Market Signal Briefing

Tokenized Gold Safe Haven 2026 isn’t just a catchy phrase infact it’s the plot twist in a brutal weekend for crypto especially. When news of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran broke on a Saturday, traditional markets were closed. Stocks? Shut. Bonds? Offline. Crypto? Wide awake and blinking red. And so it became the global pressure outlet.

Weekend Panic UnleashedHere’s how it played out. With no access to equities or Treasuries, investors needing instant safety dumped the most liquid assets available, yes that cryptocurrencies for you. It wasn’t philosophical. It was practical. Sell first, ask questions later.

In just few hours, coinglass shows over $460 million in intraday liquidation and coinmarketcap showed total market cap dropping from $2.26 trillion to $2.21 trillion vanished. That’s not a dip. That’s a trapdoor.

Bitcoin fell roughly 3.8%, tagging a local low near $63,308. Ethereum dropped harder, down between 4.5% and 6.5%, trading near $1,835. Higher-beta names like Solana and XRP slid even deeper, with some declines stretching past 10% as traders fled risk.

Leverage Domino EffectBut the selling wasn’t purely emotional. It was mechanical. Many traders were leaning long. When prices dipped, exchanges started liquidating those leveraged bets. Forced selling triggered more forced selling. The classic cascade. Within minutes, what began as caution morphed into a full-blown leverage flush.

And despite the “digital gold” narrative, institutional players treated crypto like a tech stock under fire. They sold it and rotated into the U.S. dollar and physical gold both of which surged.

Tokenized Gold Takes StageThis is where Tokenized Gold Safe Haven 2026 becomes more than a headline. As volatility ripped through altcoins, capital rotated into tokenized metals. By late February 2026, tokenized gold’s market cap alone surged. That’s not theoretical demand. That’s actual repositioning.

On centralized exchanges like Binance, leading gold-backed tokens such as PAX Gold (PAXG) and Tether Gold (XAUt) saw sharp volume activity. PAXG trading volume on OKX spiked dramatically during a recent 24-hour window as tensions intensified.

Critical Levels AheadNow attention shifts to structural support. The $60,000–$63,000 range is seen as critical for Bitcoin. If it holds, recovery isn’t off the table. If it cracks, things could snowball.

Historically, war-driven flash crashes in crypto often form local bottoms once the shock fades. There’s also the so-called “springboard effect,” where markets rebound hard after forced liquidations exhaust sellers.

Trust with CoinPedia:CoinPedia has been delivering accurate and timely cryptocurrency and blockchain updates since 2017. All content is created by our expert panel of analysts and journalists, following strict Editorial Guidelines based on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). Every article is fact-checked against reputable sources to ensure accuracy, transparency, and reliability. Our review policy guarantees unbiased evaluations when recommending exchanges, platforms, or tools. We strive to provide timely updates about everything crypto & blockchain, right from startups to industry majors.

Investment Disclaimer:All opinions and insights shared represent the author's own views on current market conditions. Please do your own research before making investment decisions. Neither the writer nor the publication assumes responsibility for your financial choices.

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The debate between Gold ETF and tokenized Gold has heated up further as experts and investors speculate on which asset could bring better returns in this market cycle. The assets both provide access to gold but differ in their operational approaches, as capital looks to shift more into the tokenization sector.

Tokenized Gold vs Gold ETF: Where is Capital Flowing? Tokenized gold markets witnessed explosive growth in the last year. In 2025, its market cap increased its net value by almost $2.8 billion. Its market cap rose from $1.6 billion to $4.4 billion. Tether Gold especially grew by 6% to $3.7 billion according to DefiLlama data.

Source: DeFiLlama data This implies that the market absorbed almost a quarter of the net RWA increase in the last year. Its net inflows are also greater than the net inflows in tokenized stocks, corporate bonds, and non-US treasuries.

The number of tokenized gold holders increased by more than 115,000 in the last year. Its increase was 14 times faster than in 2024. Compared to the other major RWA markets, the tokenized gold market increased its holders by more than the tokenized US treasuries and other tokenized bonds.

Meanwhile, large gold ETFs reported substantial asset flows, which doubled their asset size. However, even in this context, tokenized gold has turned out to be a standout.

Source: CEX Tokenized gold grew 2.6 times faster than the physical asset. This outperformed most of the top 7 spot ETFs. Among the major ETFs, only iShares Gold Trust Micro (IAUM) reported a growth of more than 300% in asset size this year.

Trading Volume Shows Where Adoption Is Accelerating Trading volumes of gold-related assets witnessed a dramatic acceleration during 2025, with volumes increasing quarter by quarter. By Q4, the trading volumes of the tokenized asset surpassed an impressive figure of over $126 billion.

To put it into perspective, the trading volumes of tokenized gold during Q4 were slightly higher than those of five major ETFs. However, there is one ETF that stands out from the rest , SPDR Gold Shares, or GLD, with its massive trading volumes of $375 billion during Q4.

Source: CEX In comparison with gold ETFs, tokenized gold would rank preciousbymetals’g volumes, ahead of all the precious metal’s ETFs except GLD. Trading volume in gold tokens in 2025 grew by more than 1,550% compared to 2024, a rate that was almost ten times faster compared to that of the largest ETFs, which registered a growth rate of between 100% to 150%.

Bitcoin's five-month slide: Why BTC is set for worst losing streak since 2018With BTC down nearly 50% from its peak, analysts are sparring over whether the slump marks early repricing or signals more pain to come. Feb 28, 2026, 1:00 p.m.

With a few hours still to go, Bitcoin BTC$63,709.23 is on track to post its worst losing streak since 2018, with February about to mark a fifth consecutive monthly decline.

The run of losses would be the longest since that 2018–2019 bear market and follows what has already been bitcoin’s worst first 50-day start to a year on record, leaving BTC down more than 25% year to date and on course for its first-ever back-to-back January and February declines.

More? The bitcoin-to-gold ratio fell to 12.288 ounces in February, marking a 70% drawdown over the last 14 months.

Bitcoin is also about to close out its worst month since June 2022 as the collapse of Terra-Luna that year sent the price plunging by about one-third. With bitcoin currently at about $66,000, the decline this February stands at more than 16%.

But some analysts argue that comparing the current stretch to 2018 may be oversimplifying what’s unfolding.

Repricing within a structural regime shift“What we’re seeing isn’t just weakness. It’s repricing inside a structural regime shift,” Mati Greenspan, senior eToro market analyst and founder of Quantum Economics, told CoinDesk.

He believes that while tariffs, ETF flows and macro fears may explain the timing of the selloff, they don’t explain the deeper move, which he sees as a broader recalibration in how markets value risk assets in an era of elevated uncertainty.

Bitcoin is also approaching a fifth straight weekly decline, a streak last seen between March and May 2022.

Geopolitical tensions have strengthened the U.S. dollar and crude oil prices, tightening financial conditions and weighing on risk assets.

Yet, this downturn stands out for another reason: bitcoin’s uneven relationship with equities. While U.S. stocks have remained relatively resilient, BTC has sharply underperformed, marking an unusual period of instability in its traditional risk-asset correlation.

Confronting arguments“Bitcoin doesn’t have a narrative right now, and it’s getting squeezed from both sides,” Jonatan Randin, senior market analyst at PrimeXBT, said in an email to CoinDesk.

Randin pointed to mounting macro pressure, including $3.8 billion in ETF outflows over the past five weeks, escalating tariff tensions and a Federal Reserve that has yet to signal imminent rate cuts.

While gold has attracted safe-haven flows and equities have ridden AI momentum, bitcoin has lagged. “Gold is up roughly 48% since September while bitcoin has fallen about 41% over the same period,” Randin said, explaining that the divergence shows investors are still treating BTC as a liquidity-sensitive risk asset rather than digital gold.

The correlation picture has been volatile. “The 20-day BTC-Nasdaq correlation swung from -0.68 to +0.72 between early and mid-February. That’s not decorrelation, that’s instability,” Randin said. “When the risk-on trade is working, and one asset gets left behind, that’s usually weakness, not strength.”

The narrative “hasn’t changed since 2009. It is a global, neutral alternative to debt-based fiat systems," according to Greenspan.

Decorrelations are not random“When correlations break during regime shifts, it’s usually not random. It’s early repricing,” Greenspan said. “If equities are still being treated as cyclical growth exposure while bitcoin starts trading more like a sovereign hedge, that divergence is structurally bullish.”

Despite the scale of the drawdown, Randin cautioned against assuming the correction is over.

“Bitcoin’s now declined 52% from the October highs,” he said. “That sounds like a lot, but when you look at prior bear markets where we’ve seen drawdowns of 80% or more, we could realistically be only halfway through this correction.”

He added that while the weekly relative strength index (RSI) has fallen to its lowest reading in bitcoin’s history and accumulator addresses have absorbed roughly 372,000 BTC since late December, signals often associated with cycle bottoms, similar conditions in past downturns were followed by another 30% to 40% drop before a definitive low formed.

Greenspan, however, said sentiment may already reflect much of the pessimism. “When sentiment gets this uniformly negative while long-term fundamentals remain intact, reversals tend to be sharp,” he said.

Until bitcoin can reclaim the $68,000–$72,000 zone, Randin said, “I’d expect this streak to grind on rather than break cleanly.” He identified $60,000 as a key near-term support level, with the 200-week moving average near $58,500 just below it.

“The losing streak narrative focuses on five months,” Greenspan added. “The structural story spans decades.”

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Bitcoin sets up potential short squeeze as funding plunges to -6%

2 hours ago

Negative funding rates, rising open interest and liquidations point to crowded positioning and heightened derivatives activity.

What to know:

Perpetual funding rates dropped to -6%, matching the most negative level in three months, signaling aggressive short positioning as bitcoin briefly fell to $63,000.Coin margined open interest climbed to 687,000 BTC, indicating increased participation despite the price swing.

PIPPIN has retraced into a key demand zone following the recent market-wide sell-off, presenting a risky buying opportunity.

The AAVE price didn’t just bleed today but it absorbed a double hit. First came the broader market panic tied to escalating war tensions. Then, just as nerves were already frayed, an internal governance rupture added fuel to the fire.

Altcoins were already under pressure. But Aave had its own drama unfolding in parallel.

Governance Rift EscalatesBGD Labs announced it will end its work with the Aave DAO on April 1, wrapping up nearly four years as a core technical contributor. The move follows rising governance tensions and strategic disagreements over the protocol’s future direction.

In a forum post Friday, the firm said it would continue its current responsibilities through the end of its contract. That includes support for Aave v3, Umbrella, chain expansions, asset onboarding, and security. It also plans to publish documentation and maintenance guidelines to smooth the transition.

I feel like Aave Labs, ACI and BGD should go to either couples counseling or some kind of mediation. It feels like emotions are going to cause the most successful borrow/lend protocol to fall apart 🥺 https://t.co/tVfPks3Ecd

— Laura Shin (@laurashin) February 27, 2026 Still, the optics aren’t great.

BGD Labs has played a central role in building Aave’s infrastructure since early 2022. Governance systems, operational procedures, security mechanisms they’ve had fingerprints on all of it. While the company says core systems are now stable and capable of operating without major structural changes, the timing raises eyebrows.

The friction reportedly stems from Aave Labs’ proposal to direct all protocol revenue to the DAO treasury while seeking funding for its own operations and accelerating the rollout of Aave v4. The plan would gradually wind down new feature development on v3 within months of v4’s launch.

BGD Labs has flagged centralization risks in that shift, citing influence over branding, communications, and voting power, along with limited collaboration on v4 design.

Even as it exits, BGD proposed a two-month optional security retainer from April through June 2026. The $200,000 arrangement would require DAO approval and cover incident response for Aave v3 and related governance systems.

Technical Charts Turn BearishMeanwhile, the AAVE price chart isn’t exactly offering comfort.

Indicator tools are flashing warning signs. The MACD is approaching a death cross. RSI is drifting back toward oversold territory. The Awesome Oscillator shows bearish momentum building, and CMF has slipped below the zero line, signaling negative inflows.

In plain English? Sellers are in control.

Add in broader risk-off sentiment hitting altcoins, and you’ve got a fragile setup. If bearish pressure intensifies, the psychological $100 support level could come under threat. Lose that, and downside acceleration becomes a real possibility.So what’s next? Governance disputes don’t always crater tokens. But when internal tensions collide with external market stress, the AAVE price can find itself in a tight corner fast.

Trust with CoinPedia:CoinPedia has been delivering accurate and timely cryptocurrency and blockchain updates since 2017. All content is created by our expert panel of analysts and journalists, following strict Editorial Guidelines based on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). Every article is fact-checked against reputable sources to ensure accuracy, transparency, and reliability. Our review policy guarantees unbiased evaluations when recommending exchanges, platforms, or tools. We strive to provide timely updates about everything crypto & blockchain, right from startups to industry majors.

Investment Disclaimer:All opinions and insights shared represent the author's own views on current market conditions. Please do your own research before making investment decisions. Neither the writer nor the publication assumes responsibility for your financial choices.

Sponsored and Advertisements:Sponsored content and affiliate links may appear on our site. Advertisements are marked clearly, and our editorial content remains entirely independent from our ad partners.

The man who built the first stablecoin thinks AI agents are about to change how the entire crypto economy works.

Reeve Collins, co-founder and first CEO of Tether, sat down with analyst and MN Capital founder Michael van de Poppe to explain why AI is not just another crypto narrative. Collins compared AI’s role in blockchain to what the web browser did for the internet in 1993, calling it the moment crypto finally becomes usable for everyone.

“AI is going to make that very easy because you’re going to entrust your agent to make those transactions for you,” Collins said.

Talk Into Your WalletCollins described a future where users interact with their crypto wallets through conversation, not clicks. AI agents would handle investing, portfolio rebalancing, and payments on a user’s behalf, routing every transaction through the fastest, cheapest, and most profitable path available.

The complexity that still keeps most people away from blockchain gets abstracted away.

The infrastructure is already being built. Coinbase launched Agentic Wallets on February 10, giving AI agents autonomous spending and trading capabilities. Stripe co-founder John Collison predicted a “torrent” of AI agent commerce running on stablecoins days ago. Binance CEO Richard Teng called AI agents and stablecoins one of the defining trends of 2026.

Also Read: “The Biggest Question for Crypto”: Sam Bankman-Fried Triggers AI Payments Debate

Why Stablecoins Become the Default Currency for AICollins argued that stablecoins are uniquely positioned to power AI-driven payments because they combine price stability with programmable, 24/7 settlement. Large corporations could distribute fractional payments to millions of people, enabling incentive models that were previously impossible due to accounting limitations.

The numbers back this up. Stablecoin transactions hit $33 trillion in 2025, up 72% year-over-year and double Visa’s annual volume, according to Bloomberg and Artemis Analytics.

On-Chain Companies That Pay Users, Not PlatformsCollins’ most pointed claim targeted the platform economy itself.

“There will be bespoke companies that don’t have the level of overhead like Facebook has that gets to start from scratch purely on chain that has a business model that puts all of the rewards or the profits back into the user’s pocket via a token,” he said.

Analyst van de Poppe pointed out that content creators are drastically underpaid, citing roughly €1,000 for a million YouTube views. Collins agreed, saying multiple well-funded initiatives are building decentralized platforms to change that.

“The content creators are the ones that are putting all of that value into the system. And they should reap a lot more of the rewards,” he said.

Collins is not just talking. He launched STBL, a next-generation stablecoin protocol backed by OKX Ventures, designed to return yield to users instead of centralized issuers.

Read More: Jack Dorsey’s Block AI Layoffs Spark Backlash: What This Means for Cash App Bitcoin Users

Trust with CoinPedia:CoinPedia has been delivering accurate and timely cryptocurrency and blockchain updates since 2017. All content is created by our expert panel of analysts and journalists, following strict Editorial Guidelines based on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). Every article is fact-checked against reputable sources to ensure accuracy, transparency, and reliability. Our review policy guarantees unbiased evaluations when recommending exchanges, platforms, or tools. We strive to provide timely updates about everything crypto & blockchain, right from startups to industry majors.

Investment Disclaimer:All opinions and insights shared represent the author's own views on current market conditions. Please do your own research before making investment decisions. Neither the writer nor the publication assumes responsibility for your financial choices.

Sponsored and Advertisements:Sponsored content and affiliate links may appear on our site. Advertisements are marked clearly, and our editorial content remains entirely independent from our ad partners.

Bitcoin is trading at $63,922 on Feb. 28, 2026, at 8 a.m. EST, clinging to the mid-$60,000s after a bruising February drawdown. The narrative grew considerably more fraught as hostilities in the Middle East began commanding international attention.

The possibility of an XRP crash to $1 is no longer a distant bearish theory but a looming technical reality. As geopolitical instability drives investors toward traditional safe havens like gold and US Treasuries, altcoins are being offloaded at an accelerated rate. If the current psychological support levels fail to hold against the backdrop of a regional war, a revisit to the $1.00 mark is the primary target for the short-to-medium term.

The GCC Connection: Why This War Hits Crypto HardThe current conflict has moved beyond isolated border skirmishes. Iran’s retaliation has reportedly impacted sectors within the GCC, a region that has become a global hub for crypto liquidity and high-net-worth investment firms.

Impact on Institutional LiquidityMany "whales" and venture capital firms operating out of Dubai and Abu Dhabi are facing unprecedented operational uncertainty. When regional stability is threatened, the immediate reaction is a flight to liquidity. This shift leads to:

Aggressive Sell-offs: Large-scale exits from high-beta assets like XRP to cover margins or move to cash.Reduced Market Depth: Liquidity providers may widen spreads or pull back entirely, leading to higher volatility.Network Infrastructure Concerns: Potential disruptions to banking rails in the Middle East that utilize the XRP Ledger for cross-border settlements.XRP Price Analysis: The Descent Toward $1Based on the below technical chart, XRP has broken below its primary ascending support line. The price is currently struggling to maintain its footing as sell volume spikes.

XRP/USD 4H chartKey Technical Levels to WatchLevel TypePrice PointMarket SignificanceImmediate Resistance$1.45Previous support turned resistance; must be reclaimed to invalidate the crash.Critical Support$1.28The last major buffer before a psychological "free fall."Bearish Target$1.00The ultimate psychological floor and historical consolidation zone.Extreme Capitulation$0.85Potential bottom if the conflict expands to a global scale."Risk-Off" vs. "Safe Haven"In financial markets, a "Risk-Off" environment occurs when investors avoid assets with high volatility due to macroeconomic or geopolitical uncertainty. Despite the narrative of some tokens acting as "Digital Gold," recent price action confirms that XRP and most altcoins still trade as high-risk assets. They are typically the first to be sold during a war-induced panic, while Safe Havens like Gold or the USD see inflows.

The broader market is already feeling the pinch. Bitcoin has faced significant downward pressure as news of U.S. involvement in regional strikes hit the wires. Historically, when BTC drops, altcoins experience magnified losses. For XRP, which was already facing technical exhaustion, the war serves as the fundamental "black swan" event that could force a test of the $1.00 support level.

Morgan Stanley has submitted an application to establish a national digital asset trust bank, marking another step in the firm’s expanding involvement in the crypto sector.

According to a public listing from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the bank received Morgan Stanley’s application on February 18, 2026.

The proposed entity, named Morgan Stanley Digital Trust, National Association (MSDTNA), would operate as a federally chartered trust institution focused on digital asset services. The OCC has published non-confidential portions of the business plan.

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Scope of proposed operationsThe filing outlines plans for the trust bank to provide custody services for certain digital assets, along with execution of purchases, sales, swaps, and transfers to support client investment activities. The entity would also facilitate fiduciary staking services on behalf of clients.

While the trust’s main office would be located in Purchase, New York, the services are intended to be offered nationwide, subject to regulatory approval.

National trust bank charters from the OCC allow institutions to operate under federal supervision rather than relying on a patchwork of state-level licenses. For crypto-focused firms, this structure can provide a standardized compliance framework for custody and fiduciary activities.

Morgan Stanley’s application follows a wave of conditional approvals issued by the OCC in late 2025 and early 2026.

In December 2025, the regulator granted conditional approval for crypto-focused national trust charters to: Circle (First National Digital Currency Bank), Ripple (Ripple National Trust Bank), BitGo, Fidelity Digital Assets, Paxos Trust Company.

In February, three additional firms received conditional approval: Stripe (Bridge National Trust Bank), Crypto.com and Protego.

With Morgan Stanley’s filing, along with pending applications from Coinbase and World Liberty Financial, the number of institutions pursuing OCC crypto trust structures continues to grow.

Expanding digital asset strategy: Bitcoin, Solana and XRPThe trust bank application is part of a broader digital asset expansion at Morgan Stanley.

In January, the firm appointed Amy Oldenburg to a newly created role overseeing digital asset strategy. It has also filed applications for exchange-traded funds tracking Bitcoin, Ethereum (Ether), and Solana.

Additionally, Morgan Stanley partnered with Zerohash to enable digital asset trading for clients of its E*Trade platform, expanding retail access to crypto markets through its brokerage channel.

If approved, Morgan Stanley Digital Trust would provide the firm with a federally regulated structure to custody digital assets, execute transactions, and offer staking services within a fiduciary framework. Such capabilities could position the bank to serve institutional and high-net-worth clients seeking integrated crypto exposure within a traditional financial institution.

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RippleNet uses XRP as a bridge currency to process cross-border payments in seconds. The traditional SWIFT system, on the other hand, can take several days, is expensive, fragmented, and heavily dependent on intermediary banks.

Morgan Stanley indirectly confirms the narrative that Ripple has been pursuing for years: that XRP is not just a cryptocurrency, but a technological tool for increasing efficiency in global payments.

Amy Oldenburg, Morgan Stanley’s head of digital assets strategy, appeared February 24–25 at the Bitcoin For Corporations conference in Las Vegas. In a fireside chat with Strategy CEO Phong Le, Oldenburg agreed with Le’s statement that “if there was a company that could ‘orange pill’ the world, it would be Morgan Stanley.”

On January 6, 2026, the firm filed an S-1 for a Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust ETF, along with similar products for ether and Solana. In October 2025 it removed prior restrictions on what type of clients could invest in exchange-traded products (ETPs), allowing financial advisors to offer cryptocurrency funds to all clients in any account type, including retirement accounts.

Previously, only clients with at least $1.5 million in asssets and an aggresive risk tolerance could be sold crypto ETPs.

Journalist

Posted: February 28, 2026

Dogecoin [DOGE] extended its bearish streak as geopolitical tensions escalated following Israel’s attack on Iran. 

After rejecting resistance at $0.106, DOGE has faced strong downward pressure, closing at lower lows for three consecutive sessions. 

The weakness erased recent gains, driving the price down to $0.088. In addition, the memecoin slipped below its short‑term EMA20 at $0.098, underscoring the intensity of the downside momentum.

At press time, DOGE traded at $0.089, down 10.48%, extending its bearish structure. 

On-chain activity plummets 78%  DOGE’s weakened structure has persisted because of reduced on-chain activity and falling adoption levels. In fact, some holders have sold and left the market entirely. Santiment data showed that on-chain activity has fallen significantly. 

Source: Santiment

At the time of writing, the memecoin’s Price DAA Divergence dropped to a two-month low of -46%. Such extremely low levels indicated reduced demand and network usage, with fewer users actively engaging with the network. 

As such, Dogecoin lacked adequate organic demand, a necessity for any gains. As a result, Daily Active Addresses have plunged 78.34% from 87.7k to 19k in February. 

Source: Santiment

The decline in active users suggests that most traders have either closed positions or are sitting on the sidelines. 

Sellers totally dominate the market Amid rising geopolitical tensions and a massive sell-off in the crypto market, DOGE investors have also intensified their selling pressure.

On the Futures side, the memecoin recorded a major sell-off, recording $736 million in outflows compared to $659 million in inflows. As a result, Futures Netflow plunged 418% to -$77.39 million, a clear sign of aggressive selling.

Source: CoinGlass

With sellers dominating futures, it signaled reduced exposure, as they feared more losses. At the same time, with the drop below $0.09, the liquidation rate skyrocketed.

Dogecoin recorded $6.5 million in Long position liquidations, with $3.3 million in longs liquidated over the past four hours.

Source: CoinGlass

On the spot, the memecoin saw 976.75 million in Sell Volume compared to 928 million in Buy Volume. As a result, Dogecoin saw a negative Buy Delta of -48 million, a clear sign of aggressive spot selling.

Source: Coinalyze

Often, such sellers’ dominance across all market participants accelerates downward momentum, leading to lower prices.

What’s next for DOGE? Dogecoin is currently under intense selling pressure amid the broader crypto market sell-off. At the same time, the memecoin’s fundamentals have weakened, creating space for a market freefall even with little trigger.

As a result, the negative index of Directional Movement Index (DMI) jumped to 54 as of writing, while the positive index fell to 28. These momentum indicators showed strong bearish momentum and a high likelihood of continuation.

Source: TradingView

Therefore, if the market sell-off persists, DOGE could drop towards $0.0800. For a trend reversal, the memecoin needs to close above its short-term moving averages, the 20- and 50-EMAs.

In doing so, the memecoin will be strong enough to reclaim and hold its critical $0.1 level.

Final Summary DOGE dropped 10.48%, breaching $0.09 support, hitting a low of $0.088.  Dogecoin’s downtrend continued amid intense selling pressure and weakened on-chain activity. 

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Bitcoin traders face trouble. Funding rates just crashed to -6%, which means tons of people are betting against Bitcoin right now, and that’s pretty much asking for a short squeeze to happen.

Monday brought wild action across derivative exchanges, with open interest shooting up fast. Open interest basically tracks how many futures contracts are still open, and when it spikes like this, things can get messy quick. Traders are piling in, and that usually means volatility is coming. The timing couldn’t be worse for shorts, especially with funding rates this negative.

Liquidations are climbing too.

When your margin balance drops below what the exchange wants, they close your position automatically. That’s happening more now, which is scary given how many shorts are out there. BitMEX and Binance both report heavy activity in their derivatives markets, but neither exchange wants to talk about what they might do if things get crazy.

Market analysts are telling people to be careful. Rapid shifts in positioning could make price swings even wilder, and the derivatives market already amplifies everything. One wrong move and shorts could get squeezed hard if Bitcoin suddenly jumps. No major exchanges or big-name traders have said anything publicly yet, so everyone’s kind of waiting to see what happens next.

But there’s more going on here.

February 27 saw Glassnode drop some interesting data – Bitcoin addresses holding at least one coin hit a new record of 1 million. That’s bullish for the long term, even if derivatives traders are going nuts right now. People are still buying and holding Bitcoin directly, which suggests confidence underneath all this trading chaos.

CoinShares reported institutional money flowing into Bitcoin products went up 5% last week. That’s real money backing Bitcoin while shorts pile up in futures. CME Group saw Bitcoin futures volumes jump 20% on February 26 compared to the week before, so the action isn’t just happening on crypto-native exchanges. For more details, see Bitcoin ETF Holders Rush for Downside.

The Chicago Board Options Exchange hasn’t said a word about what’s happening. Their silence leaves traders guessing, which adds another layer of uncertainty to an already tense situation. Meanwhile, Kraken reported more margin calls going out to leveraged traders on February 28.

Bitcoin briefly touched $25,000 on February 25, a level it hadn’t seen in weeks. That price spike got both retail and institutional attention, fueling more derivatives activity. But prices pulled back fast, showing how uncertain everything remains. FTX has kept funding rates more stable than competitors, suggesting their traders aren’t as bearish as everyone else.

Gemini saw more people asking about spot trading instead of leverage. The Winklevoss exchange noted users shifting away from risky positions, probably because they’re scared of getting liquidated. Coinbase reported Bitcoin trading volumes rising on February 28 as retail investors jumped in to speculate on short-term moves.

Grayscale released a statement February 27 saying their Bitcoin Trust investors aren’t worried about derivatives market chaos. CEO Michael Sonnenshein said long-term holders should ignore short-term noise, which is easy to say when you’re not facing margin calls.

MicroStrategy’s Michael Saylor doubled down February 28, saying the company won’t stop buying Bitcoin for its treasury. He thinks current market conditions don’t matter for their strategy, which involves accumulating Bitcoin regardless of price swings.

The SEC jumped in February 28 with a reminder about crypto trading risks. They told investors to be careful and think about their risk tolerance before trading volatile assets like Bitcoin. Pretty standard stuff, but the timing suggests regulators are watching the derivatives action closely. More on this topic: Bitcoin Hits K Before Sharp Pullback.

What’s really interesting is how different exchanges are seeing different patterns. Some platforms report heavy short interest while others stay relatively calm. That suggests the negative funding rates might be concentrated on specific exchanges rather than spread evenly across the market.

The question now is whether shorts can hold their positions if Bitcoin starts climbing. With funding rates this negative, short sellers are basically paying longs to keep their positions open. That can’t last forever, especially if institutional buying continues and more people move Bitcoin into cold storage.

Nobody knows when or if a squeeze will happen, but the setup is there. Funding rates this low usually don’t stick around long.

The Federal Reserve’s upcoming March meeting adds another wrinkle to Bitcoin’s derivatives mess. Interest rate decisions typically shake crypto markets, and with shorts already stretched thin, any dovish signals could trigger the exact rally that liquidates bearish positions. Treasury yields fell 15 basis points last week, making risk assets more attractive.

Meanwhile, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele announced plans to buy 1 Bitcoin daily starting March 1st. The small Central American nation already holds over 2,300 Bitcoin, and their continued accumulation could provide steady buying pressure against the mountain of short positions building up across exchanges.

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Since it's pretty clear we've now seen this cycle's bull market high, I've created an updated halving-cycle model built on four Bitcoin cycles.

The model projects a cycle low near $35,000 in December 2026 after a 72.5% drawdown from a $126,219 cycle high.

Inside the halving-cycle frameworkMy last model correctly marked both the 2021 and 2025 top timeframes. The new framework, “Akiba Cycle Model v2,” combines a 50,000-run Monte Carlo simulation with walk-forward validation and leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV).

Bitcoin halving cycle price movementsIt breaks the cycle into three linked components: drawdown from a bull-market high to the subsequent cycle low, the number of days from a halving to that low, and the recovery multiple from the low into the next halving.

The drawdown and timing components produced smaller historical errors than the recovery leg. That recovery leg drove the largest miss in its out-of-sample test.

The model starts from an empirical pattern in prior cycles in which peak-to-trough drawdowns have eased each era while still remaining deep.

Historical drawdowns from the bull high to the cycle low were 94.1% in the first cycle, 88.2% in the second, 83.7% in the third, and 77.6% in the fourth, based on the cycle taxonomy used in the accompanying chart.

The fitted projection for the fifth cycle centers on a 72.5% drawdown, with a simulated band from 71.9–73.1%.

Bitcoin cycle model projections and cycle drawdownsThat drawdown distribution is tight because the monotone decay holds across all four observations. Its LOOCV root-mean-square error is 0.63 percentage points.

Using the bull-market high of $126,219, the implied cycle-low price distribution clusters around the mid-$30,000s.

The median simulated low is about $34,700, with a $33,900–$35,500 P10–P90 range.

Timing points to late 2026I also mapped how long it takes the market to reach the cycle low after a halving.

The days from halving to cycle low stepped from 778 days in cycle 1 to 784 days in cycle 2, then to 890 days in cycle 3 and 923 days in cycle 4.

The fifth-cycle estimate centers on 980 days after the April 2024 halving, which maps to December 2026. The P10–P90 window spans November 2026 through January 2027.

The LOOCV timing error is wider than drawdown, at 37 days. That reflects variance in the lengthening pattern, including the six-day increment between the first two cycles.

A condensed view of the cycle history used in the model is below.

CycleHalving dateHalving priceBull highCycle lowLow vs. highDays to highDays to lowH1Nov 2012$12.56$31.91$1.8794.1%613778H2Jul 2016$650$1,230$14688.2%363784H3May 2020$9,790$19,172$3,12283.7%522890H4Apr 2024$65,000$68,998$15,47477.6%555923H5Late Mar (est.)?$126,219?~72.5%537~980Recovery multiple drives the widest uncertaintyThe recovery leg is the portion that the model treats as least stable. It estimates the multiple from a cycle low to the next halving price, a pathway that has compressed over time in the historical series.

Bitcoin cycle recoveries and time from cycle lowThe low-to-next-halving multiples were 347.8x into H2, 67.2x into H3, and 20.8x into H4, with a central estimate near 5.0x into H5.

Because that component has only three historical observations and failed its walk-forward test, the simulation uses a wide uncertainty band for the H5 halving price.

Its P10–P90 range runs from $60,000 to $489,000, with a median of $172,000.

I built and ran the backtest myself to pressure-test the model across prior cycles, making clear where its assumptions tracked reality, and where they began to break down. The backtest is explicit about where the approach held up.

Bitcoin cycle model backtestingTraining on cycles 1 through 3 and predicting cycle 4, the model produced a 78.2% drawdown estimate, compared with an observed 77.6%, a 0.7 percentage-point gap.

It also projected 929 days to the cycle low versus an observed 923 days, a six-day gap.

In price terms, it projected a cycle low of $15,012 versus an observed $15,474, a 3% miss.

The same exercise underpredicted the recovery multiple by 38% (13.0x predicted versus 20.8x observed). That miss then propagated into a larger error on the implied halving price.

Those diagnostics shape how the outputs are presented.

The model treats the cycle-low estimate as the primary forecastable variable and frames the next-halving price as scenario space.

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The Monte Carlo engine samples from an ensemble of simple functional forms (linear fits, exponential decay, and average-decrement variants), injects noise calibrated to LOOCV residuals, and uses jackknife resampling of the four-cycle dataset to stress sensitivity to any one era.

It also clamps outputs to bounds defined in the notes. It then chains the drawdown, timing, and recovery draws to produce a joint distribution.

A snapshot of the fifth-cycle distribution outputs is below.

OutputP10P25P50P75P90Drawdown from bull high71.9%72.2%72.5%72.9%73.1%Cycle low price$34K$34K$35K$35K$35KDays from H4 to cycle low9529659809961,011Cycle-low windowNov 2026Dec 2026Dec 2026Jan 2027Jan 2027H5 halving price$60K$98K$172K$298K$489KBitcoin cycle historyThe notes also include two probability statements derived from the simulated distribution set: a 64.4% chance that the H5 halving price exceeds $126,219, and a 100% chance that the cycle low stays above $20,000 under the model’s structural floor assumptions.

Both claims are conditional on the model design, including its small-sample calibration and its independence assumption. That assumption treats drawdown, timing, and recovery as separable random draws even though they can co-move.

The observations underpinning the cycle taxonomy help explain why the model focuses on drawdowns and elapsed time rather than peak returns.

Peak gains relative to the prior halving price have compressed each era, moving from 10,375% in cycle 2 to about 2,900% in cycle 3 and 632% in cycle 4.

In the notes, the current cycle’s bull high is set at 103% over the prior halving price.

At the same time, the halving-to-high interval lengthened from 363 days after the first halving to 522 days after the second and 555 days after the third.

Under the chosen data points, the model places the fifth-cycle bull-market high at 537 days after the April 2024 halving.

The model documentation lists several limitations that can change how these distributions should be read.

It uses four cycles in total, so its tails can understate outcomes outside the historical range.

It also does not account for regime variables such as ETF flow patterns, custody structure, or macro correlation inputs like rates and liquidity.

The recovery module is flagged as the main source of uncertainty, since the walk-forward test showed that cycle-shape extrapolation did not capture the cycle 4 recovery multiple.

For market participants who treat halving-era behavior as a repeatable template, the v2 framework formalizes two prior-cycle regularities: a drifting drawdown rate and a lengthening path to the cycle low.

It leaves the next-halving price as a wide distribution rather than a point call.

The model’s median path places the next cycle low in the mid-$30,000s around December 2026. It leaves the halving-5 price as an outcome band anchored at $172,000 in the middle of a $60,000 to $489,000 range, with the caveat in the notes that it is not financial advice.

Bitcoin Market Data

At the time of press 3:57 pm UTC on Feb. 27, 2026, Bitcoin is ranked #1 by market cap and the price is down 1.67% over the past 24 hours. Bitcoin has a market capitalization of $1.32 trillion with a 24-hour trading volume of $43.14 billion. Learn more about Bitcoin ›

Crypto Market Summary

At the time of press 3:57 pm UTC on Feb. 27, 2026, the total crypto market is valued at at $2.28 trillion with a 24-hour volume of $104.05 billion. Bitcoin dominance is currently at 58.00%. Learn more about the crypto market ›

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Dogecoin (DOGE) has seen a renewed price crash by a significant 14% in the last 30 days, setting the meme coin up for a record fifth month of losses. The king of meme coins has stayed in the red since October 2025, when it dipped by a massive 20% below its monthly average.

Dogecoin underperformance growsAs per CryptoRank data, Dogecoin’s February average stands at -3.32%. The meme coin’s performance in the last 48 hours had sparked hopes of DOGE breaking the loss streak, which started in October. However, the recent broader crypto market plunge, which saw a 5.5% decline, has erased all hopes.

Dogecoin Monthly Performance Chart | Source: CryptoRankThe crypto market decline saw Bitcoin, the leading digital asset to which Dogecoin is correlated, slip by 5.6%. DOGE followed and lost all the gains it recorded in earlier market trading.

As of this writing, Dogecoin is changing hands at $0.08802, which reflects an 8.84% decline in the last 24 hours. DOGE, which previously reclaimed the critical $0.10 price level, later dropped slightly to $0.09747. The recent bloodbath in the market has now pushed it to the current market price.

The meme coin’s performance indicates that February will close in the red just like the previous four months. Notably, Dogecoin’s monthly performance since October 2025 has been below the monthly average.

In November, DOGE closed -21.3% despite having a monthly average of 15.5%. In December 2025 and January 2026, the meme coin closed -19.9% and -11.3% compared to its monthly mean of 18.9% and 76.9%, respectively.

The quarterly outlook of Dogecoin is also very bearish. The meme coin had concluded the last three months of 2025 in the negative, hitting 50%. In the first two months of 2026, DOGE is down by 25%, and unless something happens in March, the meme coin is on a continued bearish path.

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Weak derivatives and poor ETF demandThe general outlook for Dogecoin does not inspire confidence. Investors monitoring the meme coin’s metrics observe that, beyond the price, open interest is also down as DOGE eyes max pain.

The technical signals suggest that Dogecoin might face an extended bearish run amid the current dip in the crypto market.

Institutional interest in Dogecoin has also not taken off as anticipated, as the exchange-traded fund (ETF) products have not gained traction. There appears to be a huge disconnect in the ETF as assets under management stay below $10 million as prices continue to stagnate below $0.10.

ETH lost over 5% in the past day on the news of US attacks on Iran. Traders who took on long-side risk on the token got liquidated, including the high-profile position of Machi Big Brother. 

ETH erased over $200 in the past few days, dipping to $1,871.58. The news of attacks against Iran crashed the entire crypto market, and ETH held relatively well compared to other altcoins. However, the price moves still caused liquidations. 

The ETH fear and greed index is still at around 35 points, indicating ongoing fear. Despite the relatively balanced liquidity, ETH did not go through a short squeeze; instead, it went on to liquidate long positions. 

Machi Big Brother still carries a 25X leveraged long position on ETH, valued at over $428K. The liquidation price is at $1,840.37, and for now, the position carries a small unrealized loss.

Machi Big Brother erases $245K on ETH longs One of the notorious traders on Hyperliquid, Machi Big Brother, is back to getting liquidated. In the past week, he added $245K in liquidity, opening several long positions. The bullish attitude showed an expectation for a bounce, hence the 25X leverage. 

Machi Big Brother got liquidated several times in the past few days, as ETH became more volatile. | Source: Hyperliquid The news turned out painful for Machi Big Brother after several liquidations in a row. On-chain data shows the account only holds $13,580 in available liquidity. 

At this point, it is still uncertain whether Machi Big Brother has hedged the bets on ETH to offset the liquidations. However, over the past six months, he has been caught in multiple price crashes, losing millions from Hyperliquid positions. 

Unlike the White Whale or James Wynn, Machi Big Brother does not actively comment on trades. He has only reposted information on Ethereum scaling, with fewer comments on price action. 

Can ETH bounce back despite the ongoing war? Unlike BTC, ETH does not claim to be a store of value. Its ecosystem depends on development and wide usage, benefiting from stability rather than chaos. 

The expectation for ETH is to bounce from the $1,800 level. Currently, ETH is below the accumulation price of whales, as they were unable to support the asset with the new and increased pressures. 

At the current price range, ETH is already threatening some of the liquidity on Compound, where liquidity for lending has accrued around $1,891. In the interim, smaller loans on other protocols are also threatened. For now, there is no DeFi contagion, but some lending positions may come under pressure. 

ETH has available long positions as low as $1,800, as well as short positions going over $1,950. The market sentiment is standing in the way of a short squeeze. 

ETH open interest is down to $10B, deleveraging 50% of positions since January. On all exchanges, ETH has only 24% in short open interest, while Hyperliquid whales carry over 58% in short positions. Despite this, ETH has mostly led to long liquidations with low sentiment. 

Bitcoin fell nearly 3% toward $63,000 after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. The weekend drop highlights Bitcoin’s role as a 24/7 liquidity outlet during geopolitical shocks. Traders often sell Bitcoin first when traditional markets remain closed. Bitcoin fell sharply in weekend trading after the United States and Israel launched military strikes on Iran, sending the cryptocurrency close to $63,000. The drop marked a decline of roughly 3% within hours and pushed the asset to its lowest level since early February.

The sudden move followed confirmation of U.S. participation in coordinated strikes alongside Israel. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared a nationwide state of emergency, raising fears of a broader regional escalation.

Weekend Liquidity Drives Selling Pressure The Bitcoin market is always open, unlike stocks and bonds, whose markets close over the weekend. This makes it one of the first assets for traders to sell in the case of a rise in geopolitical risk outside of regular market hours.

When a geopolitical event occurs over the weekend, such as on a Saturday or Sunday, an investor is unable to sell stocks and bonds until the market opens the next week. This makes Bitcoin an alternative for the sale of risk assets.

This has led to the emergence of a pattern in the Bitcoin market, whereby it is sold in the case of a sudden geopolitical event, but after the traditional markets open and the risk is absorbed, the Bitcoin market is calm.

The phenomenon is also referred to as the pressure valve effect, whereby Bitcoin is used to sell risk assets.

Escalation Risk in a Sensitive Region These strikes increase the level of tension in an area that plays an important role in the world’s energy and trade balances. Iran is at the center of Middle East geopolitics and energy balances. Escalation of tensions has the potential to impact oil prices, shipping routes, and broader financial markets.

There are reports that these strikes come after weeks of a U.S. military buildup and failed negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. Any escalation will impact commodities, currencies, and financial markets when they open.

Investors normally react to geopolitical tensions by de-risking their portfolios. Bitcoin, despite being called digital gold, reacts to general risk sentiment during short-term events.

Historical Pattern of Recovery As seen with previous geopolitical events, there is a trend that seems to be repeating itself. Bitcoin will initially go down as traders de-risk their portfolios. However, after the market processes the event and volatility dies down, Bitcoin will be back to its normal price.

The recent crash that was being talked about by traders saw Bitcoin dip below $60,000 before it came back in subsequent sessions. Market players are now looking to see if the recent dip will follow the trend seen previously.

Institutional positioning and ETF flows will likely shape the next move. If traditional markets reopen without severe contagion effects, Bitcoin could stabilize.

However, the recent dip during the weekend is a simple reminder that Bitcoin is still one of the few globally traded, large-cap assets that investors can access instantly during moments of crisis.

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Bitcoin fell sharply early Saturday session, dropping to a low of $63,019 as traders considered macro concerns. Over $514 million in crypto positions have been liquidated in the last 24 hours, according to CoinGlass data, with Bitcoin accounting for $193 million.

Bitcoin extended an earlier drop on Friday after a report showed U.S. producer prices rose more than expected, suggesting that inflationary pressures remain. February is ending with losses for Bitcoin (currently down 19%), with this economic data reinforcing bets that the Federal Reserve might remain on hold for the time being.

For Bitcoin, the losses extend a months-long sell-off in crypto markets, beginning with the liquidation of some $19 billion in leveraged positions in October, just days after Bitcoin rose to an all-time high above $126,000.

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Bitcoin surged to a record high of $126,198 in October 2025. A sharp sell-off followed, leaving digital assets under pressure and investors increasingly cautious. Any sustained rebound would offer relief after cryptocurrencies were hit by a sell-off late last year.

23,300 BTC sent to exchanges at lossBitcoin extended its sell-off, falling below $64,000 with short-term holders sending 23,300 BTC to exchanges at a loss in the last 24 hours.

The Crypto Fear and Greed Index remains in extreme fear at 14. Over 9 million Bitcoin, about 45% of all tokens in circulation, is currently worth less than what its holders paid for it, according to on-chain data. This explains why holders sell into any bounce, limiting upward momentum.

Of the first 22 days in February, 19 saw net losses, meaning more holders sold below what they paid than above it, locking in pain, day after day.

In this context, as Bitcoin saw another bout of selling over the weekend, holders sent their coins to exchanges not to profit but rather at a loss. Moving to exchanges depicts selling, while withdrawals might indicate buying.

According to Maartunn, a community analyst at CryptoQuant, short-term holders continue to sell. Maartunn reported that in the last 24 hours, 23,300 BTC were moved to exchanges at a loss.

TLDR: Table of Contents

TLDR:XRP Ledger Supports High-Value Asset TokenizationRegulatory and Market Implications of On-Chain DiamondsGet 3 Free Stock Ebooks Ctrl Alt and Billiton Diamonds launch $280M UAE diamond tokenization on XRP Ledger. XRP Ledger enables secure, low-cost trading of previously illiquid luxury commodities. Ripple Custody provides bank-grade vaulting for $280M in physical diamond inventory. UAE regulatory alignment ensures global standards for on-chain real-world asset trading. A $280 million diamond tokenization deal has launched in the UAE, bridging physical assets and blockchain. Ctrl Alt and Billiton Diamonds partnered to bring over a billion AED in diamonds on-chain. 

The XRP Ledger will host the transaction, leveraging its speed and low costs for high-value real-world assets. The initiative highlights growing digital commoditization in the UAE’s regulated blockchain ecosystem.

XRP Ledger Supports High-Value Asset Tokenization Ctrl Alt’s tokenization project relies on the XRP Ledger’s native features for secure and efficient trading. The platform allows diamonds, historically illiquid, to become tradable digital assets in real time. 

Ripple Custody provides bank-grade vaulting for over $280 million in physical inventory. Integration with the UAE’s regulatory framework ensures compliance with DMCC and VARA standards.

Tokenized diamonds can be transferred or traded on-chain without moving the physical asset. The system uses smart ledger functionality to track ownership and provenance digitally. 

Transaction costs remain low, which supports frequent trading of previously non-liquid assets. The platform demonstrates practical scalability for real-world luxury asset markets globally.

Diamonds are forever and now, they’re on-chain 💎

The tokenization of 1 Billion+ AED in diamonds by @CtrlAltCo and Billiton Diamond isn't just a win for the UAE, it’s a masterclass in how the XRP Ledger handles high-value RWA at scale.

As part of the @Ripple team, I’m… https://t.co/rM3ewDnZXs

— Reece Merrick (@reece_merrick) February 27, 2026

Regulatory and Market Implications of On-Chain Diamonds The UAE’s regulatory alignment offers a blueprint for secure tokenization of high-value commodities. Ctrl Alt and Ripple operate within forward-thinking frameworks to reduce trust gaps for investors. 

The project showcases how banks and custodians can engage with digital assets safely. Tokenization of luxury goods may expand to other commodities like gold, art, and collectibles.

Ripple’s involvement signals increasing institutional adoption of blockchain for asset-backed products. By addressing storage, verification, and transfer risks, the initiative strengthens investor confidence. 

Digital ownership protocols reduce fraud risk while maintaining transparency in real-time audits. The project may accelerate broader adoption of the XRP Ledger for real-world asset markets.

South Korea Drives a Third of Global XRP Trading, Showing Retail PowerAs highlighted by public XRP treasury company Evernorth, despite representing only 0.6% of the global population, South Korea accounts for an estimated 33% of XRP trading, highlighting the cryptocurrency’s exceptional prominence in the country’s market.

This is based on data from the South Korea Financial Services Commission, which is an extraordinary figure because it signals the unique position XRP holds in South Korea’s crypto ecosystem.

Well, inspite of representing a small fraction of the global population, South Korea accounts for one-third of XRP trading, showcasing a highly engaged retail market and deep local recognition. 

With Upbit surpassing Binance and Coinbase in XRP spot volume, the country’s dominance underscores genuine liquidity and widespread trader familiarity, beyond institutional adoption or speculative hype.

South Korea Powers XRP: How Regional Liquidity Shapes Global Crypto MarketsSouth Korea’s advanced exchanges and tech-savvy investors make it a hotspot for XRP trading. Fast, secure, and reliable platforms, combined with active retail adoption and strong regulatory oversight, position the country as a leading indicator for crypto trends in Asia.

Therefore, Evernorth’s data underscores a critical yet overlooked factor in crypto markets: regional concentration can shape global liquidity. 

South Korea, for example, drives significant XRP trading, influencing price dynamics, market sentiment, and adoption. XRP’s $4.11B traded on Upbit in just seven days highlights strong activity, even amid a price dip.

Why does this matter? Well, this isn’t just a statistic, it underscores XRP’s strong foothold in a fiercely competitive market. Far from being a token with only global ambitions, XRP has gained significant retail traction in key regions, particularly South Korea. This liquidity drives smoother trading, tighter spreads, and more reliable execution for both local and international investors.

South Korea’s outsized role in global XRP volume highlights how regional markets can shape the broader crypto narrative. Last year, XRP surged on Upbit amid panic buying, hitting $1.55 billion in trading volume, outpacing major global exchanges and signaling intense investor demand.

ConclusionSouth Korea’s dominant role in global XRP trading highlights the token’s strong retail adoption, high liquidity, and the influence of tech-savvy markets, showing how concentrated regional engagement can shape global crypto trends.

Exelixis (EXEL 0.56%) is a relatively small biotech company with big dreams -- to become, as its executives said at a presentation in December, a "top five solid tumor oncology company."

The company has a blockbuster drug that's funding its pipeline efforts. Its shares are up more than 20% over the past year and up more than 97% over the past five years.

There are plenty of reasons why the stock could continue to deliver market-beating returns, the biggest being a growing pipeline that will soon diversify its oncology treatment offerings. Here are three.

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1. Cabozantinib keeps adding indications Exelixis' lead drug is cabozantinib -- which it sells as Cabometyx and Cometriq. Cabometyx, in tablet form, is a leading therapy to treat kidney cancer, and has also been approved to treat thyroid and liver cancer and advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Cometriq is a capsule form of cabozantinib for the treatment of progressive, metastatic medullary thyroid cancer, a particularly aggressive and rare variety.

Image source: Getty Images.

The drug is also in a phase 3 trial for the treatment of advanced neuroendocrine tumors arising in the lung, thymus, and gastrointestinal tract.

Exelixis likely won't face generic competition for cabozantinib until early 2031, as it successfully fended off a potential generic rival in a 2024 lawsuit against MSN Pharmaceuticals.

In 2025, Exelixis' revenue rose 7% to $2.3 billion, most of which came from its cabozantinib franchise. Earnings per share (EPS) were $2.78, up 57.9%. The company is also in the midst of a $750 million stock repurchase program.

2. Zanzalintinib could be an even bigger seller On Feb. 2, the Food and Drug Administration approved a New Drug Application for zanzalintinib, in combination with atezolizumab, for patients with previously treated metastatic colorectal cancer. The regulator is due to make a decision on zanzalintinib's application no later than Dec. 3.

Zanzalintinib is in four phase 3 trials for various cancer types, and is being examined in three early-stage trials as a treatment for different cancers.

Exelixis' early-stage pipeline also includes antibody-drug conjugates, which combine antibodies that seek out cancer cells with a drug that kills the cells they bind to. These treatments can target cancer cells with high precision.

3. Exelixis works well with others Exelixis has had success with partnering with other biotech companies. Two of these, Takeda Pharmaceutical and Ipsen, are helping it to sell cabozantinib in Japan.

In January, it announced an agreement with Natera (NTRA 3.77%). It will use Natera's Signatera assay to identify Stage 2 and Stage 3 colorectal cancer patients who are positive for minimal residual disease, in order to enroll them in zanzalintib's phase 3 Stellar-316 trial, which is expected to begin midway through this year.

Exelixis is also working with Merck (MRK +3.79%) on a phase 3 trial of zanzalintinib in combination with Keytruda to treat head and neck cancer, and in combination with Welireg to treat kidney cancer.

The Franklin International Core Dividend Tilt Index ETF offers above-average yield in developed markets ex-North America, with a 0.09% expense ratio. DIVI's August 2022 strategy overhaul renders prior data obsolete; the current track record remains short and unconvincing for long-term assessment. While well-diversified and low-cost, DIVI has underperformed comparable Foreign Large Value ETFs in both total return and risk-adjusted metrics since the strategy change.

Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNABY) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

HomeStock IdeasLong IdeasHealthcare 

SummaryI think VTVT is a largely underfollowed T1D catalyst story, with Phase 3 CATT1 cadisegliatin topline expected in 2H2026.Cadisegliatin’s Phase 2 SimpliciT-1 showed HbA1c improvement, fewer severe hypoglycemia events, and favorable safety.In my view, this positions the stock favorably ahead of the upcoming Phase 3 data. The FDA previously put this asset on clinical hold, but VTVT has resolved that issue.CATT1 is now shortened to six months, which I infer improves its timeline as well and makes it a clear-cut catalyst in 2026.VTVT’s financials also show they have enough runway to see them through this catalyst. This is why I feel it’s a good time to lean bullish on the stock. AzmanL/E+ via Getty Images

vTv Therapeutics Inc. (VTVT) is a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the development of therapies for Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), and other chronic conditions. Its flagship candidate is Cadisegliatin (TTP399), an oral glucokinase activator being

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

There are no guarantees in the stock market, but there are stocks that look like no-brainer picks. When a company has massive opportunities and is demonstrating the skills and capabilities to capture them, its stock could be an easy wealth builder.

Consider MercadoLibre (MELI +1.01%) and Dutch Bros (BROS 0.45%), two stocks that could be multibaggers over the next few years.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. MercadoLibre MercadoLibre is a Latin American e-commerce and fintech giant, and it reports high growth quarter after quarter. Its regions are still in the early innings of a shift toward digital, and MercadoLibre is well positioned to benefit.

The 2025 fourth quarter was an excellent example of what's happening. Revenue increased 47% year over year (currency neutral), with a 37% increase in gross merchandise volume and a 53% increase in total payment volume.

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In e-commerce, unique active buyers increased 24% to more than 83 million, and items sold rose 43%. The lower free-shipping threshold in Brazil continues to draw new business, creating a flywheel effect where as more consumers participate, more merchants want to be on the platform, offering more products. Items sold per unique buyer increased 15%, indicating that total volume is that much higher than the number of new buyers.

On the fintech side, the total credit portfolio increased 90% year over year, while monthly active users were up 27% to nearly 78 million.

MercadoLibre has years of continued growth ahead and investors can expect that to be reflected in its stock.

2. Dutch Bros Dutch Bros is a relatively young coffee shop chain, and the reason it could be an easy wealth builder is simple. It operates more than 1,000 stores today, and management sees the opportunity to reach 7,000 stores over the next few years. The company's immediate goal is to reach 2,029 stores by 2029, and it plans to open 181 new stores in 2026.

If it can increase its store count by sevenfold, revenue should skyrocket. Over the past few years, revenue growth has outpaced expenses, leading to scale and profitability. If Dutch Bros can keep that up, margins should widen, and profits should keep rising, too.

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It ended the year with a robust fourth quarter. Sales increased 29% year over year, and comparable sales were up 7.7%. Net income rose from $6.4 to $29.2 million.

Buying into Dutch Bros today is buying into its long-term growth story, and if you can buy now and hold for many years, it offers an easy path toward wealth creation.

NVIDIA remains a Strong Buy as it cements its role as the indispensable AI infrastructure gatekeeper, delivering robust earnings and guidance. NVDA's data center segment now drives 91.5% of revenue, with networking revenue surging 263% YoY, reflecting a full-stack platform shift. Sovereign AI demand is accelerating, with revenue tripling to over $30B as nations invest in domestic GPU clusters for digital autonomy.

Yancoal Australia Ltd (YACAF) Q4 2025 Earnings Call February 25, 2026 8:00 PM EST

Company Participants

Brendan Fitzpatrick - General Manager of Investor Relations
Sharif Burra - Chief Executive Officer
David Bennett - Executive General Manager of Operations
Mark Salem - Executive General Manager of Marketing
Michael Wells - Executive General Manager of Finance
Ning Su - Chief Financial Officer

Conference Call Participants

Kin Wing Fung - CMB International Securities Limited, Research Division
Paul Young - Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Research Division

Presentation

Operator

Good day, and thank you for standing by. Welcome to Yancoal 2025 Financial Results. [Operator Instructions] Please be advised that today's conference is being recorded.

I would now like to hand the conference over to your first speaker today, Brendan Fitzpatrick, Investor Relations Manager. Please go ahead.

Brendan Fitzpatrick
General Manager of Investor Relations

Thank you, Maggie, and thank you to everyone for joining us on this briefing for Yancoal's 2025 financial results. My name is Brendan Fitzpatrick, the Investor Relations Manager.

To present today's briefing, we have the following members from Yancoal's executive leadership team: Sharif Burra, Chief Executive Officer; Kevin Su, Chief Financial Officer; Laura Zhang, Company Secretary, Chief Legal, Compliance, Corporate Affairs Officer; Frank Fulham, Chief Sustainability, Technology, Innovation and Development Officer; David Bennett, EGM Operations; Mark Salem, EGM, Marketing and Logistics; Mike Wells, EGM Finance; Mark Jacobs, EGM, Environment and External Affairs; and Sebastian de Koning, EGM, Audit and Risk. After the executive team completes the review, we will move to a question-and-answer session.

The commentary provided today is based on the 2025 financial results and associated announcements published to the Australian Securities Exchange and the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong yesterday, the 25th of February. Slides 2 and 3 contain notices and disclaimers relevant to today's presentation and the forward-looking statements it contains. Please make yourself familiar with