Crypto News

NIP Group has agreed to acquire Bitcoin mining equipment with about 4.47 exahashes per second (EH/s) of capacity in a deal valued at up to $27.3 million. The machines are already running at hosted facilities, but the acquisition is subject to closing and ownership has not yet transferred. NIP plans to pay by issuing up to 247,091,740 Class A ordinary shares, which could conserve cash but dilute existing shareholders. If the deal closes, NIP estimates its total deployed Bitcoin mining capacity will rise to about 13.85 EH/s. Full deployment could lift monthly production to around 195 BTC, compared with its previous target of 160 BTC; the company cited an estimated value of about $16 million per month at prices prevailing at the time. Actual output and returns will depend on network difficulty, uptime, electricity costs and Bitcoin prices. The esports and digital infrastructure company began Bitcoin mining in July 2025 and says the expansion supports its wider infrastructure strategy, including potential AI and high-performance computing opportunities. However, Bitcoin mining machines are not interchangeable with general-purpose AI hardware. For Bitcoin traders, the deal is a company-level capacity expansion rather than a direct catalyst for BTC demand or price.

Franklin Templeton added about $150 million in tokenized shares of its OnChain U.S. Dollar Short-Term Money Market Fund to the XRP Ledger in two $75 million subscriptions. The fund’s XRP Ledger holdings rose to nearly 193 million shares, worth about $200 million at a recorded price of $1.039 per share. The XRP Ledger holdings are concentrated in one wallet, but it is unclear whether that wallet belongs to one investor or a custodian representing multiple clients. The fund invests in short-term U.S. dollar debt and money-market instruments. It is the XRP Ledger’s second-largest tokenized asset, behind Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin. Holders need issuer approval, and Franklin Templeton can freeze or recover the tokens. The expansion points to greater institutional use of tokenized assets on the XRP Ledger, but does not establish broad investor demand or a direct increase in XRP buying.

Arthur Hayes said his investment firm, Maelstrom, sold its positions in ETH, ENA, UNI and other altcoins, taking profits. On-chain tracker Lookonchain put the sales at about $22.28 million, including 6,400 ETH worth $15.2 million, 14 million ENA worth $2.76 million and 323,000 UNI worth $2.24 million. Other reported sales included ETHFI, AERO, PENDLE and ZAMA. Hayes cited macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty, saying the crypto market may need to fall before recovering. Arthur Hayes plans to stay on the sidelines until clearer signals emerge. The sales could add short-term caution around these tokens, but one investor’s trades do not confirm a broader market reversal.

Bitcoin’s history after US midterm elections shows no consistent post-election dip. A review of the 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 elections found sharply different short-term returns: BTC gained 31.6% in the 30 days after the 2010 vote but fell 45.5% after the 2018 election. Bitcoin was higher one year after each election in the data cited, with gains ranging from 23% after the 2014 vote to 1,580% after the 2010 vote. After its 2018 slump, BTC was up 45.2% a year later. The analysis says election-related policy uncertainty can influence Bitcoin through risk appetite, particularly as BTC has become more connected to US equities and global liquidity. Volatility can also trigger leveraged liquidations and move coins from fearful or forced sellers to buyers accumulating at lower prices. The later summary also cites reports of increased whale accumulation. These historical figures cover only four elections and do not predict future returns; current interest rates and ETF flows also differ from past cycles.

Initia halted its Layer 1 blockchain and connected rollups on October 23, 2026, after an attacker exploited a previously unknown MoveVM vulnerability. Initia said the flaw allowed unauthorized tokens to be created but did not affect native INIT issuance. The network stopped processing transactions at 15:41:30 UTC, and no restart date has been announced. The attacker reportedly created 2 million bridged AUSD, worth about $7.48 million at face value, then moved roughly $2.65 million to $2.73 million in real assets from bridge reserves to Ethereum. Reported outflows included AUSD, 105 ETH and 1.08 million USDC; later analysis said the funds were converted into about 1,135.5 ETH. The drained reserves have left some users unable to redeem bridged assets. AUSD issuer Agora said its own reserves were unaffected and that it would seek to freeze attacker-linked AUSD where possible. Upbit and KuCoin suspended INIT deposits and withdrawals, although Upbit initially kept spot trading open. Initia has not confirmed the final loss, a compensation plan or a restart timeline. The Initia exploit investigation is ongoing, keeping attention on bridge security and INIT market risk.

Seeking Alpha’s Politics and Markets forum hosts daily political discussions and sets rules for commenters, including a ban on personal attacks and other abusive or harmful content. The site warns that conversations can become heated and that comments receive less rigorous moderation than its other content. Neither summary reports new political developments, market data or cryptocurrency news. The Politics and Markets page therefore offers no specific trading catalyst or direct signal for crypto prices.

Blur and Blast, projects founded by Tieshun “Pacman” Roquerre, are winding down after failing to turn airdrop-driven activity into sustainable revenue. Blur plans to close its website on 12 November and stop matching new Blend loans. Blast cited operating costs that exceeded revenue and set 26 October as the deadline for normal withdrawals through its official page. Both projects used points and token airdrops to attract users. Blur’s monthly trading volume once reached about $1.43bn, but DefiLlama data puts its cumulative protocol revenue at just $2.26. Monthly volume later fell below $7m, and BLUR dropped about 99.8% from its reported launch-day high. Blast attracted more than $510m in deposits before its mainnet launch and distributed 17bn BLAST in its first airdrop. Across three rounds, the projects distributed tokens estimated to be worth about $850m. Blast’s TVL fell from a peak of $2.26bn to about $11.5m at shutdown, according to DefiLlama. For traders, the Blur and Blast shutdowns underline that airdrops can generate short-term liquidity without durable demand or revenue. Blend borrowers should repay before Blur closes to avoid default and possible loss of NFT collateral; Blast users should follow official withdrawal instructions and deadlines. The direct effect on the wider market is likely limited, but sentiment around BLUR, BLAST and incentive-led projects may remain weak.

The Prince Group case centres on about 127,000 Bitcoin, valued at roughly $15 billion when US charges were filed in October 2025. The US government holds the coins and is seeking civil forfeiture, but their origin and how authorities obtained the private keys remain disputed. Blockchain analytics firm Elliptic has traced the Bitcoin to a 2020 theft from mining pool LuBian; US prosecutors allege the assets are linked to fraud and money laundering. The coins have reportedly remained inactive in government-controlled wallets since 2024. Authorities in several jurisdictions are also pursuing Prince Group-linked assets: Cambodia reported freezing nearly $1 billion and identifying 198 affiliated companies, while Hong Kong, the UK, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea have taken separate actions. Freezes do not determine who will ultimately receive the assets. Victims seeking compensation face a legal hurdle. Their lawyers say many losses were paid in fiat currency or USDT, and the US Justice Department argues those losses cannot be directly linked on-chain to the seized Bitcoin. The ownership and eventual distribution of the Bitcoin remain unresolved. US lawmakers have also floated adding it to a proposed strategic Bitcoin reserve. No immediate sale is indicated, but a future forfeiture or distribution could affect market expectations around a large, dormant Bitcoin holding.

JPMorgan Asset Management has made two tokenized money market funds available to qualified U.S. investors on Solana through its Morgan Money platform: My OnChain Net Yield Fund (MONY) and JPMorgan OnChain Liquidity–Token Money Market Fund (JLTXX). Investors can subscribe and redeem through the platform, with fund interests represented at blockchain addresses. The Solana launch extends access to existing strategies rather than creating new investment products, and adds to competition from tokenized Treasury and money market offerings already on the network. MONY is a private placement with eligibility restrictions. JLTXX is a registered U.S. government money market fund intended for cash management. Both have a $1 million opening minimum, according to their fund materials. Neither is a bank deposit or FDIC-insured, and a stable $1 share value is not guaranteed. Official ownership records remain in the funds’ investor registers, not on-chain token balances; JLTXX also requires approved wallet addresses. JPMorgan has not disclosed assets or detailed operating arrangements for the Solana deployment. Adoption and transaction volumes will show whether tokenized money market funds on Solana gain meaningful institutional use.

Bloomberg Intelligence strategist Mike McGlone warned that Bitcoin could fall to $10,000 if the S&P 500 suffers a prolonged 20% correction. He described Bitcoin’s recent recovery as a possible “bear market bounce” and said its closer link to equities leaves it exposed to a broader sell-off and tighter financial conditions. The scenario is conditional, not a firm price forecast. McGlone also questioned expectations from BlackRock and JPMorgan of roughly 10% annual Bitcoin returns. In the later report, Bitcoin was trading near $82,000, about 35% below its record high above $126,000, and down around 6% over 30 days. The S&P 500 was up 13% year to date. Bitcoin’s price had briefly found support around $80,000, a level technical analysts said traders should watch: holding it may preserve the bullish structure, while a break could add pressure. Spot Bitcoin ETFs swung from three days of inflows, including more than $528 million on October 21, to over $635 million in outflows the following day. An earlier account reported $729 million in withdrawals over two sessions, highlighting the quick change in investor sentiment. There is also disagreement over how far Bitcoin could fall. CryptoQuant founder Ki Young Ju argued that ETF inflows of about $58 billion and corporate treasuries holding 1.3 million BTC imply an onchain cost-basis floor nearer $30,000, even if those holdings were reversed. He said a $10,000 price would put Bitcoin’s MVRV ratio near 0.2, below the 0.6 level he identified as a previous historical bottom. For traders, the key risks are a US equity correction, tighter liquidity and leveraged liquidations; the $10,000 scenario depends on a major stock-market downturn and is not certain.

Curve’s Week 42–43 updates show changing DeFi yields and expanding Llamalend borrowing options. In Week 42, modeled APRs included 9.1% for the USDC/USG pool and 8.8% for frxUSD/USG. Curve also launched its first Llamalend v2 market backed by LP tokens, allowing users to borrow crvUSD against reUSD/sfrxUSD collateral, initially capped at 3 million crvUSD. By Week 43, selected Curve pool APRs included 13.4% for sUSG/reUSD and 10.0% for frxUSD/sUSDai. Estimated 20x looped APRs reached 37.1% for syrupUSDC and 35.0% for sDOLA, but leverage can magnify losses and liquidation risk. Other reported rates included 3.0% for ETH+/WETH and 5.7% for the crvUSD/WETH/CRV TriPool. These modeled or estimated returns are variable, not guaranteed, and are not risk-adjusted rankings. Curve DAO approved raising the sDOLA Llamalend v2 borrowing cap from 12.4 million to 25 million crvUSD; about 9.4 million crvUSD was borrowed. A separate proposal to increase the sreUSD market limit from 30 million to 60 million crvUSD was still open, with voting due to end on October 29. From Week 42 to Week 43, Llamalend TVL rose from $249 million to $257 million, while crvUSD mint-market debt increased from $67 million to $68.2 million. The crvUSD oracle price edged up from $0.9997 to $0.9998. Curve yields and lending conditions remain subject to market changes, liquidity constraints and collateral risk.

Meteora is strengthening its position as a Solana meme-coin liquidity venue. Its weekly trading volume has rebounded from about $630 million in early August to roughly $1.5 billion, while meme coins recently accounted for 30%–45% of volume and more than 90% of protocol revenue. Meteora handles around 30% of Fomo’s Solana meme-coin trades and typically captures 25%–35% of meme-coin volume routed through Jupiter. The latest figures add context to its role in the market: Pump remains the leading venue, with close to 70% of trading when propAMMs are excluded, while Meteora attracts activity in tokens that have moved beyond their launch platforms. Its DLMM pools use concentrated liquidity and volatility-sensitive fees to compete for trades. An earlier analysis also noted that about 128 million MET, or 23% of circulating supply, is staked, and put the token’s fully diluted valuation at around $370 million. DLMM Pro could help Meteora attract projects earlier in their trading lifecycle. The growth may support the case for MET, but its prospects remain tied to meme-coin demand, competition from Raydium and PumpSwap, and overall market risk appetite.

French bond yields climbed from 5.002% on October 21 to a peak of 5.142% on October 22, their highest level since 2002, before easing to about 5.04% on October 23. The spread over German bonds widened from around 157 to 177 basis points, its broadest since 2011. The rise in French bond yields reflects investor concern over public finances and political uncertainty, rather than an imminent default or loss of market access. France’s public debt is about €3.6 trillion, or roughly 119% of GDP. The Treasury projects debt at 119.3% of GDP in 2026 and 121.7% in 2027, while this year’s budget deficit is expected to reach 5.4%, above the EU’s 3% reference limit. Parliamentary support for the 2027 budget, which includes €43 billion in new fiscal measures, remains uncertain. France plans around €340 billion in medium- and long-term bond issuance in 2027, and public-sector interest costs are forecast to rise from €79.2 billion this year to €91.2 billion next year. Higher borrowing costs could constrain government spending and feed through to mortgages and corporate finance. Business activity is also weakening: October’s preliminary composite PMI fell to 48.4 from 51.1. For crypto traders, the main relevance is indirect: sustained pressure on French and European markets could increase risk aversion and volatility across global assets, but the news provides no direct signal for any specific cryptocurrency.

The OCC’s final GENIUS Act rule preserves the ban on issuers paying users solely for holding, using or retaining payment stablecoins. However, it removes a proposed presumption that certain arrangements involving issuers, affiliates and third-party distributors are unlawful. Stablecoin rewards will instead be assessed case by case, leaving programs without a clear safe harbour. The rule takes effect on 18 January 2027. The requirements apply to qualified US and foreign payment stablecoin issuers under OCC oversight. Foreign issuers must meet US equivalence and registration requirements; issuers must also hold permitted reserves worth at least 1:1 against their tokens and set timely redemption policies. The rule does not exempt rewards programs established before the law. For traders, the treatment of stablecoin rewards remains a key uncertainty. Programs linked to USDC distribution and PayPal’s PYUSD rewards could face review, as could offers such as Coinbase One’s USDC rewards and Kraken+ rewards tied to USDG. Their compliance will depend on how each program is structured and how regulators enforce the rule. Treasury, the Federal Reserve and the FDIC are still developing related regulations. Crypto groups welcomed the OCC’s decision to drop the proposed presumption, while banking groups said the change weakens safeguards against deposit outflows. The Independent Community Bankers of America estimates broad stablecoin adoption could eventually reduce community-bank lending by at least $850 billion. A White House Council of Economic Advisers study, using different assumptions, estimated that banning stablecoin yield would increase bank lending by about $2.1 billion in its baseline scenario. Banks may also compete with interest-bearing tokenized deposits, which remain bank deposits rather than payment stablecoins. For crypto markets, the near-term effect is likely to be uncertainty around stablecoin rewards and user incentives; the longer-term impact depends on regulatory interpretation and enforcement.

Crypto price analysis shows continued weakness across ETH, XRP, ADA and HYPE, while BNB was the only coin in the group to finish the latest week higher. The newer update puts ETH down 2% and testing $2,400; an earlier analysis warned that a sustained break could expose support near $2,000. XRP is near $1.30 after falling almost 25% from $1.60, with $1.00 in focus if buyers fail to defend support. ADA fell 6% and lost $0.23, which could now act as resistance, while traders watch $0.20 below. BNB rose 2% after holding $690 and faces resistance near $800; the earlier outlook warned that broader weakness could send it towards $600. HYPE fell 3% for a fourth consecutive losing week and is testing $76, with support near $63 if that level breaks; the earlier analysis had identified $97 as a potential rebound resistance. Overall, crypto price analysis remains focused on whether buyers can defend these levels or whether further losses will follow. The latest price action keeps the short-term outlook cautious, rather than confirming a change in fundamentals.

CoinDCX reported about $16 million in operational losses after a process for moving deposits from outdated, previously compromised wallet addresses failed. The disclosure followed on-chain reports of roughly $15.8 million in USDT and nearly 5,800 TRX moving to other exchanges and addresses linked to Huione Group. CoinDCX first said the transfers were unrelated to the exchange, then explained that some users had deposited to deprecated addresses and its sweeping process had failed. It says affected deposits were credited and customer funds remain safe, but the changing explanations drew criticism over transparency and crypto exchange security. Separately, the Central Bank of Ireland fined Coinbase Ireland €3.25 million over safeguarding and outsourcing failures between November 2020 and August 2025. The regulator cited excessive reliance on Coinbase’s U.S. parent, insufficient local expertise and a safeguarding account that was underfunded for extended periods. Coinbase said customers suffered no losses and that it had strengthened controls. The penalty is Coinbase’s second Irish fine in 11 months, following a larger AML-related penalty. The cases renew trader concerns about exchange security, customer-asset protection and regulatory compliance.

Geth 1.17.10 postpones the Amsterdam fork on Ethereum’s Hoodi testnet, previously scheduled for 26 October 2026 at 17:42:48 UTC. Hoodi operators running Geth 1.17.9 should upgrade before the original activation time; a new date will be announced in a future release. Other networks are unaffected. The earlier Geth 1.17.9 release prepared Hoodi for the fork and included EVM performance improvements, database and networking fixes, archive-node transaction-history settings, and other compatibility updates. Geth 1.17.10 also adds automatic switching to the snap/2 protocol after Amsterdam activates, with manual controls available, and optimises DUP/SWAP instruction dispatch. These are testnet and client-software updates, not an Ethereum mainnet fork activation.

NEAR added cross margin to its Hyperliquid-powered perpetuals interface on October 22. The feature lets eligible positions share one perps balance instead of holding separate collateral, potentially improving capital efficiency. The interface lists more than 50 markets and advertises leverage of up to 40x, though actual limits vary by asset and position size. U.S. persons and users in other restricted jurisdictions are excluded. Cross margin also means losses on one position can reduce collateral supporting others. Hyperliquid can liquidate positions if account equity falls below maintenance-margin requirements; if order-book liquidation fails and equity drops below two-thirds of the required maintenance margin, a backstop vault may take over cross positions and shared collateral. NEAR says users receive dedicated Hyperliquid trading accounts and that deposits and withdrawals are confidential. This does not establish that orders, positions or risk calculations are hidden, and no independent audit of the full trading process was cited. NEAR reported no user count, trading volume or collateral totals. The cross-margin launch expands NEAR’s perpetuals offering, but adoption, privacy protections and any market impact remain unverified.

RWA and stablecoin markets showed mixed signals in the weeks to 16 and 23 October 2026. RWA on-chain value eased from $39.18 billion to $38.99 billion, while holder numbers rose to 5.302 million. Stablecoin market capitalisation fell to $290.28 billion, but monthly transfer volume rebounded to $10.31 trillion from $6.44 trillion. USDS grew 3.45% as USDC declined 4.62%, a shift traders may monitor for changes in liquidity. Regulatory and institutional activity continued to expand RWA and stablecoin infrastructure. EU regulators advanced tokenised-collateral rules, designated USDC a significant electronic money token under MiCA, and Dutch authorities licensed Qivalis to develop a euro stablecoin backed by 37 banks. Later developments included three firms planning US tokenised-securities platforms under an SEC innovation exemption and final OCC stablecoin rules due to take effect in January 2027. HSBC launched Hong Kong’s HKD stablecoin RedCoin, while a tokenised commodity warehouse-receipt financing pilot was in preparation. Projects also progressed across payments, tokenised assets and trading. Ant International subscribed to a digital renminbi fund, and Ant Digital Technologies and HSBC tested AI-agent payments using tokenised deposits. JPMorgan extended JPM Coin to Ethereum for institutional clients; Robinhood stock tokens became collateral on Morpho, while Robinhood, Bybit and others explored tokenised equities. However, 16 listed companies, including Microsoft and Alphabet, objected to their shares being traded on the OKX-ICE tokenisation platform, highlighting issuer-consent and regulatory risks. Standard Chartered, Ripple, Visa, Stripe and Mastercard also advanced stablecoin custody, settlement or payment services. Funding for RWA infrastructure included $10 million for Fission and $8 million for Multiliquid’s developer. Overall, RWA adoption and stablecoin payment activity are advancing, but changing liquidity, issuer consent, regulation and market uptake remain important risks for traders.

On-chain options are expanding as crypto traders seek hedging and volatility strategies, and perpetual DEXs move into options. Bitcoin options rose to 58.9% of Bitcoin derivatives open interest, from about 50% at the start of the year. Quarterly on-chain options notional volume climbed from $1.698 billion in Q4 to $8.367 billion in Q3, while perpetual volume fell from $36.29 trillion to $17.12 trillion. Separately, a 30-day comparison to 19 October 2026 put options volume at about $4.9 billion versus $627 billion for perp DEXs, underscoring the gap in scale. The newer figures point to growth, while earlier analysis highlighted the market’s structural hurdles and potential links with perp venues. Hyperliquid is developing options infrastructure through HIP-4; its ecosystem protocol Hypercall recorded $536 million in notional volume in September. Lighter has launched short-term BTC and ETH binary options, with plans to progress towards standard European options, while Variational plans institutional options, structured products and OTC derivatives. Derive remains dominant, with about $2.07 billion of the sector’s $2.19 billion in open interest. Paradex has also drawn on institutional block liquidity. Perp venues could help options sellers hedge using deeper liquidity and shared margin, while options can limit liquidation risk at the cost of a premium. Historical BTC analysis cited a 47% liquidation chance for a 10x perpetual position held for 180 days. However, fragmented liquidity, hedging costs, capital requirements and product complexity remain barriers, especially beyond BTC and ETH. The expansion of on-chain options signals growing interest in crypto risk management, but its direct effect on token prices is unclear.

Meta’s third-quarter revenue rose 26% year on year to a record $64.6 billion, beating expectations, but its shares fell as investors weighed the cost of AI investment against the returns. Operating income dropped 37% to $12.99 billion, partly due to a $9.89 billion legal charge; excluding it, operating income would have been about $22.88 billion. Capital expenditure and finance lease payments totaled $34.91 billion, leaving free cash flow negative at $2.12 billion, despite operating cash flow of $32.79 billion. Meta raised the lower end of its 2026 capital expenditure forecast by $5 billion, to a range of $135 billion to $145 billion, and forecast fourth-quarter revenue of $73 billion to $76 billion. Advertising remained strong, with impressions up 10%, average prices up 14% and ad revenue up 26%. Meta also proposed distributing non-voting Class C shares to existing shareholders, with the plan expected to take effect in January 2027; the distribution itself would not raise cash or automatically dilute shareholders. Traders will watch whether Meta’s AI spending can generate durable revenue, profits and cash flow, alongside advertising growth and capital expenditure.

Bitcoin’s historical midterm-election bottom pattern may not hold in 2026. In 2015, 2018 and 2022, Bitcoin reached major bear-market lows 71, 38 and 13 days after US midterm elections. This year, its low so far was $57,850 on July 1, 125 days before the November 3 vote. By October 22, Bitcoin had rebounded about 40% to roughly $81,455, although it was down around 6% over the previous 30 days. Earlier analysis noted that Bitcoin’s fourth-quarter returns were negative in those past cycle-bottom years, while technology stocks showed no consistent matching pattern. The new comparison finds Bitcoin fell about 29% and 37% in the six months before the 2018 and 2022 elections. QQQ’s performance varied, and Bitcoin and QQQ were both down about 6% over 30 days. Over 90 days, Bitcoin gained 26%, versus QQQ’s 3% rise. This points to Bitcoin’s own market cycle, including its halving-driven supply cycle, as a stronger explanation than a direct election effect; three historical examples are not enough to establish a reliable rule. For traders, Bitcoin’s short-term holder cost basis near $73,000 remains a level to watch: a sustained break below it could leave recent buyers underwater and increase selling pressure. Institutional participation, spot Bitcoin ETF flows and liquidity conditions may also make this cycle different. While post-midterm weakness historically preceded stronger gains the following year, the pattern is uncertain and should not be treated as a dependable forecast.

FOMO has begun the public rollout of FOMO Bridge, its in-house cross-chain bridge, alongside a proprietary trading router. The company says FOMO Bridge can complete swaps in under one second and execute trades up to 50% faster than alternatives, replacing its reliance on external infrastructure such as Relay. In reported tests, SOL-to-Base buy times fell from 1.083 seconds to 0.583 seconds, a 46% reduction. Dune data for 15–21 October showed FOMO Bridge was faster than Pump.fun’s bridge in four Solana–Robinhood route tests, including during high-traffic periods. FOMO also reported about 4.27 million trades on those routes over 30 days, versus roughly 439,000 for Pump.fun. These results are not a like-for-like comparison with Pump.fun’s separate tests, which recorded average purchase times of 1.95 seconds through its bridge and 3.88 seconds through Relay across more than 400,000 outcomes. FOMO says its router improved average execution prices by 0.5%, with gains above 2% for the worst-performing 10% of trades. The upgrade was tested with a limited group for about a week before rollout. The speed and execution claims have not been independently audited, and the platforms have not fully disclosed liquidity sources, security arrangements or how failed transfers are handled. For traders, faster cross-chain swaps may help during volatile periods, but the figures do not prove a lasting performance advantage or lower risk. The launch is an infrastructure development, not a direct catalyst for SOL’s price or the wider crypto market.

Bitcoin has eased from around $82,800 on Wednesday to roughly $81,600–$81,900 on Friday after a market correction, but it remains above its 50-day EMA, near $80,878. The latest readings show weaker momentum: RSI is around 46–47, while the MACD is slightly negative. This points to stabilization rather than a confirmed bullish reversal, tempering the earlier prospect of a bullish MACD crossover when RSI was near 51. Resistance is now around $85,000; an earlier analysis placed resistance near $89,337 and identified $97,924 as a potential target after a sustained break above it. If Bitcoin closes decisively below its 50-day EMA, traders may watch the 100-day EMA near $77,528 and the 200-day EMA near $76,186 for support. The near-term outlook depends on whether buyers defend support and restore momentum.

Monero (XMR) has rallied above $600, its highest price since January, as Monero futures open interest topped $300 million. Coin-denominated open interest reached 515,730 XMR, a five-week high and nearly 30% above the level a week earlier, according to SoSoValue. The growing leverage may leave XMR vulnerable to a sharp reversal. In January, open interest rose alongside the price as XMR reached about $790; the token then fell below $300 within roughly 20 days, amid millions of dollars in long liquidations. The comparison highlights liquidation risk, not a prediction that the same decline will repeat. Analyst Doctor Profit has also warned about the buildup in positions. The later report identifies $580 as a key support level: a break below it could trigger further long liquidations and send XMR towards the $500 range. Traders can track Monero futures open interest, price action and Coinglass liquidation data. Renewed interest in privacy coins after a Qubic-related disruption and broader market risk appetite were cited as possible drivers of the rally.

US midterm elections could reshape expectations for crypto regulation, but HTX Research says they are unlikely to determine the market’s direction on their own. Inflation, interest rates and investment flows remain the main near-term drivers. The report expects volatility and selective performance around the vote, rather than a broad rally based on politics alone. The later analysis adds that the Federal Reserve raised its target rate by 25 basis points in September to 3.75%–4.00%, while inflation remained firm. A stronger yen could also prompt carry-trade unwinds and wider deleveraging. These macro pressures may outweigh optimism about the US midterm elections. The Fed and Bank of Japan were scheduled to meet on 27–28 October and 29–30 October, with US jobs and inflation data due on 6 and 10 November. Election results could affect the pace of crypto legislation. A Republican hold of Congress may support policy continuity; a divided Congress could delay legislation, while a Democratic majority may bring closer regulatory scrutiny, potentially alongside clearer rules for compliant firms. The GENIUS Act became law in July 2025, but market-structure bill H.R.3633 failed a Senate procedural vote in September. For traders, Bitcoin (BTC) is a key gauge of macro risk appetite and ETF demand. Ether (ETH) may face a higher hurdle: its spot ETFs recorded net outflows on nine of ten trading days during the period cited. HTX Research describes the market as being in a “capital selection” phase and expects a volatile, selective recovery after the election. A sustained uptrend would require stronger ETF inflows and easing rate expectations.

Bitcoin price remains under pressure as institutional demand weakens and sellers challenge key support. On October 20, Bitcoin fell 1.2% to about $81,730. Spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded roughly $228.6 million in weekly net outflows, following nearly $681 million in outflows the week before. Glassnode said selling had slowed, but spot and ETF demand was not strong enough to support a sustained rebound. By October 23, Bitcoin had fallen 0.97% to $81,449.88 after failing to hold a recovery above $84,000 and meeting resistance near $85,000. It briefly slipped below $81,000. On October 22, US spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $635.49 million in net outflows, reversing three sessions of inflows that had brought in about $1.08 billion. It was the largest single-day outflow since June 25, though the figures do not prove ETF withdrawals caused the price decline. Technical signals remain cautious. Bitcoin traded below key indicators, including the daily Ichimoku levels and the Keltner Channel midpoint near $82,559. Traders are watching resistance around $82,500–$82,900; support is near $80,000, with possible downside support around $78,400–$79,700 and $77,500–$78,000 if selling intensifies. A four-hour MACD crossover had suggested bearish momentum might be easing, but Bitcoin has yet to confirm a stronger recovery. About $406.27 million in crypto-market liquidations over 24 hours added to volatility. Above-forecast US inflation, uncertainty ahead of the Federal Reserve meeting, higher oil prices and broader macroeconomic concerns may weigh on risk appetite. Traders are monitoring ETF flows, leverage and whether Bitcoin can reclaim resistance or faces another support test.

A Colombian crypto broker has been sentenced to 160 months in US prison for laundering drug proceeds through Tether (USDT) and conspiring to import cocaine. Prosecutors said Leonardo de Jesus Zuluaga Duque, known as “Rey,” helped lead a network that moved about $14.5 million in USDT from May to November 2023, working with five accomplices. The funds passed through an unlicensed money-transmission business, were converted into US dollars and routed through US shell companies to Colombian firms before being exchanged for pesos and distributed. The case shows how USDT transfers can be part of a broader laundering chain involving banks and businesses. A federal judge ordered Zuluaga Duque to forfeit $14,751,846, as well as cryptocurrency held in four addresses he controlled, and to serve five years of supervised release after prison. The forfeiture is a separate order and should not be added to the approximately $14.5 million in USDT transactions cited by prosecutors. Colombia approved his extradition to the US in early 2025. The case underscores law-enforcement scrutiny of USDT and blockchain tracing, but is unlikely to have a material effect on broad crypto prices.

Ethereum developers have indefinitely postponed the Glamsterdam upgrade’s Hoodi testnet activation, which had been scheduled for 26 October. At the 22 October ACDE #248 meeting, they decided to investigate security concerns related to EIP-8037 and EIP-8038 before setting a new date. The plan to raise Hoodi’s gas limit to 200 million is also on hold. ChainSecurity warned that the proposed gas-rule changes could weaken protections against insufficient-gas griefing, in which an attacker may cause an operation to fail and a contract to record that failure permanently. The firm identified 13 potentially affected live contracts and is coordinating responsible disclosure. The Ethereum Foundation is assessing the issue’s scope. The Glamsterdam upgrade delay leaves the mainnet schedule uncertain. Developers had considered 1, 8 or 9 December, conditional on successful Hoodi testing, but have announced no replacement date. The pause does not change current Ethereum network operations or directly affect ETH supply. Traders may monitor security findings and revised testnet plans; the immediate market impact is likely to centre on upgrade-timeline uncertainty rather than a direct change in ETH fundamentals.