Latest Crypto News | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Altcoin Updates

Investor and Coin Metrics co-founder Nic Carter argues prediction markets remain immature and face structural barriers that prevent them from fulfilling early proponents’ ambitions. Carter identifies two core problems: (1) market fragmentation and a shortage of natural buyers and sellers, which reduces liquidity and undermines usefulness as a hedging tool; and (2) the role of insider information—while predictive value can stem from leaked or privileged knowledge, such trading is often illegal and risks destroying market credibility. He notes current prediction markets largely survive on sports betting activity; in non-sports domains, insider-trading scandals could drive users away and damage perceptions of fairness. Carter predicts prediction markets may become cultural phenomena by 2025–26 but says their practical utility will likely remain limited, with future growth concentrated in sports and cultural events rather than broader financial hedging. The piece highlights implications for traders: limited liquidity, susceptibility to manipulation, legal risk around information sources, and continued reliance on speculative participants to subsidize hedgers.

US President Donald Trump announced an immediate increase in a global tariff from 10% to 15%, citing trade imbalances and protection for domestic industry. The move follows recent Supreme Court limits on emergency tariff powers under the IEEPA; the administration said it will issue legally permissible tariff measures in the coming months. UK business groups, including the British Chambers of Commerce, warned the hike could harm exporters and global growth and called for steady, transparent trade rules. Markets reacted with equity volatility, but crypto markets were relatively calm: Bitcoin (BTC) traded near $68,000 and Ether (ETH) was roughly unchanged at the time of reporting. The Total3 market-cap index (altcoins excluding BTC/ETH) slipped under 1% to about $713 billion. Analysts flagged recent outflows from major US crypto funds — roughly $316 million from Bitcoin funds and $123 million from Ethereum funds in the prior week — which likely contributed to recent weekly declines (approximately 2% for BTC and 5% for ETH). Despite short-term redemptions, crypto fund net inflows remain large year-to-date (total net assets about $85.3 billion). For traders: the announcement creates policy-driven uncertainty that may increase short-term volatility, but so far has produced only modest, immediate moves in crypto prices.

Dubai’s Land Department (DLD) is moving ahead with tokenized real estate trading on the XRP Ledger (XRPL), selecting Ripple and partners to support a pilot aimed at converting property ownership into digital tokens. The initiative seeks to streamline transactions, improve settlement speed, reduce costs, and enhance transparency for property transfers. Ripple’s XRPL will be used to mint and transfer tokens representing real estate assets, leveraging the ledger’s speed and low fees. The project involves regulators and local stakeholders and is positioned as part of Dubai’s broader push to digitize government services and attract fintech innovation. Key points: - Dubai Land Department advancing tokenized property trading using XRP Ledger. - Ripple chosen to provide XRPL infrastructure and tokenization support. - Goals: faster settlement, lower costs, increased transparency and legal clarity for tokenized ownership. - Pilot includes collaboration with regulators and local industry participants as part of Dubai’s digital asset strategy. Primary keywords: XRP Ledger, tokenized real estate, Ripple, Dubai Land Department. Secondary/semantic keywords: property tokenization, digital ownership, settlement speed, blockchain real estate, fintech innovation.

Shiba Inu (SHIB) fell about 15.6% from a recent local high to low in under five days, but on-chain and technical signals point to a likely short-term rebound. Daily imbalance zones align with retracement levels at $0.00000758 and $0.00000817, while a 4‑hour bullish structure and a defended demand zone at $0.0000062 support near-term upside. A breakout above the $0.0000066 local supply zone would increase bullish conviction. The 1‑month liquidation heatmap shows a dense cluster of short liquidations just below $0.000008, which could propel a short squeeze toward H4 extension targets and a final short-term target near $0.00009 before the longer-term downtrend resumes. Traders should expect short-term gains but be cautious: long-term holders may sell into any bounce, so taking profits at target levels is advisable. Disclaimer: This is analysis and not financial advice.

After a prolonged decline in altcoin performance versus Bitcoin, the Alt/BTC ratio has moved into horizontal consolidation, suggesting selling pressure is easing. Technical analyst Merlijn The Trader warns this may not herald a broad altseason; instead, capital is likely to rotate into select projects with strong fundamentals, real-world utility, deep liquidity and resilience across market cycles. Traders and investors should expect targeted, niche rallies rather than indiscriminate surges. The article highlights a market transition toward selective investing and disciplined, long-term positions, while noting analysts are still waiting for a confirmed trend reversal in Alt/BTC charts. (Main keyword: altcoins; secondary keywords: Alt/BTC, Bitcoin, selective investing, fundamentals-driven)

Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin sold 428.57 ETH in a recent on‑chain transaction, receiving 850,178 GHO. OnchainLens reports this sale is part of an ongoing pattern: since February 2, Vitalik has disposed of 7,386 ETH, amounting to roughly $15.51 million at an average price near $2,100 per ETH. The transfer converted a portion of ETH into the stablecoin-like GHO. No additional context on motives was provided. The activity has drawn attention because concentrated sales by prominent holders can affect short‑term liquidity and market sentiment for ETH.

Nikita Bier, head of product at X (formerly Twitter), publicly questioned an Infodex list naming the "most valuable startups of 2025," calling the entry for prediction-market fintech Kalshi (valued at $1.1B) "clearly false." Bier suggested the Infodex account may be owned by or affiliated with the brand it lists and accused the list curator of placing a woman’s photo beside company logos to increase click-through rates. He demanded disclosure on whether the Kalshi entry was paid promotional content and warned that failing to disclose paid promotion could lead to the account being suspended. The dispute centers on list credibility, potential undisclosed promotion, and manipulative thumbnail tactics. The post was shared by PANews; the report notes this is market information and not investment advice.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media that, following a comprehensive review of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on tariffs, he will immediately raise the global tariff rate he previously imposed from 10% to 15% on many countries. Trump framed the move as legally vetted and justified by longstanding perceived unfair trade practices against the U.S., saying new lawful tariffs will be identified and implemented in coming months to continue his agenda of making America great again. The announcement is presented as an executive action tied to a court decision and signals a material tightening of U.S. import costs that could affect global trade and markets.

SBI Holdings will issue a ¥10 billion (≈$64.5M) three-year retail bond — SBI START Bonds — managed on BOOSTRY’s ibet for Fin enterprise blockchain. The bonds pay semiannual interest with an indicative annual rate of 1.85%–2.45% and settle on-chain. Retail investors and qualifying companies must buy at least ¥100,000 via SBI VC Trade to receive XRP token rewards: ¥200 worth of XRP per ¥100,000 invested. XRP rewards are paid at issuance and on each interest payment date through 2029. Secondary trading is expected to begin on the Osaka Digital Exchange START trading system. The product blends traditional fixed-income features with blockchain settlement and crypto incentives, offering retail investors yield plus exposure to XRP. Relevant keywords: SBI on-chain bond, XRP rewards, BOOSTRY ibet for Fin, Osaka Digital Exchange, retail bond issuance.

Santiment data shows XRP addresses holding 10 million–100 million XRP increased their share of circulating supply to a record 17.04%, up from 12.21% in October 2025. These top-tier whales expanded balances from 7.89 billion to 11.06 billion XRP — a net accumulation of about 3.17 billion XRP (~$4.5 billion). Most buying occurred in a concentrated 20-day window from Nov 8–28, 2025. The accumulation coincided with a market downturn: XRP fell from a $3.66 all-time high in July 2025 to roughly $1.42 (−61.2%), producing four consecutive bearish monthly candles and further weakness into February. Meanwhile, smaller whale tiers (100k–10M XRP) were net sellers, reducing combined holdings from 13.12 billion to 10.09 billion XRP, implying redistribution of supply from mid/smaller holders to large wallets. For traders: the sharp rise in supply concentration increases concentration risk and can tighten available float. That raises two key scenarios — if sentiment recovers, reduced circulating supply could amplify upward moves; if large holders coordinate selling or decide to trim positions, price downside could be steeper due to concentrated sell pressure. Short-term trade setups remain influenced by prevailing bearish momentum, but elevated whale accumulation makes volatility and liquidity shifts more likely. This is informational and not financial advice.

The Netherlands Gambling Authority ordered Polymarket’s Dutch arm, Adventure One, to cease offering prediction-market betting in the Netherlands or face fines up to $840,000 per week. The regulator said Adventure One offered unlicensed bets, including on local elections, and classifies prediction markets as illegal gambling due to social risks and potential election influence. The notice dated February 17 follows prior regulatory pressure on Polymarket after scrutiny from US state regulators despite CFTC approvals. The action coincides with Dutch parliamentary moves to propose a 36% unrealized capital gains tax on liquid investments including crypto, a measure criticized by analysts who warn it could drive investors out of the country. Key names and details: Netherlands Gambling Authority; Adventure One (Polymarket’s Dutch arm); director Ella Seijsener; $840,000 weekly fine threat; notice dated February 17, 2026. Primary keywords: Polymarket, Netherlands regulator, prediction markets, gambling ban. Secondary keywords: Adventure One, fine, election bets, CFTC, capital gains tax, crypto policy.

APEMARS (APRZ) is conducting an Ethereum ERC‑20 presale currently in Stage 9 at $0.00007841 per token, reporting >$215K raised, 11.5+ billion tokens sold and 1,010+ holders. The project maintains a predefined listing target of $0.0055, implying a theoretical upside of ~6,914% from Stage 9 to that listing price. Tokenomics include a 63% APY staking program with a two‑month post‑launch lock, a 9.34% viral referral reward, and scheduled burns at stages 6, 12, 18 and 23 to reduce unsold supply. Stage pricing is automated; Stage 10 is set to increase ~16.45% to $0.00009131. Participation requires connecting an ETH‑compatible wallet to the presale dashboard; tokens become claimable after the post‑presale phase. Earlier reporting noted similar metrics (over $220K raised, stage 8 price at $0.00006651 and ~8,100% implied upside) — the newer update refines totals and stage level to Stage 9 and slightly lowers the implied ROI figure while confirming continued fundraising progress. The coverage frames APEMARS as a mission‑themed, multi‑stage presale targeting timing‑based participation and emphasises scheduled burns and staking incentives. Note: this is sponsored content and not investment advice.

XRP trades around $1.44. A $1,000 purchase today would buy ~704 XRP; $2,000 would buy ~1,408 XRP. At commonly cited bullish milestones, those holdings would be worth approximately: $100 → $70k–$140k; $500 → $352k–$704k; $1,000 → $704k–$1.408m. These sums could meet retirement targets in some countries but require dramatic market-cap expansion, broad institutional adoption, regulatory clarity, and growth of Ripple’s payments infrastructure. The articles note XRP’s exceptional historical gains (cumulative >24,000% since 2013) while stressing future returns are highly speculative. Cited analysts include YoungHoon Kim (predicting triple-digit prices within a decade) and Edoardo Farina (arguing current prices make higher targets look affordable later). The later summary updates the present spot price (~$1.44 vs earlier ~ $1.42) and reiterates that turning $1k–$2k into retirement-scale wealth depends on multiple uncertain variables. This is informational content and not financial advice.

Bitcoin’s short-term Sharpe ratio has collapsed to one of its lowest recorded levels (reported around -38.38), signaling intense selling pressure, elevated volatility and large risk-adjusted losses. Analyst Michaël van de Poppe noted similarly negative Sharpe readings at major cycle lows in early 2015, early 2019 and late 2022 — periods that preceded concentrated accumulation by long-term holders and multi-month rallies. The metric widens Bitcoin’s divergence from traditional safe havens and often marks a selling climax where much downside may already be priced in. However, analysts caution the Sharpe ratio alone does not guarantee a market bottom: macro conditions, liquidity shocks and monetary policy can extend downside risk. For traders, the reading is a signal of short-term market exhaustion; it argues for cautious position sizing, attention to volatility and liquidity, and confirmation from price action and other on-chain signs before increasing exposure.

Dragonfly Capital has closed its fourth venture fund at $650 million to continue early-stage crypto investing despite a prolonged market downturn. The new vehicle, initially pitched at $500 million, focuses on crypto financial-use cases — stablecoins, decentralized finance (DeFi), tokenization, on-chain payments and prediction markets — reflecting the firm’s view that non-financial crypto has underperformed. Dragonfly cites prior successful vintages raised during downturns and notable portfolio companies (Polymarket, Ethena, Rain, Mesh, Avalanche, Amber Group) to support its thesis. The raise arrives amid slower VC deal flow and heightened regulatory scrutiny: federal prosecutors previously weighed potential charges tied to Dragonfly’s 2020 Tornado Cash investment but did not file charges after the firm cooperated with investigators. Managing Partner Haseeb Qureshi said the firm’s candid public stance and dry powder position it to deploy capital when valuations and fundraising are weak. For traders, the fund signals continued institutional backing for crypto financial infrastructure and DeFi, which may support long-term liquidity and sector development even as near-term market activity remains muted.

Economist Nouriel Roubini criticized the GENIUS Act as reckless and warned stablecoins lack deposit insurance or a lender-of-last-resort, which could trigger runs and threaten financial stability. Roubini called Bitcoin a "pseudo-asset" and said it is not an inflation hedge, repeating his view that crypto is tied to bubbles and illicit use. His comments come as Bitcoin has fallen about 45% from its late-October high to roughly $67,400, while investors have shifted flows into gold and other hedges. US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded roughly $3.3 billion in outflows over the past quarter, while US gold ETFs attracted over $16 billion. Roubini also cautioned that proposals to pay interest on stablecoins could undermine banking fundamentals. The article contrasts Roubini’s stance with bullish voices like Robert Kiyosaki, and notes that several companies’ bitcoin-backed treasury strategies have weakened as market caps and digital-asset treasuries decline.

Angel investor and former Coinbase CTO Balaji Srinivasan argued that cryptocurrencies represent a new “code-based order” amid increasing geopolitical and institutional fragmentation. Speaking publicly, Srinivasan framed crypto as infrastructure that can provide governance, financial services and coordination where traditional nation-states or institutions are weakening. He emphasized decentralised protocols, digital assets and on-chain mechanisms as tools for trust, resiliency and alternative coordination. The comments place crypto in a broader narrative about technological sovereignty and contingency planning as governments, firms and global supply chains face rising stress. Srinivasan’s view reinforces themes familiar to traders: crypto’s role as an internet-native layer for value transfer and governance, potential demand drivers from institutions seeking alternatives, and longer-term adoption catalysts tied to geopolitical risk. Key takeaways for traders: narrative-driven flows may intensify during geopolitical uncertainty; on-chain activity and institutional custody announcements could validate the theme; volatility may rise on news linking policy or conflict to crypto adoption.

US President Donald Trump raised a previously announced 10% global tariff to 15%, effective immediately, citing the Commerce Expansion Act of 1962 and the Trade Act of 1974. Legal questions remain about tariff scope under IEEPA, but markets showed muted reaction. Despite earlier volatility from tariff announcements, Bitcoin (BTC) remained resilient — trading around $67k–$68k with little net change and spot BTC ETFs in the US recording solid inflows after Presidents’ Day. Ether (ETH) showed no significant movement. Total market capitalization excluding BTC and ETH (Total3) fell less than 1% and traded at roughly $713 billion. Technical indicators point to a near-term BTC downtrend (RSI ~34–38, bearish Supertrend, EMA20 near $71k) with supports at ~$64.5k and $60k, and resistances at ~$69.4k and $71k. Analysts note institutional buying continues despite elevated search interest for negative scenarios. This development appears to have neutral immediate market impact, though traders should monitor ETF flows, macro headlines, and BTC technical levels for short-term volatility.

Institutional investors sold a net $8.3 billion of U.S. stocks last week — the second-largest weekly institutional outflow on record, according to Bank of America data. Retail investors bought $1.0 billion, marking five straight weeks of retail purchases, while hedge funds added $1.2 billion (their eighth buying week in nine). Equity ETFs saw $2.2 billion of inflows, even as single-stock positions experienced $8.3 billion of outflows over the week and $52.0 billion over 13 of the last 15 weeks. The flows indicate large institutions are selling into bids from retail traders and hedge funds. Market drivers included a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that President Trump misused IEEPA to impose tariffs; Trump pledged a new 10% global tariff under other trade laws. The decision injected policy uncertainty, with legal questions remaining about refunds for prior tariffs. Traders also face upcoming catalysts: Nvidia earnings (reported midweek) and geopolitical risk including Iran. The Nasdaq was attempting to snap a five-week losing streak, up around 0.8% intraday and 1.4% for the week. Analysts warn tariff uncertainty and geopolitical developments may keep market volatility elevated, while easing inflation could eventually open the door to Fed rate cuts. Primary keywords: institutional selling, retail inflows, hedge funds, equity ETFs, tariffs, Nvidia earnings. Secondary/semantic keywords: market flows, single-stock outflows, policy risk, Supreme Court tariff ruling. This summary is targeted at traders assessing flow dynamics, policy risk, and short-term catalysts that may affect risk assets and crypto correlations.

Lighter (LIT) saw its DeFi perpetuals market share fall from a peak near 60% in December 2025 to about 8.1% by mid-February 2026 after a post-airdrop incentive unwind. Aggressive liquidity incentives and zero-fee trading initially attracted short-horizon, yield-driven traders, driving sector turnover to $7.9 trillion late 2025 and Lighter’s temporary dominance. When the LIT airdrop landed on December 30, many participants sold, pushing LIT down ~45% by mid-January and causing repeat trading volumes to evaporate. Total daily perp volumes contracted to roughly $15–20 billion, and the broader market expanded (total perps volume doubled to $14 trillion over six months), which amplified share dilution. As Lighter’s speculative flow drained, Hyperliquid (HYPE) reclaimed market share—holding ~23.4% share and capturing ~70% of Open Interest—while Paradex, DYDX, Aster and EdgeX absorbed incremental flows during volatility spikes. On-chain moves amplified uncertainty: large transfers of LIT (including ~10 million associated with Justin Sun and other wallets) flowed into exchange hot wallets, while market makers such as Wintermute accumulated inventory and HTX routed millions into zkLighter infrastructure. The net effect: incentive exhaustion and post-airdrop exits materially weakened Lighter’s speculative volume, enabling Hyperliquid and other venues to seize derivatives leadership; however, Lighter retains structural depth in BTC and ETH contracts, holding over 50% Open Interest in key pairs. Primary implications for traders: elevated exchange rotation risk, potential short-term sell pressure from concentrated token holdings, and opportunities in venues offering better rebates, latency or incentives.

On-chain analysts and researchers are debating the future of Satoshi Nakamoto’s reported 1.096 million BTC, spread across many early addresses and valued at roughly $75 billion at recent prices. Claims that the entire holding can be accessed with a single 24-word seed phrase were debunked: early wallets predate BIP-39 and holdings exist across pay-to-public-key addresses, not a single master wallet. A growing technical concern is quantum computing. CryptoQuant founder Ki Young Ju warns that sufficiently advanced quantum computers could derive private keys from exposed public keys once they appear on-chain. Estimates suggest up to 6.89 million BTC may be vulnerable to quantum attacks (1.91M in inherently exposed P2PK addresses and up to 4.98M from prior spends). About 3.4M BTC have been dormant for over a decade, including roughly 1M credited to Satoshi. Analysts say a possible mitigation would be a consensus-driven upgrade to freeze dormant coins — a move likely to spark contentious governance debates similar to past network decisions. The article underscores both the technical risk posed by future quantum breakthroughs and the philosophical and governance challenges of handling historic, high-value dormant balances.

The BTC-to-Gold valuation ratio fell to its lowest level on record after a 14-month decline, prompting analysts to question whether Bitcoin has completed a full bear cycle relative to gold. Data shows Bitcoin peaked against gold in December 2024, nearly a year before its USD all-time high in October 2025, indicating sustained underperformance versus the precious metal. Technical indicators amplify the concern: the weekly RSI on the BTC-to-Gold ratio reached record lows, matching readings seen at previous cycle bottoms (e.g., 2013–2015, 2017–2019, 2021–2022). Analysts note that BTC-to-Gold bottoms historically precede multi-year uptrends, so current extreme RSI levels may signal an approaching long-term shift. The narrative suggests that strong dollar-denominated Bitcoin prices in 2025 were influenced by gains in gold and silver, masking real-asset underperformance. Traders are watching the ratio for confirmation of a bottom and potential re-entry signals; a confirmed low could mark the start of a multi-year Bitcoin outperformance versus gold. Primary keywords: BTC-to-Gold ratio, Bitcoin vs gold, BTC RSI. Secondary/semantic keywords: BTC valuation, safe-haven assets, market bottom, technical indicators.

Media figure Paul Barron says his research team has identified a potential major catalyst connecting Ripple’s XRP and the RLUSD stablecoin to the proposed Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. Barron described the finding as “hidden in plain sight,” urged followers to “Lock In XRP,” and promised more details next week. The teaser revived community optimism and speculation that passage or favorable language in the Clarity Act could resolve regulatory uncertainty for bank-issued stablecoins and open the door for institutional stablecoin use. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has suggested the bill has a high chance of passing soon and it is moving toward a Senate Banking Committee markup, increasing attention on possible outcomes. Traders are debating scenarios in which Clarity Act provisions that recognize or facilitate bank-issued stablecoins like RLUSD could route large institutional flows through XRP rails, lifting demand for XRP and RLUSD. The reporting notes ongoing industry discussions around stablecoin definitions, yield mechanics, and infrastructure readiness. No formal confirmation from Ripple, regulators, or legislative text was presented; market moves appear driven by speculation and social-media teasers. Key keywords: XRP, RLUSD, Clarity Act, Ripple, stablecoin.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman defended AI’s environmental impact at The Indian Express AI Summit, calling viral claims that each ChatGPT query uses 17 gallons of water “totally fake.” He attributed such figures to outdated data‑center cooling methods and stressed the real concern is aggregate energy consumption across global AI systems rather than per‑query metrics. Altman highlighted improvements in data‑center efficiency—modern AI chips deliver 10–100x more computation per watt and Power Usage Effectiveness has fallen to ~1.2 for state‑of‑the‑art facilities. He argued for contextual comparisons between AI and human energy investments and urged rapid adoption of renewable and nuclear power to sustainably meet growing demand. The article notes studies projecting AI computation could account for 3–5% of global electricity by 2030, limited corporate transparency on energy and water usage, and potential local electricity price impacts from large data centers. Experts say per‑query energy is small but aggregate scale matters; AI may also reduce emissions via optimization applications. The industry response includes algorithmic efficiency, specialized hardware, carbon‑aware scheduling and siting data centers near renewables. Key keywords: ChatGPT, OpenAI, AI energy, data centers, renewable energy, nuclear, efficiency, sustainability.

Bitcoin derivatives activity has increased while the spot price remains confined to a tight trading band. Options market data show a dominance of call (bullish) positions over put (bearish) positions, signalling that traders are positioning for a potential upside breakout despite limited near-term volatility. Open interest and notional volumes in Bitcoin derivatives have swelled, indicating heightened engagement from institutional and retail participants. The rise in call exposure, combined with compressed price movement, suggests elevated option-driven hedging and speculative activity that could amplify moves once price breaks out of the current range. Key implications include increased gamma and vega sensitivity for market makers, potential short-squeeze dynamics if calls are exercised or delta-hedging flows become directional, and heightened liquidity needs around expiry dates. Traders should monitor open interest concentrations, strike distributions, implied volatility skews, and upcoming expiries to time entries and manage risk. Primary keywords: Bitcoin derivatives, call options, implied volatility. Secondary keywords: open interest, option skew, delta-hedging, trading band.

The crypto market has retraced roughly 40% from its October 2025 peak. Total3 Market Cap (altcoin-heavy market cap excluding BTC and ETH) fell from a November–October rally high (~$1.19T) to about $713B as of Feb 21, 2026 — near early-November 2024 levels. Bitcoin dropped about 50% from its peak, bottomed near $60K and has recovered marginally to roughly $68K; ETH lost about 60% from its August 2025 high. Key drivers cited are macro pressures (interest-rate hikes), the bursting of the altcoin bubble, and falling retail sentiment (CoinMarketCap Fear & Greed Index 14, with a 5 low on Feb 5). Despite retail fear, institutional flows into US spot BTC ETFs continued, with the 12 spot ETFs recording net inflows during the shortened week of Feb 20. Technicals: BTC around $68.2K, RSI ~39 (near oversold), Supertrend bearish; critical support at $67.9K (S1) and $64.5K (S2); resistance at $69.4K (R1) and $71K (R2). Analysts flag a BTC-led recovery scenario if BTC closes above the EMA20 (~$71K); if S1 breaks, $64K may be tested. Recommendation: potential buying opportunity for long-term holders but expect high short-term volatility. This is not investment advice.

ZCash (ZEC) has pulled back from recent highs but shows signs of a short-term recovery after defending key support levels. Over the past week ZEC fell about 6.7%, with the perpetuals market seeing roughly $52 million in outflows and sizeable liquidations in the last month — signaling elevated volatility. On the daily chart RSI (~43) and a weakening OBV point to limited upside momentum, yet price tested and held the $250–$251 area and briefly rallied toward $320. The H4 structure flipped bullish after reclaiming $251 as support, opening scope for a deeper retracement. Key technical levels: keep $250–$251 and $187 as primary support zones; upside targets are $320 and $357 (61.8%–78.6% Fibonacci zone). Low trading volume and falling volume on rallies are a limiting factor — bullish continuation requires sustained buying and higher volume, while failure to hold the $250–$260 band risks a retest of $187–$300 (with prior reporting also noting a $330 support context in earlier coverage). Trading approaches: consider low-risk long entries near $260 with targets $320–$357, or wait for rejection at $357 to consider shorts; closely monitor volume, RSI and price action around $250–$260 for confirmation. The long-term narrative for privacy coins remains intact, but traders should remain conservative given low volume and recent volatility.

Bitcoin’s network hashpower rebounded after widespread winter outages in parts of the United States, causing mining difficulty to rise roughly 15% to about 144 trillion (CoinWarz). This reversed an earlier ~10–11% downward adjustment that followed coordinated shutdowns and extreme weather, when US hashrate dropped from roughly 400 EH/s to near 198 EH/s. Major miners and pools — including Foundry USA, LM Funding America and Canaan — curtailed operations or enrolled in demand‑response programs, returning contracted power to grids and receiving curtailment payments that in some cases offset a meaningful share of revenue. The protocol recalibrates difficulty every 2,016 blocks (~two weeks) to target ~10‑minute block times; a return of hashpower increases difficulty, which strengthens network security but reduces BTC earned per unit of compute and squeezes margins for miners using older rigs or facing high electricity costs. Market reaction has been muted: BTC traded near the high‑$60k range with light volume and rangebound moves as macro and geopolitical headlines dominated price action. The event highlights the U.S. role as a major share of global hashpower, increasing the importance of regional weather, grid policy and flexible power contracts for miner economics and network resilience.

IoTeX confirmed a security exploit that impacted a token safe and temporarily paused chain operations to implement security fixes. The project reports confirmed losses of about $2 million (including USDC, USDT, IOTX and WBTC) and says the attack was a sophisticated, long-planned operation by professional actors. On-chain analyst Specter and other researchers estimated higher losses (≈$4.3M–$8.8M in earlier reports), citing a suspected private-key compromise, multiple drained contracts (USDC, USDT, IOTX, PAYG, WBTC, BUSD), the minting of 111 million CIOTEX tokens, swaps into ETH, and bridging at least 45 ETH to Bitcoin to obfuscate proceeds. IoTeX disputes the larger figures and says it is coordinating with major centralized exchanges, security partners and law enforcement to trace and freeze attacker-linked funds. Chain deposits and some operations are paused and expected to resume within 24–48 hours after freezing addresses and completing security upgrades. Market reaction: IOTX saw sharp short-term moves (double-digit declines and a large spike in daily volume) and further volatility is likely. Key takeaways for traders: expect elevated short-term volatility in IOTX and related wrapped assets; monitor exchange freeze actions and on-chain tracing for possible fund recoveries or liquidations; the attacker’s ability to mint CIOTEX signals a critical governance/issuance vulnerability and increases counterparty risk while investigations continue.