user is meant to accept, not verify. Crypto has spent years teaching users to care about proof, signatures, and public auditability. What may carry over is the verification model, not the token itself.

What this looks like in practice

On Cravin’s site, every box is framed around real physical products, published contents and probabilities, and a hash-locked outcome before the reveal. An independent Cravin review also points to public drop tables and provably fair outcomes, while describing the product as still early. After a pull, users can either ship the item or trade it back for Credits. That makes the model look less like a payment experiment and more like a consumer product using crypto-style verification.

That is what gives the model relevance beyond mystery boxes. The company is asking users to fund an internal balance system, and rely on a verification layer at the reveal. The crypto link here is not just the deposit flow. It is the ability to verify the outcome after the reveal.

Cravin also pairs that fairness language with a separate Fair Value Guarantee, which says users receive the difference back in Credits if an item’s value lands below the box price. That is an economic promise, not a cryptographic one. A provably fair flow can make the reveal auditable without saying anything on its own about margins, resale economics, or whether the overall model favors the house.

Trust still matters after the hash

Verification alone does not solve every consumer-protection issue. Users still need to care about shipping, dispute handling, support, and operator transparency. Cravin identifies Supabox LTD in Cyprus as its operator. A clean fairness proof does not resolve those more traditional platform questions.

That is why this trend matters beyond any one mystery-box site. Crypto businesses still want to own payments, but consumer platforms may adopt crypto’s verification tools before they adopt crypto payments. That shift is less about the coin itself and more about the ability to audit a digital claim after the fact. For users, that can be more practical than another promise about the future of checkout.

Cravin is not proof that verification will become a mainstream shopping standard. It is a sign that one crypto idea may be easier to apply than payments themselves. If that happens, the industry’s next consumer win may come from replacing a familiar instruction — trust us — with a better one: check for yourself.

Disclaimer: This was a sponsored post brought to you by Cravin.

The post How Cravin uses provably fair verification in mystery boxes appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin’s relationship with the Federal Reserve has gone through a real transformation over the past several years, and the shift now looks clear enough to treat as a market structure development rather than a passing observation.

A familiar version of the idea shows up as a quick market stat. Bitcoin often falls after Fed meetings.

The longer historical record adds far more value. Extending the review back to the Federal Reserve’s 2020 FOMC schedule, and carrying it forward through the current 2026 meeting calendar, shows a market that moved from uneven post-FOMC reactions into a far more recognizable downside bias during 2024, 2025, and the opening stretch of 2026.

That evolution says a great deal about where Bitcoin now sits in the global asset mix. Bitcoin trades inside the same calendar gravity that shapes equities, rates, foreign exchange, and broader risk sentiment. The Fed meeting itself has become part of the pricing rhythm.

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The history of Bitcoin performance after Fed meetings

Starting in 2020, the picture looks loose, uneven, and highly dependent on the surrounding macro regime. Scheduled FOMC meetings did not produce a clean, repeatable downside response in Bitcoin.

June 10, 2020 saw a sharp drop into the following session, with BTC sliding from $9,870. to $9,321.

A trader looking at that move could easily build a bearish Fed thesis. The rest of the year complicates that view. July 29 finished roughly flat to up. November 5 held near highs. December 16 opened the door to a strong continuation higher, with Bitcoin climbing from $21,310 to $22,805 the next day and then to $23,137 a day later.

That is an early clue about what the long sample says. In Bitcoin’s earlier macro era, Fed meetings functioned as one catalyst among many.

Liquidity conditions, pandemic-era policy response, narrative momentum, and broad speculative appetite all competed for control of price action. The FOMC calendar exerted influence, though it had not yet set the rhythm of post-event positioning.

Moving into 2021, the same inconsistency remains. January 27 was followed by a sharp rally, with BTC jumping from $30,432 to $34,316 by January 29. July 28 also pushed higher into month-end.

Other meetings leaned in the opposite direction. March 17, April 28, June 16, November 3, and December 15 all softened over the next one or two sessions.

The result is a mixed year where Bitcoin clearly recognized the Fed as a macro event, while the reaction still lacked the kind of persistent directional bias traders look for when they want a calendar-based edge.

That distinction keeps the historical framing honest. Bitcoin has been macro-sensitive for years.

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A systematic sell-the-Fed tendency emerged later

By 2022, the environment had changed. The Fed entered its aggressive tightening cycle, inflation dominated the macro conversation, and risk assets across the board grew more vulnerable to policy shocks.

Bitcoin reflected that shift. May 4 and June 15 produced notable downside. BTC fell from $39,698 to $36,575 after the May meeting. It dropped from $22,572 to $20,381 after June. Those were meaningful reactions, especially in the context of a market already under pressure from tighter liquidity and weaker risk appetite.

Even then, the pattern resisted any claim of total consistency. January 26 and July 27 both delivered upside follow-through.

Bitcoin in 2022 behaved like an asset deeply exposed to tightening conditions, while still capable of rallying around Fed events when positioning, expectations, and sentiment aligned the right way.

The broader takeaway from 2022 sits in the direction of travel. FOMC days were becoming more sensitive and more central to short-term risk management.

Then came 2023, another year that kept the transition visible without fully locking it in place.

February 1 faded. March 22 and June 14 pushed higher. July 26 stayed close to flat. November 1 faded. December 13 slipped into December 15. Again, mixed. Again, macro sensitivity without a fully reliable one-way reaction.

Bitcoin still had room to surprise in either direction after a Fed decision. The event was important. The directional pattern remained open.

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The real shift appears in 2024 and extends through 2025 and into 2026

That is where ‘sell the Fed' starts looking more like an emerging behavior.

March 20, 2024 was followed by one of the clearest examples. Bitcoin fell from $67,913 to $63,778 by March 22, a drop of roughly 6.1%. J

uly 31 delivered another clean post-event decline, with BTC sliding from $64,619 to $61,415 by August 2, around 5.0%. June 12 also softened. December 18 moved lower from $100,041 to $97,490 the next day.

Those reactions attract attention because they cluster. Once a market sees repeated downside windows after a recurring calendar event, participants begin to anticipate the pattern.

Anticipation then changes positioning. Positioning then changes the event itself. That is how a loose tendency turns into a stronger regime feature.

Then, in 2025, the pattern pushed further.

January 29 to January 31 drifted lower from $103,703 to $102,405. March 19 to March 21 fell from $86,854 to $84,043, a roughly 3.2% decrease.

June 18 to June 20 edged lower. July 30 to August 1 dropped from $117,831 to $113,320, around 3.8%. September 17 to September 19 softened. October 29 to October 31 slipped. December 10 to December 12 moved down from $92,020 to $90,270.

However, there was a major upside exception in May 2025.

Bitcoin rose from $97,032 on May 7 to $102,970 by May 9, a gain of about 6.1%. That move deserves full inclusion because a pattern can become systematic without becoming universal. In markets, those are very different things.

In the present year, two scheduled meetings have already taken place, on January 27 to 28 and March 17 to 18, with the next meeting set for April 28 to 29.

The January 2026 Bitcoin daily close data shows BTC at $89,184 on January 28 and $84,128 on January 30, a decline of about 5.7% across the next two daily closes.

March saw BTC at $71,256 on March 18 and $70,553 on March 20, a decline of about 1%, with the drawdown extending to $68,734 by March 21.

Thus, the downside bias that became much clearer in 2024 and 2025 has therefore carried into 2026 as well.

The current-year follow-through suggests the market is still treating Fed dates as moments to reduce exposure and de-risk post-event.

Bitcoin did not spend the entire 2020 to 2026 period selling off after Fed meetings. Across that stretch, Bitcoin became increasingly likely to treat Fed meetings as de-risking events, with that behavior becoming much clearer during 2024, 2025, and early 2026.

That shift opens up a more interesting macro conversation

Bitcoin’s post-FOMC behavior now looks more like the behavior of an asset that has matured into the core risk complex.

As institutional participation deepened and macro desks paid closer attention, Bitcoin moved closer to the same event framework that governs other highly liquid assets. FOMC days became known quantities on the calendar. Known quantities invite pre-positioning.

Pre-positioning invites profit-taking, volatility compression ahead of the event, and quick reductions in exposure once the news passes.

In that sense, the direction of the Fed decision becomes only one part of the equation.

The date itself starts carrying weight. A heavily anticipated event can create downside pressure even when the policy outcome lands close to consensus.

Once a decision is priced, the market shifts attention toward communication, tone, risk appetite, and whether investors want to carry exposure through the next 24 to 48 hours.

Bitcoin’s recent behavior around Fed meetings suggests that calendar risk now plays a larger role in that calculus.

There is also a structural reason this dynamic has staying power. The Federal Open Market Committee holds eight regularly scheduled meetings each year. That creates one of the cleanest recurring catalysts in global markets, with extensive pre-positioning, intense cross-asset attention, and a large information burst compressed into a narrow time window.

Bitcoin’s growing correlation to broader risk sentiment and its integration into institutional portfolios make that event window much more consequential than it was in earlier cycles.

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The broader conclusion becomes clearer here. Bitcoin’s growing sensitivity to FOMC dates points to its continued evolution into an asset class that lives inside macro time.

Earlier in its life, Bitcoin often moved to its own rhythm, driven by internal cycles, crypto-native catalysts, and bursts of narrative momentum that seemed disconnected from the economic calendar.

Today, the calendar itself has become part of Bitcoin’s pricing architecture.

Bitcoin's development comes with trade-offs

Greater institutional relevance brings greater exposure to the same policy expectations that shape every major risk asset.

Deeper macro integration creates more legitimacy, more capital access, and more cross-market participation. It also creates recurring pressure points. Fed meetings now appear to be one of them.

For traders, that means post-FOMC weakness deserves a place on the playbook, especially in a regime where recent history has shown repeated downside follow-through.

For investors and analysts, the bigger takeaway sits one level higher. Bitcoin’s reaction function increasingly resembles the reaction function of a mature global asset, one that responds to policy cadence, liquidity expectations, and the mechanics of event-driven positioning with growing consistency.

The market has moved beyond a world where Bitcoin simply reacts to good or bad Fed news in a straightforward way. It now trades through a more complex macro lens, where the event window itself can shape behavior before the market fully processes the decision.

That is a sign of development, integration, and that Bitcoin’s role in the financial system continues to evolve.

The long record strips out the temptation to overstate the pattern as a permanent historical rule. The recent record shows why traders increasingly respect it anyway.

Put those together, and the conclusion is strong: the sell-the-Fed dynamic has emerged as a meaningful feature of Bitcoin’s current market structure, and its rise says as much about Bitcoin’s maturation as it does about any individual Fed meeting.

The post Bitcoin traders dump coins within 48 hours of Fed meetings as new data reveals systematic FOMC weakness appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Only nine non-stable tokens sit closer to ATH than Bitcoin as the market’s damage stays concentrated elsewhere

Bitcoin is still 43.26% below its all-time high. On the surface, that figure reads as a reminder of unfinished recovery. In relative terms, it places Bitcoin in a stronger position than most of the market.

A live CryptoSlate market snapshot shows BTC at $71,606 against an ATH of $126,198.

After excluding stablecoins and gold-backed tokens, only nine assets in the table sit closer to their peak than Bitcoin: UNUS SED LEO, Sky, Kite, Canton Network, TRON, Hyperliquid, MemeCore, Siren, and Stable. That is a narrow exception list in a market still defined by deep peak-to-current damage.

#1

Bitcoin BTC

$69,950.63

-1.95%

Market Cap $1.4T

24h Volume $33.83B

All-Time High $126,198.07

Sectors

Coin Layer 1 PoW

Those nine assets do not belong to a single class. Some are large and liquid enough to support a serious relative-strength discussion. Some are newer, thinner, or more structurally idiosyncratic. That split clarifies the leaderboard: Bitcoin remains well below its peak, yet its drawdown baseline still sits ahead of almost the entire non-stable market.

That baseline currently stands at 43.26%. Any token with a smaller drawdown than that has preserved more of its cycle advance than BTC. Only nine names in the snapshot meet that threshold. Everyone else has already slipped further from peak than Bitcoin.

The list begins with LEO, which stands just 5.53% below its ATH. Then the gap opens. Sky is 24.33% below peak. Kite is 24.56% below. Canton Network is 28.06% below. TRON is 29.77% below. Hyperliquid is 31.10% below. MemeCore is 37.08% below. Siren is 39.18% below. Stable is 39.70% below. Bitcoin follows at 43.26%.

That sequence shows where resilience is concentrated and where it begins to thin out. LEO sits in its own category. Sky and Kite occupy a separate zone in the mid-20s. Canton, TRON, and Hyperliquid form the next rung in the high-20s to low-30s.

MemeCore, Siren, and Stable hold a slimmer advantage over BTC. Bitcoin then becomes the dividing line between the short exception list and the rest of the market.

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Bitcoin faces pressure after Fed outlook shifts as PMI data points to 1% growth and inflation near 4%

Fresh PMI numbers gave markets a stark warning that slowing growth may not bring lower inflation.

Mar 24, 2026 · Andjela Radmilac

Bitcoin is still carrying a substantial drawdown. The wider market is carrying more

The stablecoin and gold-backed exclusions are straightforward. Stablecoins are designed around price stability. Gold-backed tokens express gold performance. Neither group offers a clean read on crypto-native risk retention from the cycle peak.

Once those categories are stripped out, the leaderboard becomes more useful and more interesting.

Within that cleaned set, the comparison quickly shifts toward peer quality. LEO, TRON, and Hyperliquid are the most credible large-scale exceptions in the snapshot. LEO carries an $8.71 billion market cap and sits 5.53% below peak. TRON carries a $29.33 billion market cap and sits 29.77% below peak. Hyperliquid carries a $10.5 billion market cap and sits 31.10% below peak.

These are the assets that support a more durable comparison with Bitcoin on scale, liquidity, and market relevance.

The remaining nine still count, though each needs context. Canton Network sits at a $5.33 billion market cap. Sky sits at $1.77 billion. MemeCore sits at $2.39 billion. Siren sits at $1.7 billion. Kite and Stable each come in below $600 million in market cap.

A clear hierarchy emerges from that split.

Even after a severe correction, Bitcoin is holding up better than almost the entire market, with only a short list of exceptions and an even shorter list of higher-quality exceptions.

The percentage-point spread versus Bitcoin makes that hierarchy easier to see. LEO is ahead of BTC by 37 percentage points on the drawdown measure. Sky is ahead by 18 points. Kite by 18. Canton by 15. TRON by 13.5. Hyperliquid by 12. MemeCore by 6. Siren by 4. Stable by 3.5.

Those spreads produce three distinct zones.

First, there is the clear outperformance group. LEO belongs there on its own terms, while Sky, Kite, Canton, TRON, and Hyperliquid hold a substantial cushion over Bitcoin’s 43% baseline.

Second, there is the marginal advantage group. MemeCore, siren, and Stable still sit ahead of BTC, though by a much thinner margin. A relatively small move would erase that edge.

Third, there is the rest of the market, where drawdowns have already widened beyond Bitcoin’s baseline.

That setup creates a live threshold to watch. The next step centers on whether the current nine can continue to hold their lead over BTC’s drawdown line, or whether that exception list begins to contract as Bitcoin stabilizes and weaker relative performers slip behind it.

That dynamic is a ranking of where things stand today. It is also a way to track how relative strength evolves under pressure. Bitcoin’s place in that framework is especially important because BTC still functions as the market’s baseline asset.

Bitcoin remains the market baseline

When Bitcoin loses ground, the rest of the market usually takes its signal from there. When Bitcoin preserves more of its cycle gains than most of the field, that points to where capital has remained more durable and where structural demand has stayed firmer.

A 43% drawdown still carries weight. Relative to the broader market, it also describes a much stronger position than the headline figure alone suggests.

However, it still sits deep in retracement territory, placing Bitcoin in an unusual position, wounded in absolute terms, resilient in relative terms, and still defining the baseline the rest of the market has to beat.

This leaderboard is unlikely to stay static. The bottom of the exception list already sits only a few percentage points ahead of Bitcoin. MemeCore is ahead by 6 points. siren by 4. Stable by 3. A modest intraday change in relative performance would reorder that section quickly. Even further up the list, continued pressure could narrow the advantage held by Sky, Kite, Canton, TRON, or Hyperliquid.

Going forward, can any of these nine continue to hold closer to their all-time highs than Bitcoin, or does BTC’s 43% baseline become the line that more of them eventually fall behind?

The post Only these 9 crypto tokens are closer to their all-time high than Bitcoin right now appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin has room to rally if diplomacy between Washington and Tehran continues to ease pressure on oil.

Since March 23, traces of significant de-escalation have emerged, with President Donald Trump ordering a 5-day pause for “constructive conversations.”

At the same time, reports have emerged that the United States had sent Iran a 15-point proposal through Pakistan, while Turkey also passed messages between the two sides.

While there is no ceasefire yet, and there is no sign of a settled negotiating track. Iran has publicly denied direct talks with Washington, and an Iranian military spokesperson said the United States was “negotiating with itself.”

Still, the signs of diplomacy have been real enough for markets to react, with Brent crude down 5.2% to $99.01 a barrel and US West Texas Intermediate down 5.1% to $87.62.

On the other hand, Bitcoin rose 1.6% to maintain its steady resilience above $71,000 as traders pared back some of the inflation and rate fears that had built up during nearly four weeks of war.

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Bitcoin wipes $243 million longs as geopolitical shock reveals traders now price war risk before oil and Fed react

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Mar 24, 2026 · Liam 'Akiba' Wright

Why this tentative diplomacy moves market

The supply side explains the outsized reaction to headlines that amount to little more than mediated messaging.

Iran is OPEC’s third-largest producer, pumping about 3.3 million barrels per day of crude and another 1.3 million bpd of condensate and other liquids. About 90% of its crude leaves through Kharg Island via the Strait of Hormuz, with exports recently running between 1.1 million and 1.5 million bpd.

Data from the US Energy Information Administration shows that flows through the Strait of Hormuz averaged 20.9 million bpd in the first half of 2025, representing roughly 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption. About 20% of the global liquefied natural gas trade also transited the strait in 2024.

However, that volume has all but halted, with Andre Dragosch, Bitwise's Europe head of research, pointing out that there has been “1 ship today” that has passed through the path.

So, any discussion of ceasefire terms, shipping access, or sanctions relief therefore carries direct, volumetric market relevance for the oil market.

The forward curve sharpens the case. In its March outlook, the EIA forecast that Brent would stay above $95 per barrel over the next two months, then fall below $80 in the third quarter and toward $70 by year-end if disruptions ease and inventories rebuild.

The agency projected global oil inventories to rise by an average of 1.9 million bpd in 2026, once production again outpaces consumption.

This means that a credible diplomatic process does not need to create an immediate surplus supply. It only needs to make that softer path look more probable.

The European Central Bank’s March 2026 staff projections quantify the stakes. The ECB modeled an adverse energy scenario with oil at $119 per barrel and gas at €87 per megawatt-hour in the second quarter, lifting euro-zone inflation by 0.9 percentage points.

Federal Reserve research separately finds that higher oil prices directly push up headline inflation and, over about eight quarters, create a smaller but statistically significant pass-through into food and core prices.

Considering this, crypto market maker Wintermute put it in trading terms, explaining that if Brent stabilizes near $100 and diplomacy holds, the inflation fears tied to energy disruption should ease enough to let “some of the rate-cut expectations erased last week” return.

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Bitcoin price jumps above $70,000 as US announces shock pause on Iran strikes

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Mar 23, 2026 · Oluwapelumi Adejumo

The oil-to-rates transmission

The bullish case for Bitcoin here is that lower oil prices ease inflation pressure. Additionally, it reduces the likelihood that central banks will keep rates tighter for longer and improves the liquidity backdrop for risk assets more broadly.

Notably, Bitcoin has mostly traded less like a geopolitical hedge and more like a high-beta expression of global liquidity conditions during the ongoing US-Iran conflict.

For context, the top crypto's recent rebound above $70,000 not not driven by any crypto-native catalyst. Instead, this came amid a sharp recovery in technology shares and a stabilization of broader market risk.

The flow data reinforces that reading. According to CoinShares, digital-asset investment products pulled in $230 million last week, with $219 million going to Bitcoin, even after $405 million in outflows following the Federal Open Market Committee meeting.

CoinShares attributed the pressure to the Fed’s hawkish stance, not to the Iran conflict. The dominant driver has been rates and liquidity and not geopolitics in isolation.

That is why the repricing in interest-rate futures carries weight. Over the past several weeks, the conflict threatened to deliver a stagflation shock as oil prices surged to record levels.

CryptoSlate had previously reported that rate futures had implied virtually no chance of Fed cuts before mid-2027 as the conflict drove energy higher. However, after Tuesday’s diplomacy headlines, bets on a December rate hike dropped to about 16% from 25%.

Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr reinforced the hawkish backdrop on March 24, saying policymakers may need to keep rates steady for “some time” and that he would need to see evidence that inflation is “sustainably retreating” before considering further cuts.

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Mar 23, 2026 · Liam 'Akiba' Wright

What could happen next?

A drawn-out diplomatic process with no formal breakthrough could still help Bitcoin if it caps oil. Brent holding near current levels, or drifting lower as shipping fears ease, would likely keep pressure off yields and reduce the urgency around higher-for-longer policy pricing.

The EIA’s path toward sub-$80 oil in the third quarter offers a macro framework for that outcome. Under that kind of easing, BTC would have a clearer opening to revisit and push through the highs reached earlier this month.

Meanwhile, a more credible ceasefire path would strengthen that case. The larger effect would come from convincing markets that Hormuz is moving back toward normal use, that regional energy infrastructure is no longer in the crosshairs, and that the inflation shock from the war is beginning to fade.

The ECB’s projections show how much difference that can make. Even small changes in the assumed oil path produce meaningful changes in inflation and growth forecasts.

However, a collapse in talks would revive the entire chain in reverse. Oil would likely rise again, shipping-risk fears would rebuild, and markets would have to price a tougher policy path from the Fed and other central banks.

Past market performances have already shown how quickly that adjustment can happen. In the space of a few days, traders swung from expecting cuts later this year to pricing in a meaningful chance of a December hike, before easing those bets when oil fell amid diplomatic headlines.

Bitcoin can still rise during wartime, but the cleaner path higher comes when the energy shock begins to unwind.

The post Bitcoin price eyes breakout as EIA signals sub $80 oil path after 20% global supply shock starts easing appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Cardano is attempting to turn the imminent mainnet launch of the Midnight network, a privacy-focused sidechain, into a repair job as market data signals extreme negative sentiment toward its native ADA token.

Data from Santiment shows that the average wallet active on the Cardano network over the past year has earned a negative 43% return on its investment.

At the same time, Binance funding rates currently show the largest short position ratio against ADA since June 2023.

These data points, coupled with a 71% price decline since September, have pushed ADA into a zone that professional traders often flag as a prime capitulation point.

In a zero-sum derivatives market, the historical consensus is that the token will continue to decline. However, this sets the stage for a potential short squeeze if a fundamental catalyst forces over-leveraged traders to suddenly cover their positions.

Midnight's imminent launch

That catalyst could be Midnight, a programmable privacy layer that Cardano developers have been building for more than eight years.

The network is officially targeting a launch later this week and will operate with a federated set of node operators that includes Google Cloud, Telegram, Blockdaemon, Shielded Technologies, AlphaTON, MoneyGram, Pairpoint by Vodafone, and eToro.

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Feb 27, 2026 · Gino Matos

The timing of this infrastructure rollout is critical because Cardano’s own base-layer numbers remain drastically low relative to its overall market valuation.

According to CryptoSlate data, ADA is trading at $0.2639 as of press time, giving the token a market capitalization of roughly $9.72 billion despite sitting 91.5% below its all-time high of $3.09.

The network currently supports only $13.93 million in total value locked and a mere $47.62 million in stablecoins. DefiLlama data shows the chain generated just $1,639 in fees over a recent 24-hour period.

These figures highlight a stark gap between Cardano’s token valuation and the actual economic activity on its decentralized applications.

Because of this deficit, Midnight is not being pitched simply as an adjacent project. It is effectively an attempt to import institutional flows that Cardano has failed to build at scale internally.

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson said in a March 23 video:

“Launching cryptocurrency is kind of like landing the space shuttle. It comes down at 30,000 miles an hour and somehow lands on a runway like a plane does and no one dies, which is truly extraordinary when you really think about it, but they make it look like it’s pedestrian.”

Unlike classic privacy coins that prioritize anonymous money movement, Midnight is designed to sell privacy for data and execution. It uses zero-knowledge proofs, specifically Plonk and Halo 2, alongside multi-party computation and trusted execution environments.

This architecture allows users to prove compliance with regulations without exposing underlying proprietary data. It is a direct response to global financial regulatory bodies' tightened anti-money-laundering package, which strictly bars crypto-asset service providers from supporting accounts that utilize anonymity-enhancing coins to obfuscate transactions.

Essentially, Midnight is reframing privacy from a regulatory liability into a programmable, institutional-grade product.

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Jun 11, 2024 · Assad Jafri

How ADA gains from Midnight's rollout

The internal mechanics of the new privacy network dictate that direct usage demand does not cleanly route back into ADA.

Midnight operates on a dual-token model, utilizing NIGHT as the public governance asset and DUST as a shielded, non-transferable resource used to pay for transaction fees and smart-contract execution.

Because DUST cannot be traded or sent between wallets and decays if unused, the network's economic gravity sits firmly within the Midnight stack.

As a result, the market is already pricing in this separation. NIGHT recently traded at $0.04816, giving it a market capitalization of $799.9 million with 24-hour trading volumes exceeding $1.01 billion. CryptoSlate's data shows NIGHT up 17.5% over a 30-day window, significantly outperforming ADA, which fell 4% over the same period.

This means that traders are clearly utilizing NIGHT as the direct instrument to bet on the compliant-privacy thesis, rather than buying ADA and waiting for indirect, second-order liquidity effects.

However, Hoskinson had previously argued that the privacy chain could lift Cardano’s monthly active users and total value locked in its DeFi ecosystem by expanding its utility.

According to him:

“Adding Midnight to Cardano supercharges our DeFi ecosystem and will 10x the MAUs, Transactions, and TVL as we are first to market with private DeFi at scale.”

He also said it could take six to 12 months to gradually open the full set of capabilities Midnight is meant to support. Later phases are expected to include governance experiments and an incentivized testnet for stake pool operators.

For ADA holders, that might be good news, as recent Cardano infrastructure upgrades have established credible rails for external capital to enter.

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Mar 3, 2026 · Gino Matos

In February, Cardano integrated LayerZero, connecting the blockchain to more than 160 other networks and roughly $80 billion in omnichain assets. Shortly after, a native version of Circle’s USDCx stablecoin went live on the Cardano mainnet, utilizing the Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol.

Furthermore, the blockchain network developers are actively working on native Bitcoin staking on public testnets.

All of this development, alongside Midnight's launch, gives Cardano its clearest growth experiment in years.

The blockchain gets a fresh product line, a recognizable group of launch partners, and a narrative that fits better with current compliance pressures than many earlier crypto privacy projects did.

The post Cardano ADA shorts spike to highest since June 2023 as 71% crash meets Midnight launch this week risk appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The boundaries between traditional finance (TradFi) and the digital asset ecosystem have blurred further as Franklin Templeton announces a major leap in its blockchain strategy. The investment giant has officially expanded its tokenization platform, allowing its regulated fund shares to be held and traded 24/7 directly within crypto wallets. This move marks a significant shift from "experimental" blockchain use to functional, "wallet-native" asset management.

What’s New?

Franklin Templeton is now enabling institutional and retail investors to manage tokenized versions of their funds—specifically through their Benji Technology Platform—with the same ease as holding Bitcoin or stablecoins. Unlike traditional ETFs that are tied to exchange opening hours, these tokenized assets are available for transfer and settlement 30 seconds at a time, 365 days a year.

What is a Tokenized ETF?

• A tokenized ETF (or tokenized fund) is a digital representation of a traditional exchange-traded fund where the shares are issued as tokens on a blockchain.
• System of Record: Instead of a legacy database, a public blockchain (like Stellar, Polygon, or Arbitrum) acts as the primary ledger.
• The BENJI Token: In Franklin Templeton’s case, one share of the fund is represented by one BENJI token.
• Yield on Chain: These tokens often accrue yield daily, which is "airdropped" directly into the user's digital wallet.

The Powerhouse Behind the Move: Who is Franklin Templeton?

Franklin Templeton is a global investment management leader with over $1.6 trillion in Assets Under Management (AUM). Founded in 1947, the firm has transitioned from a traditional powerhouse to a blockchain pioneer. Since 2021, they have been the first U.S.-registered mutual fund to use a public blockchain to process transactions, proving that heavy-duty regulation and decentralized tech can coexist.

Impact on the Crypto Market

The integration of tokenized Real World Assets (RWAs) into crypto wallets provides several transformative benefits:

• Instant Collateral: Traders can use their tokenized government money market funds as collateral on exchanges like Binance without exiting to cash.
• 24/7 Liquidity: Eliminates the "T+2" settlement delay found in traditional markets.
• Lower Costs: By removing intermediaries like transfer agents, the firm reportedly reduces processing costs by up to 80%.

Investors looking to explore these assets often compare them to stablecoins, though tokenized funds offer the added benefit of being SEC-registered and yield-bearing.

Conclusion: The Future is Wallet-Native

As Franklin Templeton’s Head of Innovation, Sandy Kaul, recently noted, the goal is a future where "the totality of an individual's financial life" lives in a digital wallet. With Bitcoin already acting as digital gold, tokenized ETFs are now providing the digital version of the traditional brokerage account.

Markets Rally as Ceasefire Hopes Drive Risk-On Sentiment

Global markets surged after President Donald Trump announced a temporary pause in strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure, triggering a strong “risk-on” reaction across assets.

The immediate impact was significant:

• Over $650 billion added to US stock markets
• Oil prices dropped sharply as supply fears eased
• Bitcoin (BTC) reclaimed the $70,000 level
• Ethereum (ETH) moved closer to $2,200

At first glance, this looks like a classic relief rally — markets reacting positively to the possibility of de-escalation in the Middle East.

However, beneath the surface, the crypto market is telling a more cautious story.

Bitcoin Holds Strong — But Altcoins Refuse to Follow

Despite the bullish headlines, market structure reveals a key divergence.

• Bitcoin is stabilizing above $70K
• Ethereum is trending upward, but slowly
• Altcoins like XRP, Cardano, and Solana are only showing modest gains

This is not typical behavior for a full bullish breakout.

In previous cycles, strong Bitcoin moves are usually followed by aggressive capital rotation into altcoins. That is not happening here.

👉 Instead, the market is showing defensive positioning, with capital concentrated in major assets rather than flowing into higher-risk tokens.

This suggests that while confidence is improving, conviction remains limited.

Iran Denies Talks — A Critical Contradiction

While markets are rallying on ceasefire expectations, the geopolitical reality remains uncertain.

Officials in Iran have publicly denied that meaningful negotiations are underway, contradicting the narrative driving the rally.

At the same time, reports indicate ongoing proposals and conditions for de-escalation — but no confirmed agreement.

This creates a clear disconnect:

• Markets are pricing peace and stability
• Reality still reflects uncertainty and unresolved tensions

👉 This gap is crucial — and potentially risky.

Oil Collapse Signals Overconfidence in a Peace Scenario

Energy markets are reinforcing the same narrative.

Oil prices have dropped sharply, with some regional benchmarks experiencing extreme declines as traders price in:

• No disruption to supply
• Stability in the Strait of Hormuz
• A near-term resolution to tensions

This kind of aggressive repricing suggests markets are leaning heavily toward a best-case scenario.

If that assumption proves wrong, the reversal could be equally sharp across both traditional and crypto markets.

Institutional Moves Continue to Support the Long-Term Trend

While short-term price action is driven by geopolitics, structural developments in crypto remain bullish.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission have introduced new frameworks for digital assets, signaling growing regulatory clarity.

At the same time, asset managers like Franklin Templeton are pushing forward with tokenized ETFs that can trade 24/7 through crypto infrastructure.

👉 These developments point toward a long-term shift:

• Traditional finance moving on-chain
• Increasing institutional participation
• Expansion of tokenized financial products

This is a fundamentally different driver than the current macro-driven rally.

Bitcoin Shows Strength — But Not Euphoria

Another important signal comes from Bitcoin’s behavior itself.

Despite:

• Geopolitical uncertainty
• Volatility in oil markets
• Mixed macro conditions

Bitcoin is holding its ground above $70K without entering a parabolic move.

👉 This reflects a maturing market structure:

• No panic selling
• No excessive speculation
• Gradual accumulation rather than explosive growth

This kind of price action is typically seen in transition phases, not during peak bullish momentum.

Crypto Is No Longer Reacting Like Before

One of the most notable shifts in this cycle is how crypto responds to global events.

In previous years, geopolitical tensions would trigger sharp sell-offs across crypto markets.

Now:

• Bitcoin stabilizes quickly
• Drawdowns are absorbed faster
• The market shows resilience rather than panic

👉 This suggests crypto is evolving:

From a purely speculative asset
➡️ Toward a more established macro-sensitive asset class

However, it is not yet acting as a full safe haven — the current cautious behavior proves that.

A Market Pricing Peace — But Positioning for Risk

Putting all signals together, the current market environment is defined by contradiction:

• Stocks and crypto are rallying
• Oil is collapsing
• Peace is being priced in

But at the same time:

• Iran denies confirmed negotiations
• Altcoins are underperforming
• Investors remain selectively positioned

👉 This leads to a clear conclusion:

Markets are pricing a perfect outcome — but crypto is not fully convinced.

What Happens Next?

The next major move will likely depend on one key factor:

👉 Whether geopolitical developments confirm — or invalidate — the current narrative.

If tensions truly de-escalate:

• Risk assets could extend gains
• Altcoins may finally catch up
• A broader crypto rally could begin

If not:

• Oil could rebound sharply
• Markets may reverse quickly
• Crypto could retest lower support levels

Conclusion

Bitcoin holding above $70,000 is a strong signal — but the absence of altcoin momentum reveals a deeper layer of caution.

This is not a full bullish breakout.
It is a macro-driven recovery built on expectations, not confirmations.

And right now, crypto appears to be the only market not fully buying the story.

Following years of "regulation by enforcement," the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have issued a joint landmark interpretation. This move, dubbed "Project Crypto" by insiders, aims to provide the first comprehensive taxonomy for digital assets, categorizing them into digital commodities, collectibles, and tokenized securities.

Meanwhile, the Bitcoin price is currently navigating a high-volatility zone. Following the Federal Reserve's hawkish stance in the recent FOMC meeting—where inflation projections for 2026 were raised to 2.7%—BTC has seen significant pressure, testing the critical $70,000 support level.

Crypto News Today: The SEC and CFTC Join Forces

In a historic turn of events, the SEC, under Chairman Atkins, released a commission-level interpretive release that clarifies the application of federal securities laws to crypto assets. This is not just another speech; it is a "major rule" that provides a safe harbor for market participants.

The new framework classifies assets into four primary buckets:

1. Digital Commodities: Assets like Bitcoin (BTC) whose value stems from automated network mechanics.
2. Digital Collectibles: Non-security assets intended for personal enjoyment (NFTs and memes).
3. Payment Stablecoins: Assets regulated under the newly debated CLARITY Act and GENIUS Act.
4. Tokenized Securities: Traditional instruments (stocks/bonds) wrapped in blockchain technology.

This development is expected to reduce the "chilling effect" on institutional investment, potentially paving the way for more sophisticated financial products beyond the current spot ETFs.

Crypto Price Today: BTC and ETH Face Macro Headwinds

Despite the regulatory "green light," the broader macro environment remains challenging. The Federal Reserve's decision to maintain interest rates at 3.5%–3.75% while signaling only one rate cut for the remainder of 2026 has triggered a "risk-off" sentiment.

• Bitcoin ($BTC): After a $708 million single-day outflow from U.S. spot ETFs earlier this week, Bitcoin is currently trading near $70,720. Traders are watching the $70,000 psychological floor closely
  
• Ethereum ($ETH): Ethereum has shown relative resilience compared to the broader market, holding the $3,400 range. This is largely driven by "whale accumulation" and anticipation surrounding new scaling solutions
  

The CLARITY Act and the Future of Stablecoin Yield

Legislative momentum is also building on Capitol Hill. The CLARITY Act’s compromise text was recently reviewed by industry leaders. The draft suggests a strict prohibition on digital asset service providers offering "direct yield" on stablecoin balances to mimic bank interest. However, activity-based rewards—such as loyalty programs and transaction-linked incentives—remain permitted.

This move aims to integrate stablecoins into the U.S. financial perimeter without compromising the stability of the traditional banking system. According to The Guardian, similar regulatory reviews are happening globally, with the UK also publishing reports on the integrity of digital finance.

Quick Market Stats

Conclusion: A Turning Point for 2026

Today marks a "General to Specific" progression in crypto history. We are moving from a general state of uncertainty to a specific, regulated framework. While the BTC price reflects the immediate pain of high interest rates and geopolitical tension in the Middle East, the structural foundation of the industry has never been stronger.

Currently, Ethereum is trading near $2,165, eyeing a breakout toward the critical $2,200 resistance zone.

The sudden shift in market sentiment follows a green opening for US stock market futures and a series of high-stakes geopolitical reports suggesting a potential de-escalation in the Middle East.

Why is Ethereum Price UP: Rumors of US-Iran Peace Talks

The primary catalyst for today’s market surge appears to be unverified reports from Israeli media suggesting that the United States is pushing for a one-month ceasefire between Israel and Iran to facilitate diplomatic negotiations.

• The "15-Point Plan": Reports indicate that US envoys have presented a 15-point peace proposal aimed at stabilizing the region.
• Trump's Stance: President Donald Trump claimed on Tuesday that "productive negotiations" are already underway, noting that Tehran seems open to a deal.
• Iran's Response: Conversely, Iranian officials have publicly dismissed these claims as "fake news" and a "bluff," intended to manipulate financial and oil markets.

While no official ceasefire has been confirmed, the mere prospect of a pause in hostilities has caused oil prices to soften and risk-on assets like $Bitcoin and Ethereum to surge.

Ethereum Price Analysis: The 1-Month Outlook

Ethereum's journey over the last 30 days has been a volatile consolidation phase. After a sharp dip toward the $1,800 demand zone earlier this month, ETH has established a series of higher lows.

Technical Chart Observations

Looking at the Ethereum chart, the asset has faced heavy selling pressure every time it approached the $2,150 mark. However, today's move is backed by increasing volume and a "supply shock" narrative. Data suggests that the $Ethereum staking ratio has hit a record high of 31.4%, significantly reducing the liquid supply available on exchanges.

Can ETH Break Above $2,200?

For $ETH to sustain this rally, it must achieve a daily close above $2,180. If the bulls can clear the $2,200 hurdle, the next technical targets lie at $2,320 and $2,500.

The current "Extreme Fear" sentiment observed earlier this week is rapidly shifting toward neutral. Traders are advised to keep a close watch on exchange comparison tools to ensure they are positioned with the best liquidity providers during these high-volatility events.

The convergence of reclaiming Bitcoin's $71,000 level and the potential for a diplomatic breakthrough has provided the "oxygen" the crypto market needed. While the situation between the US and Iran remains fluid and unverified, Ethereum's fundamentals—bolstered by record staking—suggest that the path of least resistance may finally be upward.

Circle Internet Group (NYSE: CRCL) saw its stock price tumble by approximately 17%. This sudden downturn comes after a period of significant growth for the stablecoin issuer, which went public in mid-2025. While the stock market reaction has been aggressive, the company’s core product, USD Coin ($USDC), continues to maintain its strict 1:1 peg to the US Dollar, showing no signs of the volatility affecting its parent company's shares.

Why is Circle (CRCL) Stock Crashing Today?

The primary catalyst for today's sell-off appears to be emerging details regarding a legislative compromise in Washington D.C. related to stablecoin regulation. According to reports from Investing.com and internal stakeholder leaks, the proposed "GENIUS Act" or similar stablecoin frameworks might include strict prohibitions on platforms offering yield or interest on stablecoins.

"The proposal would prohibit platforms from offering yield 'directly or indirectly' for holding a stablecoin or in a manner resembling a bank deposit." — Crypto in America Report

Investors are concerned that if USDC cannot be used as a yield-bearing asset by third-party exchanges and brokers, its utility and total circulating supply could stall. This would directly impact Circle's bottom line, as the company generates the majority of its revenue from interest earned on the massive cash and Treasury reserves backing USDC.

USDC Peg Remains Stable Amid Equity Volatility

Despite the "blood in the streets" for CRCL shareholders, the USDC peg remains rock solid at $1.00. Unlike the depegging event in 2023 during the Silicon Valley Bank crisis, Circle’s reserves are currently managed with higher transparency and a focus on short-duration US Treasuries.

Current market data shows:

• USDC Price: $1.00 (±0.0001)
• Market Cap: ~$79 Billion
• CRCL Price: ~$126.55 (Down 16.85%)

The distinction between the company's valuation and the stablecoin's collateral is vital for traders. While investors are re-pricing Circle's future earnings potential based on new laws, the actual assets backing every USDC in circulation remain fully liquid and accounted for.

Broader Market Impact: Coinbase and Others Slide

Circle isn't the only one feeling the heat. Coinbase (COIN) also dropped over 8% in tandem, as the exchange is a key partner in the Centre Consortium and shares in the revenue generated by USDC. The market is currently in a "risk-off" mode, exacerbated by hawkish Federal Reserve commentary and geopolitical tensions pushing oil prices higher.

What’s Next for CRCL?

The long-term outlook for Circle (CRCL) depends on how the final version of the stablecoin bill is drafted. If Circle can pivot its Circle Payment Network (CPN) to focus on transaction fees rather than just interest-rate spreads, it may recover. However, in the short term, technical indicators suggest the stock may test support levels near $110 if the legislative news continues to lean bearish.

Congress is moving to tighten oversight of prediction markets amid rising concerns over insider trading and misuse of sensitive information.

The chipmaker failed to rebut claims its crypto disclosures affected its stock price, allowing the case to move forward.

The decision leaves unresolved whether developers of non-custodial crypto tools must comply with federal money-transmission rules.

Regulators are beginning work on legal and market infrastructure for tokenized assets, moving from pilot programs to real-world implementation.

The technique reduces the memory required to run large language models as context windows grow, a key constraint on AI deployment.

XRP losing any pieces of bullish potential after its key setup was invalidated after an unsuccessful breakout attempt.

The Hashdex Nasdaq CME Crypto Index ETF (NCIQ) has officially expanded its holdings to seven major digital assets, according to its first annual SEC Form 10-K filing released this week..

Recent report shows a significant increase in the daily SHIB burn rate, with 23 million meme coins torched.

The traditional banking lobby has successfully "strong-armed" lawmakers into banning passive interest for crypto users.

Market is certainly seeing a short-term recovery that many investors anticipated since the beginning of the year.

Key Takeaways

• Broadcom has secured a multiyear collaboration with OpenAI to co-design 10 gigawatts of specialized AI accelerators
• The company anticipates its AI semiconductor revenue will reach $8.2B in 2026, doubling from prior year levels
• Over $100B in AI chip commitments have been secured for Fiscal Year 2027, supported by 9–10 gigawatts of production capacity
• Shares have retreated more than 24% since December 2025 peaks, yet maintain a 62%+ gain over the trailing year
• Analyst consensus stands at “Strong Buy” with a mean target of $471.74 — representing approximately 48% potential appreciation

Broadcom (AVGO) currently trades at $318.87, representing a decline of over 24% from its December 2025 high of $414.61.

Broadcom Inc., AVGO

Broadcom has methodically positioned itself as a critical player in the artificial intelligence infrastructure ecosystem — and institutional investors are reassessing its potential.

The semiconductor designer, renowned for its collaborative chip development with tech giants like Google and Microsoft, recently welcomed OpenAI into its expanding portfolio of strategic partners. The partnership involves a multiyear commitment to jointly engineer 10 gigawatts of customized AI accelerators optimized exclusively for OpenAI’s computational requirements.

This development represents a significant competitive challenge to Nvidia, whose general-purpose GPU solutions have been OpenAI’s primary compute resource.

The OpenAI collaboration represents just one piece of a broader strategic mosaic. Broadcom maintains active custom silicon partnerships with Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft. Coinciding with the OpenAI announcement, Anthropic revealed plans to scale its Google Cloud deployment — incorporating 1 gigawatt of processing power utilizing Google/Broadcom TPU technology.

The strategic shift is unmistakable: leading AI organizations are transitioning from standardized Nvidia components toward application-specific integrated circuits optimized for their unique computational demands. Broadcom has emerged as the preferred engineering partner.

Diversified Revenue Streams Beyond Custom Silicon

Broadcom’s artificial intelligence narrative extends well beyond bespoke chip design. The company’s networking division — encompassing switches, digital signal processors, and interconnect solutions — is becoming foundational infrastructure for massive AI computing clusters.

As artificial intelligence architectures scale in sophistication, inter-chip data transmission velocity becomes a critical performance constraint. Broadcom’s Tomahawk switching platforms and high-bandwidth connectivity solutions are increasingly integrated into the fundamental design of distributed AI systems.

The company has also challenged industry assumptions about copper connectivity obsolescence. Leadership maintains that copper remains highly cost-effective for intra-rack connections at specific bandwidth thresholds — a thesis that, if validated, extends Broadcom’s addressable market opportunity beyond current analyst models.

Complementing its hardware operations, the VMware acquisition provides a software division delivering predictable recurring revenue and enhanced margin characteristics — a diversification advantage unavailable to pure-play AI hardware competitors.

Financial Performance That Demands Attention

For fiscal 2025, Broadcom delivered $63.8 billion in revenue, marking 24% year-over-year growth. Diluted earnings per share expanded 40% during the comparable timeframe. Net profit margin stands at 36.57%, while the debt-to-equity ratio registers at 0.83.

AI semiconductor revenue is forecast to double, reaching $8.2 billion in 2026. The most recent quarter already generated $8.4 billion in AI-related revenue, with forward guidance indicating approximately $10.7 billion for the upcoming period.

Executive leadership has disclosed over $100 billion in AI chip commitments extending through Fiscal 2027, underpinned by 9–10 gigawatts of manufacturing capacity allocated across a client base that now encompasses Google, Meta, Anthropic, TikTok, Fujitsu, and OpenAI.

TipRanks data indicates that 27 of 29 Wall Street analysts assign AVGO a Buy rating. The consensus price target sits at $471.74, suggesting approximately 47.9% appreciation potential from the current $318.81 price level.

The post Broadcom (AVGO) Stock: Is the 24% Dip a Golden Buying Opportunity After OpenAI Partnership? appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR:

• STH inflows to Binance have dropped to a record low of 25,000 BTC, down from 100,000 BTC in February.
• Bitcoin fell more than 50% below its all-time high before entering its current consolidation trading phase.
• The 75% reduction in STH inflows signals a clear easing of panic selling among newer Bitcoin market participants.
• Reduced short-term holder activity on Binance is lowering sell-side pressure during a tough period for risk assets.

STH inflows to Binance have dropped to their lowest level ever recorded, now standing at around 25,000 BTC. This comes after a period of intense panic selling that gripped the market in early 2025.

Bitcoin has been navigating a difficult climate shaped by geopolitical uncertainty and ongoing global trade tensions.

The asset has since managed a partial recovery. The retreat in short-term holder activity is being widely viewed as a positive development for the market.

Panic Selling Peaked at 100,000 BTC Before Subsiding

When Bitcoin fell below $60,000, fear spread quickly among short-term holders. These investors, often newer to the market, began sending large volumes of BTC to Binance.

The behavior intensified as prices continued to slide in the weeks that followed. On a seven-day rolling basis, those inflows climbed to approximately 100,000 BTC in early February.

Crypto analyst Darkfost documented this behavior in a post on X. He noted that STHs were responsible for pushing around 100,000 BTC to Binance at that time. That rush to sell was a predictable reaction from this cohort under heavy price pressure.

Since then, STH inflows have been cut by roughly 75%, now reaching around 25,000 BTC. This figure represents the lowest reading ever captured for this metric. The dramatic reduction shows that the initial wave of panic has clearly run its course.

Moreover, fewer STH inflows directly translate to reduced selling pressure on Binance. With less supply hitting the exchange from this group, the market has gained some breathing room. This shift is particularly welcome given the ongoing pressure on global risk assets.

Bitcoin Consolidates as Short-Term Holder Behavior Stabilizes

Following its sharp correction, Bitcoin has entered a consolidation phase. The asset dropped more than 50% from its all-time high before stabilizing.

Such a steep decline naturally triggers a period of price digestion among market participants. A period of sideways trading after such a drop is a well-recognized market pattern.

Darkfost noted in his analysis that this consolidation is still ongoing. He described it as a typical response following rapid and deep devaluation.

The broader environment, including trade disputes and economic uncertainty, has kept pressure on risk assets.

Still, the normalization of STH behavior offers a more grounded market outlook. Fewer reactive sellers in the market reduces the risk of further sharp price drops.

This is especially relevant at a time when macroeconomic conditions remain unsettled. Over time, a more stable short-term holder base supports a healthier recovery process.

Bitcoin continues to trade within a narrow range as the market waits for clearer catalysts. On-chain data reflects a noticeably calmer investor base than what was seen in February.

The overall picture, while still cautious, points to a market that is gradually regaining its footing.

The post Bitcoin STH Inflows Drop to Record 25K BTC Low as Panic Selling Fades on Binance appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• Arm Holdings shares rallied more than 16% Wednesday following the debut of its AGI CPU, the company’s first internally-developed AI chip
• The processor targets AI data center applications and agentic artificial intelligence workloads
• Meta served as a co-development partner; initial customers include OpenAI, Cloudflare, and SAP
• The company projects the chip will contribute $15 billion in yearly revenue by 2031, compared to total fiscal 2025 revenue of $4 billion
• Wall Street firms Barclays and Evercore boosted their price targets to $200 and $227 respectively, maintaining Buy recommendations

Arm stock was hovering near $157.07 during market hours, climbing from an intraday low of $148.25 after touching a session peak of $166.69.

Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares, ARM

Arm Holdings (ARM) delivered a significant announcement Wednesday, with shares climbing more than 16% after revealing its AGI CPU — the company’s first proprietary artificial intelligence processor.

The chip introduction signals a strategic pivot for the UK-based semiconductor firm. Historically, Arm has generated revenue by licensing intellectual property to chipmakers. This launch represents the company’s entry into manufacturing its own hardware.

The AGI CPU focuses on AI data center infrastructure and is engineered to handle agentic AI applications. Production is scheduled to begin in the latter half of 2026.

Meta Platforms participated as a co-development partner and will deploy the chip across its infrastructure. OpenAI, Cloudflare, and SAP have also committed as early adopters. The company intends to broaden these collaborations to encompass Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet via their cloud service offerings.

CEO Rene Haas characterized the launch as “the next phase of the Arm compute platform and a defining moment for our company.”

Ambitious $15 Billion Revenue Projection for 2031

The semiconductor company has outlined an aggressive financial objective — achieving $15 billion in yearly revenue from this new processor by fiscal year 2031. To put this in perspective, Arm reported $4 billion in total revenue during fiscal 2025.

This represents a substantial revenue expansion. However, given the caliber of technology partners already committed, the target appears achievable.

Arm conceded that margins on the chip won’t replicate those from its traditional licensing model. Nevertheless, the massive revenue opportunity has captured investor interest.

The energy efficiency advantages are also generating positive attention. With power consumption emerging as a critical challenge for AI data centers, Arm’s power-efficient architecture positions the company favorably for this market shift.

Wall Street Elevates Price Forecasts

Financial analysts responded promptly. Barclays analyst Tom O’Malley increased his price objective from $165 to $200 — representing a 21% boost — while maintaining his Buy recommendation. He noted the chip “plays into Arm’s strength in energy efficiency” and anticipates additional product launches and customer partnerships ahead.

Evercore ISI analyst Mark Lipacis raised his target more aggressively, moving from $170 to $227, a 34% increase. He identified Arm as “a key beneficiary of agentic AI” and believes the processor provides a credible pathway to achieving the $15 billion revenue milestone by 2031.

ARM currently carries a Strong Buy consensus recommendation based on 20 Buy ratings, 4 Hold ratings, and 1 Sell rating from 25 Wall Street analysts surveyed over the last three months. The mean price objective stands at $170.86, suggesting approximately 9% upside potential from present trading levels.

If Lipacis’s $227 forecast materializes, it would deliver roughly 45% appreciation from the current stock price.

The post Arm Holdings (ARM) Shares Soar 16% Following AGI CPU Debut and Bold $15B Revenue Forecast appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR:

• The UK government has imposed an immediate and complete ban on cryptocurrency donations to all political parties.
• British citizens living abroad now face a strict £100,000 annual cap on political donations and regulated loans.
• The Rycroft Review, commissioned in December 2025, identified crypto and overseas funds as key democracy risks.
• Political entities have 30 days to return unlawful donations once the amended legislation formally comes into force.

Cryptocurrency donations to UK political parties face an immediate and complete ban under new government measures.

The UK government announced the restrictions alongside a £100,000 annual cap on donations from overseas electors.

Both measures take effect from the day of announcement, with retrospective force applied through the Representation of the People Bill.

Political entities have 30 days to return any unlawful donations before enforcement action begins. The decisions stem directly from recommendations in the independent Rycroft Review, published in March 2026.

Crypto Ban Targets Traceability Gaps in Political Funding

The Rycroft Review found that identifying the true ownership of cryptocurrency presents a persistent challenge for regulators. This creates openings for bad actors to direct anonymous or foreign funds into British politics undetected.

As a result, the government imposed a full ban on cryptocurrency donations across all regulated political entities. The prohibition will remain in place until both Parliament and the Electoral Commission are satisfied that oversight is adequate.

Secretary of State Steve Reed was direct in framing the stakes. “Foreign interference and dirty money are menacing the integrity of our elections,” Reed said, adding that a ban on cryptocurrency donations is vital.

He described the UK as now positioned to lead globally in addressing this growing threat. Reed called it a “patriotic duty to safeguard the British people’s right to freely choose their own government.”

The ban covers candidates, MPs, and political parties without exception. Any cryptocurrency donations received since the announcement must be returned within 30 days of the legislation’s passing.

Entities that fail to meet this deadline face formal enforcement action from the Electoral Commission. This approach is consistent with how the government structured earlier reforms under the Representation of the People Bill.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis also weighed in, tying the crypto ban to the wider national security agenda. “National security is our first duty,” Jarvis said. “We’ll always take the action necessary to keep our country safe and defeat attempts to meddle in our democracy.”

He connected the announcement to the Counter Political Interference and Espionage Action Plan he launched in November 2024, which includes security briefings for political parties and guidance for candidates on spotting interference.

Overseas Donation Cap Closes Cross-Border Funding Loopholes

The Rycroft Review raised concerns that overseas donations from British electors are legally permitted but difficult to trace.

When investigators suspect wrongdoing, pursuing funds originating abroad is far more complex for the Electoral Commission.

The review, therefore, recommended a hard annual cap as the most practical way to reduce that risk. The government accepted this recommendation and set the limit at £100,000, covering both donations and regulated transactions such as loans.

Cases cited in the review include former MEP Nathan Gill, convicted and sentenced to 10.5 years for accepting bribes to promote pro-Russian narratives.

The review also referenced Christine Lee, a UK-based lawyer identified as covertly working for the Chinese Communist Party.

Reed said both cases shaped the urgency of the government’s response. “This Government will do whatever is necessary to protect our democracy,” he stated, reinforcing why the measures were applied with immediate retrospective effect.

The government has also committed to reviewing all remaining Rycroft recommendations in full. Those include expanded information powers for the Electoral Commission to support investigations into suspected wrongdoing.

Other reforms already underway under the Representation of the People Bill include tighter rules on unincorporated associations. Stronger “Know Your Donor” checks will also be required before political parties can accept future donations.

The post UK Bans Crypto Donations to Political Parties to Combat Foreign Interference appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Takeaways

• Fourth-quarter revenue declined 14% compared to the prior year, reaching $1.1 billion
• The company posted net income of $127.9 million, a slight decrease from $131.3 million, with digital asset losses totaling $151 million
• Earnings per share contracted from $0.29 to $0.22 due to significant share count expansion
• Physical game sales continue declining as both PC and console markets embrace digital distribution
• TipRanks AI analyst assigns a Neutral rating to GME with a price target of $23.50

GameStop unveiled its fourth-quarter financial performance following Tuesday’s market close. The company’s holiday period revenue contracted 14% on a year-over-year basis, totaling $1.1 billion.

GameStop Corp., GME

This revenue contraction stems primarily from the gaming sector’s persistent migration toward digital distribution channels. This represents a long-term challenge that has plagued GameStop’s business model for an extended period.

While topline figures disappointed, gross profit margins showed resilience — climbing from $363.4 million to $386.8 million. This improvement demonstrates the company’s strategic shift toward collectible merchandise such as trading cards, which command healthier profit margins.

Operating expense management proved effective, with selling, general, and administrative costs falling from $282.5 million to $241.5 million. This fiscal discipline enabled the company to maintain profitability.

The company recorded net income of $127.9 million, representing a modest decline from the previous year’s $131.3 million. Notably, this figure incorporates a substantial $151 million loss related to digital asset holdings, which significantly impacted overall performance.

Per-share earnings decreased from $0.29 to $0.22. This reduction was amplified by substantial dilution, as the outstanding share count expanded by approximately one-third following multiple at-the-market equity offerings executed throughout the previous year.

Digital Distribution Continues Eroding Physical Sales

The PC gaming segment transitioned almost completely to digital formats more than ten years ago, with distribution giants like Steam and the Epic Games Store controlling the market. Industry forecasters project PC gaming revenue will eclipse console revenue by 2028.

The console market is experiencing a similar transformation. Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo have aggressively promoted subscription-based services — including Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus, and Switch Online — which diminish demand for physical game copies.

GameStop has attempted to broaden its revenue streams. The retailer now trades in professionally graded trading cards across categories like Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, and sports collectibles. However, this emphasis on graded cards restricts the addressable market primarily to serious collectors.

CEO Ryan Cohen’s compensation structure has generated considerable attention. The company announced a $35 billion performance-linked pay arrangement in January that would grant Cohen options to acquire 171.5 million GameStop shares at an exercise price of $20.66 — currently below market value. This arrangement signals potential additional dilution for current shareholders if performance targets are met.

Share Dilution Concerns and Market Perspective

Further capital raises remain a distinct possibility. Given the persistent revenue decline, the profitability outlook doesn’t appear robust enough to eliminate the need for additional equity offerings.

GameStop stock trades at $23.08, hovering near analyst targets. The stock has fluctuated between $19.93 and $35.81 over the past year.

Traditional Wall Street analyst coverage of GameStop remains sparse, complicating independent valuation assessments for investors.

The fourth quarter traditionally represents GameStop’s strongest sales period due to holiday consumer spending. A 14% revenue contraction during this critical window casts doubt on the company’s ability to achieve meaningful growth throughout the full fiscal year.

The post GameStop (GME) Stock Slides as Q4 Earnings Reveal Continued Revenue Pressure appeared first on Blockonomi.

Stablecoin issuer Circle has unfrozen the USDC balance in one of the 16 wallets it targeted in a controversial enforcement move earlier this week, according to ZachXBT.

In the latest update, the on-chain investigator identified the address “0x61f…e543,” linked to Goated.com, as having regained access to its funds. The wallet currently holds around 130,966 USDC, based on data from Arkham. He added that other affected wallets could also be restored in the near term.

From Freeze to Backtrack

The development follows Circle’s decision to freeze USDC balances across 16 hot wallets reportedly associated with unrelated businesses. As per  ZachXBT, at least one impacted entity indicated the action was tied to a sealed US civil case, though no public information or clear justification was provided on the “overreach.” Following an independent review of on-chain activity, he found that the wallets appeared operational, with no indication of illicit behavior.

The partial reversal has intensified scrutiny of Circle’s handling of the situation, particularly given the lack of transparency surrounding the legal basis for the freeze. ZachXBT tweeted,

“In my 5+ years of investigations, it could potentially be the single most incompetent freeze I have seen. This is what happens when you outsource your freezing decisions to literally any random federal judge instead of having a process.”

Transparency Concerns Intensify

Several market commentators slammed the move while arguing that such actions, when taken without clear evidence, risk disrupting legitimate business activity. One said that unfreezing a single wallet does little to change the bigger picture.

Meanwhile, MetaMask security researcher Taylor Monahan stressed that freezing user funds demands thorough investigative work and accountability. Monahan sharply criticized Circle’s approach to freezing funds, and said that the process has long relied on court authorization rather than independent technical verification.

She noted that if a US federal court approves a freeze request, the stablecoin company typically enforces it, even in cases where the details remain unclear or contested.

The post ‘Most Incompetent Freeze:’ ZachXBT Slams Circle as Wallet Ban Begins to Unravel appeared first on CryptoPotato.

After another unsuccessful attempt to decisively reclaim the $72,000 resistance, bitcoin’s price dipped by two grand again, slipping below $70,000.

Popular analyst Michaël van de Poppe weighed in on BTC’s longer-term performance, explaining why the current environment could be a “great time to buy.”

BTC Tanks as STHs Reach Capitulation

A week ago, bitcoin peaked at $76,000 for the first time in a month and a half. The subsequent rejection pushed it south to under $68,000, where it found some support and jumped to $72,000 yesterday. However, it was stopped once again and dipped below $70,000 earlier this morning, as it continues to be heavily influenced by the war in the Middle East as well as the developments in other financial markets.

Van de Poppe noted that short-term holders of the largest cryptocurrency are in ‘massive losses, a phenomenon called ‘Capitulation.” He added that this metric’s indications now mimic current market sentiment ‘quite well.’

The analyst explained that many investors anticipated a strong BTC rebound when it initially dropped to $80,000, which is why they bought more. However, as the asset continued to retrace to sub-$70,000 levels, their positions turned red almost two months ago.

This flipped the overall market sentiment quite ‘fearful,’ and van de Poppe said he hasn’t seen it this bad before. However, “this has proven to be a great time to buy assets, as markets are always higher 12 months after such a capitulation event.”

The short-term holders of #Bitcoin are in massive losses, a phenomenon called ‘Capitulation’.

One of the most interesting metrics is that it mimics current market sentiment quite well.

The recent crash on #Bitcoin has had a similar impact to the COVID crash in 2020 or the drop… pic.twitter.com/L9AXlnGrk6

— Michaël van de Poppe (@CryptoMichNL) March 25, 2026

Weak Hands Are Out

In a slightly related post, fellow analyst Ali Martinez noted that Bitcoin’s Realized Cap for new holders has “hit a significant low.” According to him, this means that ‘weak hands’ have disappeared from the BTC market, as these red zones “represent a total washout of speculative froth.”

Such instances led to major changes in market dynamics, as when speculative interest supply dries up, only “high-conviction holders” are left. History shows that this is generally the transition point from a “cooling period to the next major accumulation phase.”

The “weak hands” have officially left Bitcoin $BTC.

Bitcoin’s Realized Cap for new holders has hit a significant low. Historically, these “red zones” represent a total washout of speculative froth.

When the speculative interest supply dries up, we are left with a market… pic.twitter.com/2njSuchFS1

— Ali Charts (@alicharts) March 25, 2026

The post Bitcoin Price Drops Below $70K as Short-Term Holders Hit Mass Capitulation appeared first on CryptoPotato.

“Google’s introducing a 2029 timeline to secure the quantum era with post-quantum cryptography (PQC) migration,” the search giant stated in a blog post on Wednesday.

It stated that urgency stems from two key threats, including “store-now-decrypt-later” attacks. This is where bad actors collect encrypted data today to decrypt it once quantum computers are powerful enough.

The second threat is the future risk quantum computers pose to digital signatures used in authentication, such as for crypto assets.

“This new timeline reflects migration needs for the PQC era in light of progress on quantum computing hardware development, quantum error correction, and quantum factoring resource estimates.”

The Quantum Threat to Cryptography

Google stated that quantum computers will pose a “significant threat” to current cryptographic standards, and specifically to encryption and digital signatures. This directly impacts crypto assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, which use these signatures and cryptography to secure the networks.

The Bitcoin debate has been simmering for the past year, and the community is split. Some argue for upgrading cryptography and enabling voluntary migration to quantum-resistant signatures, while others say intervention would violate Bitcoin’s core principle that private keys control coins.

“I’m sure Bitcoin can agree on a path forward, write and test a series of updates, soft fork them in, and fully migrate 50 million addresses in three years. Especially with how proactive the core devs are being,” said Bitcoiner Nic Carter.

In February, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin unveiled a quantum-resistant roadmap for the network.

Serious Investors Unfazed

Galaxy Digital’s research head Alex Thorn said earlier this month that the risk is “real but recognized.” He said that not all wallets are equally vulnerable, and most of them are not at risk today. “Funds are at risk only when public keys are exposed on-chain,” he said.

Bitcoin bull Michael Saylor said in February that the industry “would see it coming” and it would prompt coordinated software upgrades across global banking systems, internet infrastructure, crypto protocols, consumer devices, and AI networks.

Meanwhile, a March 11 report from Ark Invest claimed that the threat is likely years or decades away. “Today’s quantum systems lack the capabilities required to compromise Bitcoin. Meaningful breakthroughs would disrupt internet security first, triggering coordinated responses well beyond Bitcoin,” the researchers wrote.

They said it would be a “gradual technological progression—not a sudden ‘Q-day’ event,” giving markets and the Bitcoin network time to adapt.

Google doesn’t appear to share its confidence, however.

The post Google Sets 2029 Target to Migrate to Post-Quantum Cryptography appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Global oil markets remain on edge as the tensions between the US and Iran continue despite efforts from President Donald Trump to de-escalate. Iran has officially stated their demands to secure a potential treaty, and markets seem to be pricing in the uncertainty.

Oil prices remain elevated at $92.3 per barrel at the time of this writing, up 4% in the past 24 hours.

Iran States Demands

US President Donald Trump insists that they are close to making a deal with Iran. The latter has officially rejected the peace proposal and set fixed conditions to end the war.

These include:

1. Immediate end to attacks and assassinations on Iran.
2. Establishment of “concrete guarantees” against future US attacks.
3. “Clear determination and guaranteed payment” for war damages.
4. International recognition of Iran’s authority over the Strait of Hormuz.
5. An end to the war across all fronts, including for all Iranian proxies in the region.

The US is yet to respond. Meanwhile, the country’s parliament speaker also warned that Tehran was monitoring US troop movement after multiple sources reported that the Pentagon had ordered 2,000 airborne troops to the region.

Oil Crisis Spreads

The war in Iran and the resulting challenges for the international oil trade have affected economies worldwide. The Kobeissi Letter reported that over 500 gas stations in Australia have now run out of fuel. 187 of these have run out of diesel, while 32 service stations are out of all types of fuel.

But it’s not just that. Other markets are also suffering due to the Strait of Hormuz’s disrupted operations. Fertilizers, for example, are also getting increasingly expensive. Top exporters from China and Russia are also curbing their crop nutrient sales, which further tightens the supply. This comes right before the spring planting session, and could translate directly to higher food prices and skyrocketing inflation.

Meanwhile, the US is attempting to stabilize fuel prices through a variety of measures, including:

• Possible coordinated release of 400 million barrels of oil.
• Support for tanker insurance through the Strait of Hormuz.
• Temporary flexibility on sanctioned Russian oil purchases.
• Removal of barriers to expand E10 supply, and more.

Crypto markets remain uncertain. Bitcoin’s price fell by close to 1.7% over the past 24 hours, with total industry capitalization at $1.4 trillion.

The post Oil Prices Today: US Attempts to Stabilize Fuel Prices as Crisis Deepens appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Over the past few days, Ripple (XRP) has been at the forefront of a few important developments. These range from news about its institutional adoption, exchange updates, ETF flows, and ongoing price uncertainty.

The following is a concise breakdown of the latest news shaping XRP’s broader outlook.

Expansion in Asia: RLUSD and Faster Settlements

Ripple is expanding its presence in Asia by testing its RLUSD stablecoin to improve cross-border settlement efficiency. The company is joining BLOOM – the sandbox environment of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, partnering with Unloq to pilot a system that’s designed to automate trade finance payments on the XRP Ledger.

The purpose of this move is to replace slow, manual processes that often take days or even weeks with Ripple’s near-instant settlement triggered by predefined conditions, such as shipment verification.

RLUSD, which was launched in 2024, is a stablecoin designed for institutional use. It offers stable value coupled with blockchain execution speed. This latest initiative builds on Ripple’s broader expansion strategy, including its plans to grow its payments infrastructure in Australia.

XRP ETF Flows: Mixed Signals from Institutions

As CryptoPotato reported earlier, spot XRP ETFs recorded their first week of inflows last week, but the gains were minimal and failed to offset broader market weakness.

Total inflows were just about $636K – far below earlier months that saw hundreds of millions, while March overall remains mostly in deep negative territory with more than $31 million in outflows.

The data suggests that, at the time, institutional demand remains weak, with inconsistent flows and even zero-activity days.

Binance Update: Changes Affecting XRP Traders

The largest cryptocurrency exchange by both active traders and overall volume, Binance, announced an update affecting XRP and several altcoins. The venue restricted transfers into isolated margin accounts for certain trading pairs. For Ripple specifically, this involved XRP/BNB.

Users are now unable to freely move assets into these accounts and may only transfer amounts needed to cover existing liabilities.

Although such actions usually reduce liquidity and can negatively impact prices, the move had no impact on the altcoin, perhaps because the XRP/BNB trading pair wasn’t the most popular anyway.

Price Action: Bearish Structure Still Intact

And last but not least, a brief overview of price action. XRP remains stuck in a broader bearish structure. Analysts are looking at the most recent price movements from the previous weeks as noise rather than a true attempt at a reversal.

At the time of this writing, the cryptocurrency is trading at around $1.4, but some technical analysts believe it could drop further to critical support levels at $1.09 or even lower to $0.87 if the bearish structure remains intact.

For the bulls to regain control, XRP has to break above major resistance levels at $1.5 and beyond. Otherwise, the prevailing downtrend is expected to persist.

Conclusion

While bullish fundamentals, such as Ripple’s expansion in Asia and RLUSD’s overall development, could strengthen its long-term utility, XRP’s price action suggests the market is still waiting for a decisive catalyst.

ETF flows show interest, but not full confidence, while exchange updates and the broader bearish market structure keep volatility relatively elevated.

The post Ripple (XRP) News Today: March 26 appeared first on CryptoPotato.