Crypto News

The S&P 500 is at a technical crossroads, with next week’s trading and major economic events likely to shape its near-term direction. The analysis identifies 7,620 and 7,504 as key support levels. A weekly close above 7,650 could support a November rally towards new highs near 8,000, while a weekly close below 7,600 may signal a deterioration in the outlook and raise the risk of a year-end decline. Investors are also watching volatility in AI-related technology stocks and possible sector rotation. The Federal Reserve’s upcoming decision and earnings from Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon are cited as important catalysts. The article presents the S&P 500 setup as uncertain, rather than a confirmed buying signal.

Republican Mike Rogers has launched his bid for a 2026 Michigan Senate comeback, promising to improve education, make housing more affordable and restore jobs. The seat is open because Democratic Senator Gary Peters is retiring. Rogers has backing from the National Republican Senatorial Committee and will face Democrat Abdul El-Sayed. Polling averages cited in the article put El-Sayed slightly ahead, while listed prediction-market odds favor Democrats at 71.5% and Republicans at 29%. The Michigan Senate race remains competitive; upcoming polls, debates and endorsements may shift voter sentiment and market expectations.

OpenAI and Anthropic face growing calls to limit AI computing power, with proponents arguing that slower development would allow more time to improve safety safeguards. No formal agreement or cap has been announced. The proposal could affect competition between the companies because access to computing resources is central to training advanced AI models. The article reports that Anthropic has committed about $517 billion to computing resources and that OpenAI is seeking $30 billion in a valuation ahead of Anthropic’s anticipated IPO. These figures are presented as reported commitments and plans, not confirmed terms of a computing cap. Prediction-market listings show varied odds on which company will have the best AI model, but the article does not provide clear evidence that the calls to limit AI computing have caused a specific market shift. For traders, the main developments to watch are any public response from the companies, regulatory action, or a formal agreement. Any constraints on AI computing could alter the competitive outlook for the AI sector, but the article identifies no direct effect on cryptocurrency prices or trading.

Elon Musk expects tough debt markets to trigger consolidation among more than 200 neocloud providers, which rent computing capacity to AI companies. He warned that firms without significant revenue beyond AI data centres may struggle to secure financing and could fail. The five largest publicly listed neoclouds reportedly have $61 billion in combined debt, four times the level a year earlier, plus $18 billion in operating leases. CoreWeave, the sector’s largest provider, has reported debt estimates ranging from $35 billion to $52 billion. Despite a large order backlog, it remains unprofitable on a GAAP basis; its bond yields have risen and its shares recently fell more than 15%. Gartner forecasts that more than 80% of neocloud providers will no longer operate independently by 2030. The article also cites projected industry spending of $7 trillion from 2026 to 2030, compared with $3.6 trillion in revenue. For traders, rising bond yields, refinancing access and revenue diversification are key indicators of financial stress and potential consolidation in the AI infrastructure sector.

Amkor Technology (AMKR) has been reiterated as a Buy, with an analyst lowering the price target to $55 while citing stronger fundamentals and a more conservative valuation multiple. The company’s gross margin is projected to increase from 14.2% in Q1 to nearly 19% in Q3, supported by AI advanced packaging demand and Nvidia agreements worth about $3 billion. Nvidia prepayments are also expected to reduce the risk of Amkor’s capacity investments. Weakness in the communications segment, partly linked to migration to system-in-package technology, is expected to ease by mid-2027. Amkor trades at about 1.4 times estimated 2026 sales and 17 times estimated 2026 earnings per share. The analyst says the improved risk-reward profile supports the Buy rating, despite the lower price target.

Stacks co-founder Muneeb Ali says Bitcoin has about two years to introduce quantum-resistant signatures, followed by roughly two years for holders to move coins into protected addresses. He outlined the timeline at Token2049 Singapore on 8 October 2026, warning that quantum computing could eventually threaten Bitcoin’s existing ECDSA cryptography. The schedule echoes NIST guidance to phase out vulnerable signatures after 2030 and retire them by 2035, but it is Ali’s estimate, not an agreed Bitcoin network deadline. Ali also warned that post-quantum signatures could reduce Bitcoin’s effective base-layer transaction capacity to around 10% of current levels, potentially shifting more activity to secondary networks and affecting fees. Stacks Labs is developing a post-quantum and privacy roadmap, with a stated goal of increasing its network capacity 100-fold. The news highlights a long-term Bitcoin security and scaling debate; it does not announce an approved protocol upgrade.

Stablecoin deposits in DeFi protocols have reached $24 billion, up 560.8% over three years, according to Token Terminal data published on October 25, 2026. The growth reflects greater use of dollar-pegged assets in DeFi lending to earn yield, rather than simply holding them between trades. USDC leads with a 38.2% share, worth about $9.2 billion. USDT accounts for 20.3%, or roughly $4.9 billion, while USDe holds 9%, or about $2.2 billion. Together, the three stablecoins make up around two-thirds of deposits across the 193 assets tracked. The $24 billion total represents about 8% of the estimated $298.4 billion stablecoin market. DeFiStar.io separately puts stablecoin lending-pool TVL at about $25.68 billion, but reports net withdrawals of approximately $99.8 million over the past month. Deposits are concentrated in platforms including Aave V3, Morpho, Sky Protocol and Spark. The figures point to significant room for DeFi stablecoin lending to expand, but traders should monitor whether recent outflows continue. Lending yields also carry smart-contract, protocol and depeg risks.

The Bank Policy Institute (BPI) is pressing the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for clearer guidance on stablecoin rewards after the agency finalized its rule under the GENIUS Act. BPI objects to the OCC dropping a proposed presumption for some arrangements involving issuers and third parties. It says case-by-case decisions without a clear process or published reasoning could leave stablecoin providers uncertain about which rewards are permitted. The OCC’s broader rule covers reserve backing, redemption and risk management and takes effect on January 18, 2027. Separate work will address anti-money-laundering and sanctions requirements. The dispute centers on how the ban on issuer yield applies when a customer benefit is offered through another company. Who funds a payment, its connection to the issuer and the behavior it rewards may matter more than whether it is called a rebate, discount or yield. BPI warns that stablecoins could compete with bank deposits, but that is a forecast, not evidence of measurable deposit outflows caused by the final rule. For traders, the immediate issue is regulatory uncertainty around stablecoin rewards, rather than a demonstrated change in market activity. Published OCC decisions or further guidance could help clarify the rules and shape future stablecoin product designs.

Updated data show spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $304.77 million in weekly net inflows, reversing an earlier report of $228.58 million in outflows. Strong midweek buying, including $528.5 million on Wednesday, outweighed $635.49 million in withdrawals on Thursday—the largest daily outflow since late June—and another $137.9 million on Friday. Cumulative Bitcoin ETF net inflows rose to nearly $57.2 billion. The earlier report also noted Bitcoin had fallen from above $84,000 to below $80,000, highlighting that ETF demand has not prevented price weakness. Spot Ethereum ETFs, by contrast, posted $220 million in weekly outflows, extending their losing streak to four weeks. An earlier report put withdrawals at about $320 million for a prior week. Since the outflow trend began in late September, Ethereum funds have lost more than $1.2 billion, and cumulative net inflows have fallen from nearly $14 billion to below $12.75 billion. Ether lost more than 4% over the latest week and traded near $2,350, after an earlier decline towards $2,300. The latest Bitcoin ETF inflows suggest stronger institutional demand for BTC than ETH, while large daily redemptions and persistent Ethereum ETF outflows point to volatile sentiment and continued pressure on ETH.

A weekly crypto VC roundup highlights cybersecurity risks, a16z’s rebrand and new research. Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto arm is becoming a16z Frontier, broadening its focus beyond crypto startups to frontier technology companies. The article does not provide further details on the change. Union Square Ventures’ Jay Yu warned that AI is making complex software vulnerabilities easier to exploit, potentially exposing weaknesses accumulated in legacy systems. Dragonfly’s Haseeb Qureshi said crypto hacks may offer an early signal for wider internet security risks: attacks are becoming more frequent, while stolen funds have remained broadly in line with 2025 levels, suggesting smaller average losses and increased targeting of poorly maintained protocols. The roundup also lists research on Papertrade’s high-leverage trading model, the potential value of prediction markets beyond trading, and speculation as an investment theme. It reports nine publicly disclosed fundraising rounds from 12–18 October, with combined funding exceeding $50 million. Overall, the crypto VC discussion points to technology and security trends rather than an immediate market catalyst.

REITs extended their rally for a third consecutive week as early earnings reports showed improving fundamentals. Fifteen REITs raised full-year funds-from-operations (FFO) guidance, supporting the view that operating conditions are stronger than recent share-price performance suggests. Office REITs reported better leasing, rent spreads and occupancy. Industrial and net-lease results were broadly constructive, while apartment results pointed to continued stabilization. Residential mortgage REIT earnings were less severe than expected. Crown Castle also gained a potential growth catalyst from reported SpaceX plans to expand terrestrial wireless services. Broader markets remained unsettled by questions about the economics and financing of the AI investment boom, alongside a renewed oil-price surge that complicated the inflation outlook ahead of the Federal Reserve’s decision. Treasury yields fell for a third straight week, and markets priced in a 10% chance of an October rate hike. For traders, REITs’ earnings resilience is a positive sector signal, but interest-rate and energy-price uncertainty remains a risk.

Deposits of tokenized stocks in DeFi protocols exceeded $300 million in September and October 2026, up sharply from an estimated $15 million to $22 million in January. The reported year-on-year increase varies by calculation, ranging from 1,961% to the headline figure of 2,451.5%. Solana and Robinhood Chain each held roughly $87 million to $98 million in tokenized stock deposits, while BNB Chain held about $36 million. Kraken parent Payward’s xStocks accounted for approximately 58% of deposits, or $111 million across 15 protocols. Around 65% of funds were in liquidity pools and 28% in lending and borrowing markets. The growth followed the launch of Binance’s bStocks in June and Robinhood’s stock tokens and chain in July. DeFi deposits represent about 6% to 8% of the estimated $3 billion to $3.8 billion tokenized-equity market. Despite rapid growth in tokenized stocks, the market remains relatively small and concentrated among a few issuers and networks, with liquidity-pool activity dependent on providers maintaining their positions.

Kraken opened funding and trading for Saffron’s SFI token on October 23, 2026, subject to geographic restrictions. The Ethereum-based governance token, also known as Spice, has a maximum supply of 100,000 and was distributed through a liquidity-mining programme that ran from October 2020 to mid-2021. Kraken says app and Instant Buy access may follow if liquidity is sufficient. The listing gives eligible customers another way to trade SFI, but it does not grant holders a claim on Saffron vault returns or prove demand for the protocol. Saffron’s current product lets liquidity providers receive an upfront premium in exchange for future fees from Uniswap concentrated-liquidity positions. Fee buyers pay the premium and take on uncertainty about trading activity and fee income. Outcomes depend on factors such as the vault term, trading pair and price range; positions outside their active range stop earning fees, and price movements can change their token composition. This fee-swap model differs from Saffron’s earlier tranche and insurance mechanisms, which have been retired. Traders should assess SFI’s governance role separately from the risks and potential returns of individual vaults.

The US State Department has ordered nonessential government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, citing security concerns amid Houthi missile and drone threats. The order does not amount to a full evacuation of the US Embassy in Riyadh. The article says recent attacks have targeted critical infrastructure, including a deadly strike on King Khalid International Airport earlier this month. The move raises concerns about regional security and potential escalation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. Prediction-market odds cited in the article put the chance of a Saudi-Houthi ceasefire announcement by November 1 at 2.1%, while the probability of the Houthis entering Aden by December 31 is 23.5%. For traders, further attacks or military responses could increase broader geopolitical risk, although the article reports no direct effect on cryptocurrency markets.

Anthropic says its total token volume has risen 3.6 times since Claude Opus 5.5 launched on September 22, 2026. The model is cheaper and faster than its predecessor, with input and output prices down 20%, cached-read prices down 60%, and output generation more than 30% faster. Anthropic also reports operating costs are about 40% lower than for Opus 5. Early testers, including Box, say Claude Opus 5.5 can use one-third fewer tokens to complete tasks without reducing accuracy. The combination of lower per-task use and much higher overall volume suggests customers are running more AI workloads, a pattern known as the Jevons paradox. However, higher token volume does not necessarily mean higher revenue: Anthropic has not disclosed the mix of token types or the financial impact of the price cuts. The company expects to launch Sonnet 5.5 and Haiku 5.5 in the weeks after Opus 5.5.

CoreWeave’s funding needs are raising concerns about whether the AI infrastructure boom can be financed sustainably. The AI cloud-computing company may need about $85 billion to support its backlog, while its shares are near a 52-week low. Its use of a large term loan and unsecured debt has intensified scrutiny of its financial position and refinancing prospects. CoreWeave’s ability to secure funding or restructure its obligations could influence investor confidence in other AI companies. The article also points to market pricing that suggests doubts about Anthropic reaching a $600 billion valuation by 31 December 2026. CoreWeave’s situation is not evidence that bankruptcy is imminent, but its handling of debt and cash needs is being watched as a test of AI-sector funding conditions. For crypto traders, the development is an indirect risk-sentiment signal, not a direct cryptocurrency catalyst. Any broader retreat from high-growth technology investments could weigh on speculative assets, while successful refinancing may ease some concerns.

SK Hynix overtook Intel to become the world’s third-largest chip supplier by revenue in 2025, as demand for AI memory surged. SK Hynix reported $67.2 billion in revenue, up 42.3% year on year, while Intel’s revenue fell 3.7% to $48.5 billion. High-bandwidth memory (HBM), used alongside AI processors, powered SK Hynix’s growth. The company held about 50% of the HBM market and remained Nvidia’s leading HBM supplier. Strength in HBM and DRAM helped lift SK Hynix’s second-quarter 2026 operating margin to about 76%. Intel was the only company among the top 10 chip suppliers to record a revenue decline. It raised $20 billion through a share offering in August 2026 and later announced a technical partnership with Applied Materials focused on chip technologies for AI workloads. The figures highlight how AI infrastructure investment is shifting semiconductor industry growth toward memory suppliers.

Kraken has ended deposits and trading for 13 tokens: BMB, ELX, APU, BDXN, DUCK, BOS, U, OBOL, IDEX, FIS, UXLINK, ALTHEA and NOBODY. The trading cutoff took effect at 14:00 UTC on October 23. Kraken delistings have entered a separate withdrawal phase: customers can withdraw remaining balances until January 29, 2027, at 15:00 UTC. The exchange plans to liquidate balances left behind from February 1 to 12, 2027. Kraken warns that thin or inactive markets could mean liquidation proceeds are far below recent quoted prices, or even negligible. There is no guaranteed minimum recovery. Customers considering a withdrawal should check that the destination supports the exact token and network, and that deposits are enabled. The end of trading does not itself prevent withdrawals, but it removes access to Kraken’s order books for the affected tokens.

The Federal Reserve’s rate decision and major hyperscaler earnings are the week’s key market catalysts. Markets largely expect the Fed to hold its policy rate at 3.75%-4%, with fed funds futures implying about a 10% chance of another hike. Some analysts see a possible rate cut if financial-stability risks grow, though persistent inflation could keep the Fed hawkish. Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon results will test whether heavy artificial-intelligence investment is translating into cloud growth and revenue. Microsoft is expected to report fiscal first-quarter revenue of about $90.6 billion and earnings of $4.72 a share. Investors will watch Azure growth, AI monetization and capital spending. Analysts are divided: bullish views cite enterprise AI demand and cloud expansion, while skeptics warn that roughly $200 billion in annual data-center spending could pressure cash flow and returns. The Fed decision and hyperscaler earnings may influence broader risk appetite, while other major corporate results and JetBlue’s financial update add to a busy week for markets.

Bitcoin has weakened from around $81,800 to near $80,500, failing to hold its rebound above resistance. The latest price action adds downside risk to the earlier range-bound outlook: sellers are capping recovery attempts at $81,000–$81,500, and BTC has fallen below a four-hour trendline. The $80,000 level is now key support. A break below it and the recent low near $79,200 could trigger liquidation-driven selling toward $78,500–$79,000, with the $75,000–$78,000 area in focus. Earlier analysis also identified $75,500 as a possible downside target if support failed. For a recovery, Bitcoin needs to reclaim $81,500; resistance then lies around $82,500–$84,000, including the earlier $83,500 breakout threshold. Technical signals were mixed, with BTC below key Ichimoku lines and the 14-day RSI under 50, while the projected cloud remained green. Traders are likely to watch support breaks and trading volume for confirmation, as the price could remain volatile until BTC clears resistance or loses support.

Mississippi district attorney Scott Colom has entered the US Senate race against Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith. Colom’s campaign may depend on strong Black voter turnout and winning about 25% of the White vote. The article describes the contest as potentially competitive, though polling claims vary: some suggest a close race, while an informed matchup could give Colom a lead. A Polymarket contract priced Colom’s chance of winning at about 12.5%, compared with 87.5% for Hyde-Smith, indicating the incumbent is currently favoured by market participants. Turnout, endorsements and new polling could shift those odds.

A 10-year backtest suggests different strategies suit Bitcoin and the S&P 500. Buy-and-hold returned an annualised 62.8% for Bitcoin, while a strategy that held Bitcoin only during confirmed uptrends returned 68.4%. Over the past five years, the trend model averaged 25% a year, compared with 8% for buy-and-hold. A more complex long-short approach lagged, returning 40.8% annualised over the 10-year period. For the S&P 500, buy-and-hold performed better: it gained 392% over 10 years, versus 166% for trend-following. The article attributes this difference partly to the index’s regular replacement of weaker companies and exposure to corporate earnings growth. Bitcoin is currently described as being in an uptrend, but macroeconomic uncertainty, AI infrastructure financing pressures and potential cybersecurity risks could affect sentiment or reverse momentum. The article also cites expectations of a possible December US rate rise and seasonal strength in US equities from November to April. These backtest results are historical and do not guarantee future performance; traders may monitor Bitcoin trend signals and macroeconomic developments.

Bitcoin is struggling to hold the $80,000 support after being rejected near $85,000. Crypto analysts Ted Pillows and EGRAG CRYPTO say a further decline could still fit a broader bullish pattern. Pillows sees similarities with Bitcoin’s price action after its November 2022 cycle bottom. If the pattern repeats, Bitcoin could fall to $74,000-$75,000 before recovering toward $90,000. EGRAG also views the current consolidation as potentially bullish. He says a move above $82,900, followed by a break through $86,000-$87,000, could confirm a rally, with targets at $98,400 and $114,900. These are analyst projections, not confirmed price outcomes.

Cardano’s Leios scaling plan will advance in stages, with no immediate capacity increase or fixed Dijkstra hard-fork activation date. Input Output’s October 20 roadmap says Dijkstra is intended to introduce the rules needed for Leios. Stake pools must register BLS voting keys, and activation requires votes representing at least 75% of active stake; participation is estimated at 90–95% of delegated stake. The initial Leios target is three to five times the Praos ceiling of about 4.5 TxkB/s—roughly 13.5–22.5 TxkB/s—with a possible later increase to 10–15 times the baseline, or about 45–67.5 TxkB/s. These figures measure transaction-data throughput, not guaranteed transactions per second; actual capacity depends on transaction size and resource use. Increases beyond the initial stage depend on mainnet testing and separate governance votes, with operators assessing hardware demands, propagation and recovery. Earlier MusashiNet tests reached about 26.8 TxkB/s, but included synthetic traffic and do not establish mainnet performance or user demand. Input Output plans controlled mainnet traffic tests after activation. Separately, 21 of 103 listed Cardano apps have enabled transaction tracking, and the company estimates sustained activity of about 50–70 TxkB/s may be needed for fees to reach break-even. Leios can add capacity, but cannot create demand. For ADA traders, the roadmap is a long-term scaling development rather than an immediate change to network performance; key signals include software readiness, stake-pool key registration, test results and approved parameters.

DeFi price manipulation attacks reached 43 cases by 21 October 2026, surpassing the previous annual record of 27 set in 2022. The attacks caused an estimated $199 million in losses, although that total is below the losses recorded in some previous years. One Tectonic incident accounted for about $125 million. Of the other 42 attacks, 32 each caused losses of less than $1 million. The record number of DeFi price manipulation attacks highlights persistent protocol and market-oracle risks, even as most reported incidents were comparatively small.

AI data center tenants are demanding more than $5 million a day in penalties for late delivery of power and facilities, up from about $1 million a day earlier this year. The higher data center penalties reflect mounting concern over project delays and the financial cost of missing delivery deadlines. Only 50% to 60% of scheduled US data center capacity is expected to come online on time over the next one to two years. Power constraints, permitting, equipment shortages and construction delays are among the obstacles. The stricter contracts shift more delivery risk to developers. The article also flags the possibility of regulatory action in Louisiana, where a data center moratorium is being watched. For crypto traders, the development is an indirect signal: data centers and AI infrastructure compete for power and investment, but the report identifies no direct effect on cryptocurrency prices or blockchain projects.

Grayscale’s Zcash ETF, ZCSH, recorded $41.1 million in net inflows for the week ending October 23, its strongest weekly result since mid-September. After three weeks of outflows totalling $143 million, the fund saw inflows on four consecutive days, though the latest gain recovered less than a third of that earlier decline. ZEC rose about 7% and traded near or above $1,200 during the week. ZCSH had approximately $686 million in assets under management and held more than 3% of Zcash’s circulating supply, making ETF flows a potential source of both buying pressure and downside risk. The wider crypto ETF picture was mixed. US spot Bitcoin ETFs ended the week with $301.2 million in net inflows despite more than $500 million in outflows over two days. Spot Ether ETFs recorded about $220.7 million in net outflows. The figures show renewed demand for the Zcash ETF but do not, on their own, establish a lasting shift in investor sentiment.

AI data center delays are driving sharply higher penalties for landlords. Hyperscalers and AI labs are seeking more than $5 million a day when facilities or power connections are late, up from about $1 million earlier in 2026. The stricter lease terms reflect bottlenecks in grid connections, permits, generators and transformers, which can take 12 to 24 months to procure. In Ohio, an agreement between OpenAI and SB Energy grants OpenAI one rent-free day for each day of delay, with the penalty doubling after 90 days. A one-year delay could amount to about 640 days of free rent. Oracle has also issued a force majeure notice related to its Project Jupiter campus in New Mexico, preserving its right to defer rent if power delays affect its planned 2028 opening. The AI data center delays shift more financial risk to developers, even when key obstacles are outside their control. For investors, the terms underscore the growing cost and execution risk of AI infrastructure expansion.

Alphabet’s Google Cloud revenue rose 82% year over year to $24.8 billion in Q2 2026, accelerating from 63% growth in the previous quarter. Google Cloud operating income more than tripled to $8.8 billion, with a 35.6% operating margin. Alphabet also reported a $514 billion backlog of contracted revenue yet to be recognized. The Gemini app reached 950 million monthly active users, up from about 450 million a year earlier, while daily active users tripled. Nearly 90% of Fortune 100 companies use Gemini Enterprise, and Google’s models process 22 billion API tokens per minute. Alphabet’s Q2 capital expenditure doubled year over year to $44.9 billion as it expands AI infrastructure. CEO Sundar Pichai said the company may prioritize computing capacity for its advanced models over some short-term Google Cloud revenue. The results point to strong demand for cloud and AI services, alongside rising infrastructure costs and capacity constraints.