Market Signal Briefing

Chewy is a pure play in the pet industry, while Walmart covers a lot more ground.

Chewy (CHWY 3.57%) and Walmart (WMT +1.47%) both specialize in retail, but Chewy is more niche since it exclusively focuses on the pet industry. While Walmart also offers many pet products, it's more known for being a retail location that can fulfill all of your shopping needs. Groceries, clothing, and consumer goods are some of the many products that line Walmart's aisles.

Grandview Research projects a 5.1% compound average growth rate (CAGR) for the pet care market from now until 2030. But while Chewy is a pure play in the industry, Walmart looks like the better stock.

Image source: Getty Images.

Chewy relies too much on the pet industry There's nothing wrong with Chewy gaining market share in the pet industry. However, it becomes a concern when you compare Chewy with Walmart. The pet industry has low profit margins, which limit future growth opportunities.

For instance, Petco and Chewy have delivered net profit margins in the low single digits for several years. Freshpet has mid-single-digit net profit margins. Chewy is addressing the issue by diversifying into pet health, which has an average net profit margin of 20%. Chewy currently has more than 20 veterinary practice locations.

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While Chewy specializes in pet food and health services, Walmart has more opportunities to grow. It's the largest grocery chain in the U.S., and since many people go to Walmart for their food, they have many opportunities to fill their shopping carts with other items.

People don't shop at Chewy as often, and Walmart can fulfill many pet owners' needs just as effectively. Walmart also has low margins as a retailer, but its online advertising segment can change that narrative. Walmart's global advertising sales increased by 53% year over year in the third quarter of fiscal year 2026, which ended Oct. 31, 2025. As that segment gains momentum, Walmart has an opportunity to boost profits even if its sales growth stays in the low single digits.

Walmart also has a better valuation Walmart and Chewy are both growing, but neither has substantial growth plans that warrant excessive valuations. Walmart's 5.8% year-over-year revenue growth in Q3 FY26 and Chewy's 8.3% year-over-year revenue growth in its third quarter of fiscal 2025, ended Nov. 2, don't warrant irrational exuberance.

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While these companies have similar growth rates, Chewy trades at a much higher premium. The online-only pet retailer has a 67 P/E ratio compared to Walmart's 42 P/E ratio. Chewy's valuation gives it much less room for error.

Most Chewy shareholders haven't been willing to wait. The stock is down by almost 70% over the past five years as its pandemic boom has become a distant memory.

Chewy's inability to meaningfully expand margins also created more pressure on the stock's valuation. Its net profit margin hover at around 2%, compared to a 5% to 6% net profit margin for Freshpet and a net profit margin barely below 1% for Petco. Walmart's net profit margins often range from 3% to 4%.

Investors who want pure exposure to the pet industry will benefit more from Chewy. However, Walmart has a much stronger competitive moat and serves more customers, which positions its stock for higher long-term gains.

February 02, 2026 01:00 ET  | Source: Molecular Partners

Specific tumor accumulation and attractive biodistribution highly supportive of MP0712 clinical development for treatment of DLL3-expressing cancers
Dosimetry data highlight Radio-DARPins as vector for precise delivery of potent alpha-emitting isotopes to tumors
MP0712 Phase 1/2a study open in U.S. with initial clinical data expected in 2026
Molecular Partners to host conference call February 2 at 8AM ET (2PM CET), joined by renowned nuclear medicine expert Prof. Ken Herrmann, M.D. ZURICH-SCHLIEREN, Switzerland and CONCORD, Mass., Feb. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR Molecular Partners AG (SIX: MOLN; NASDAQ: MOLN), a clinical-stage biotech company developing a novel class of custom-built protein drugs known as DARPin therapeutics (“Molecular Partners” or the “Company”), today announced the presentation of first patient imaging and dosimetry data of MP0712, its DLL3-targeted Radio-DARPin candidate co-developed with strategic partner Orano Med, at the 8th Theranostics World Congress (TWC), taking place in Cape Town, South Africa on January 29-February 1.

The data, presented in two posters and an oral presentation, are highly supportive of the clinical development plans of MP0712 carrying the therapeutic isotope 212Pb for patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and other DLL3-expressing neuroendocrine cancers. The data from five evaluable patients were generated with MP0712 carrying the diagnostic isotope 203Pb under the leadership of Dr. Mike Sathekge as part of a Named Patient Access Program under the legal framework for compassionate care in South Africa (also referred to as Section 21 of the Medicines and Related Substances Act).

"I am highly encouraged by the data generated in my group suggesting a favorable distribution profile of MP0712, a DLL3-targeted radiopharmaceutical for patients with SCLC and NEC cancers,“ said Dr. Mike Sathekge, Professor and Head of Nuclear Medicine at the University of Pretoria and Steve Biko Academic Hospital, and President and CEO of the Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure (NuMeRI). During the imaging step with 203Pb, we observed in our patients a promising tumor uptake, paired with a clean profile in healthy organs indicating a therapeutic potential for MP0712. I look forward to seeing this confirmed in the upcoming Phase 1 study.”

The images show specific uptake as well as robust accumulation of MP0712 in tumor lesions, with limited uptake in healthy tissues, as intended. MP0712 is half-life engineered to promote tumor uptake over time via the DLL3 internalization and replenishment mechanism. Biodistribution of MP0712 in patients with various DLL3-expressing cancers, including small cell lung, urothelial, and other neuroendocrine cancers, provides a strong rationale for broad clinical development of MP0712 in SCLC and neuroendocrine cancers. The dosimetry extrapolations support the Phase 1/2a study design of MP0712 with 212Pb as therapeutic radioactive payload.

“The clinical data presented at TWC 2026 validate our assumptions and support the ongoing U.S. Phase 1/2a study, enabling us to initiate dosing of MP0712 within a potentially therapeutic range,” said Patrick Amstutz, Ph.D., CEO of Molecular Partners. “These encouraging results reinforce our ambition to become a leader in alpha‑targeted therapies for patients with small cell lung cancer and other neuroendocrine malignancies. We thank the NuMeRi team for the strong collaboration and look forward to continuing our work together across our emerging pipeline. The biodistribution and dosimetry data demonstrate exactly what we aim to achieve with Radio‑DARPins — strong tumor accumulation with rapid clearance from healthy tissues. We look forward to sharing initial Phase 1 safety and activity data in 2026 as we advance our Radio-DARPin platform to deliver potent alpha‑emitting radioisotopes to solid tumors across multiple indications.”

The Phase 1/2a study of MP0712 (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT07278479) is a multi-center study in the U.S., with the objectives to assess safety and determine a recommended phase 2 dose for MP0712 carrying the potent therapeutic isotope 212Pb. The study, which contains an imaging and dosimetry step with 203Pb-labeled MP0712, is ongoing with initial clinical data expected in 2026.

Details of the presentations at TWC 2026

Two Poster Presentations:

Abstract 207: First-in-human evaluation of DLL3-Targeting 203Pb/212Pb DARPin MP0712 SPECT/CT in high-grade neuroendocrine malignancies: safety, biodistribution, and optimal imaging windowsAbstract 260: First-in-human dosimetry of the DLL3-targeting 203Pb/212Pb theranostic DARPin MP0712 in patients with small cell lung cancer and high-grade neuroendocrine tumours Time & Presenters: Friday January 30, 2026, 17:30-18:30 SAST, by the NuMeRI team of Dr. Mike Sathekge.

Oral Presentation:
Title: From DARPins to Radio-DARPin Therapeutics - Progressing the first Radio-DARPin Therapeutic MP0712 (212Pb x DLL3) for SCLC into the clinic

Time: Saturday January 31, 2026; 10:30-12:00 SAST;
Session: “Antibody Drug Conjugates and Diversification of the Mechanisms of Action”
Presented by Molecular Partners

Webcast to be held on Monday February 2 at 8:00 ET (14:00 CET):
In addition to the presentations at TWC, Molecular Partners will host a webcast to discuss the new clinical data. Prof. Ken Herrmann, Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board at Molecular Partners, will comment on the clinical data in the webcast.

Details as follows:
For Participants who want to listen and view slides: Please register here.

For Participants who may want to ask a question following the presentation: Please register here. These participants will be provided with additional dial-in instructions to join the live conference call and will have the ability to “raise their hand" and ask a verbal question during the Q&A.

About Radio-DARPins

Molecular Partners’ Radio-DARPins are designed as ideal vectors for precise delivery of potent alpha-emitting isotopes to tumor lesions and have the potential to unlock a broad range of tumor targets for targeted radiopharmaceuticals. Building on the DARPins’ unique properties, Molecular Partners has developed a proprietary Radio-DARPin platform to address historic limitations of radioligand therapy, such as kidney accumulation and toxicity, and suboptimal tumor uptake. Molecular Partners’ Radio-DARPins addresses these limitations through half-life extension technologies and surface engineering approaches, while preserving the advantages of the small protein format.

About DARPin Therapeutics
DARPin (Designed Ankyrin Repeat Protein) therapeutics are a novel class of protein drugs based on natural binding proteins, which have been clinically validated across several therapeutic areas and developed through to the registrational stage. The key properties of DARPins – intrinsic high affinity and specificity, small size, flexible architecture, and high stability – offer unmatched advantages to drug design, such as multispecificity, broad target range, and tunable half-life. The Company’s Radio-DARPins enable highly effective and specific delivery of potent radioactive payloads to tumor lesions while sparing healthy tissues. Molecular Partners’ Switch-DARPins allow conditional, tumor-localized immune activation, which enables increased safety and potency for next-generation immune cell engagers. Powered by twenty years of DARPin leadership in the clinic, Molecular Partners has built an innovative, rapid and cost-effective DARPin drug design engine, including proprietary DARPin libraries and platforms, for candidates produced with optimized properties and tailored to therapeutic needs.

About Molecular Partners AG 
Molecular Partners AG (SIX: MOLN, NASDAQ: MOLN) is a clinical-stage biotech company pioneering a novel class of protein drugs known as DARPin therapeutics, for medical challenges other treatment modalities cannot readily address. Molecular Partners leverages the key properties of DARPins to design and develop differentiated therapeutics for cancer patients, including targeted radiopharmaceuticals and next-generation immune cell engagers. The Company has proprietary programs in various stages of pre-clinical and clinical development, as well as programs developed through partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies and academic centers. Molecular Partners, founded in 2004, has offices in both Zurich, Switzerland and Concord, MA, USA. For more information, visit www.molecularpartners.com and find us on LinkedIn and Twitter / X @MolecularPrtnrs

For further details, please contact:
Seth Lewis, SVP Investor Relations & Strategy
Concord, Massachusetts, U.S.
[email protected]
Tel: +1 781 420 2361

Laura Jeanbart, PhD, Head of Portfolio Management & Communications
Zurich-Schlieren, Switzerland
[email protected]
Tel: +41 44 575 19 35

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including without limitation: implied and express statements regarding the clinical development of Molecular Partners’ current or future product candidates; expectations regarding timing for reporting data from ongoing clinical trials or the initiation of future clinical trials; the potential therapeutic and clinical benefits of Molecular Partners’ product candidates and its RDT and Switch-DARPin platforms; the selection and development of future programs; Molecular Partners’ collaboration with Orano Med including the benefits and results that may be achieved through the collaboration; and Molecular Partners’ expected business and financial outlook, including anticipated expenses and cash utilization for 2026 and its expectation of its current cash runway. These statements may be identified by words such as “aim”, "anticipate", “expect”, “guidance”, “intend”, “outlook”, “plan”, “potential”, “will” and similar expressions, and are based on Molecular Partners’ current beliefs and expectations. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such statements. Some of the key factors that could cause actual results to differ from Molecular Partners’ expectations include, but are not limited to, those set forth in under the heading “Risk Factors” in Molecular Partners’ Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2024 and other filings Molecular Partners makes with the SEC from time to time. These documents are available on the Investors page of Molecular Partners’ website at www.molecularpartners.com.

Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are based on information available to Molecular Partners as of the date of this release, and Molecular Partners assumes no obligation to, and does not intend to, update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.​

The logo of Sanofi is seen a the French drugmaker's vaccine unit Sanofi Pasteur plant in Marcy-l'Etoile, near Lyon, France, September 30, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

SummaryCompaniesExperimental drug venglustat helps improve neurological symptoms for Gaucher disease patientsDrug fails on key goal in Fabry disease trialSanofi plans to discuss data, next steps with regulatory authoritiesLONDON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - French drugmaker Sanofi (SASY.PA), opens new tab said on Monday that its experimental genetic disorder treatment showed promise in a late-stage study of patients with a type of Gaucher disease, but failed to meet the main goal in a separate trial.

The oral drug, venglustat, was being tested in patients with Fabry disease and type 3 Gaucher disease. Both inherited conditions are caused by enzyme deficiencies that lead to the accumulation of toxic substances in the body.

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Previous failures in trials of patients with Parkinson's disease and a type of acute kidney disease have prompted Sanofi to prioritize testing the drug in rare genetic disorders, where its mechanism of blocking the buildup of harmful fatty molecules has yielded promising early-stage results.

Analysts have not projected future sales for venglustat as market expectations for its success remain low.

Sanofi is banking on its late-stage pipeline and recent acquisitions to help drive sales growth in the next decade, after the top-selling eczema and asthma drug Dupixent it shares with Regeneron (REGN.O), opens new tab loses exclusivity.

Sanofi's bet could pay off if venglustat is eventually approved, making it the first such drug to target neurological symptoms and giving patients an oral dosing option.

"A daily pill could make a serious difference for Gaucher patients facing neurological challenges," said Sanofi research chief Houman Ashrafian.

But the drug's path to regulatory approval looks murky, especially for Fabry disease. Ashrafian said data from the Fabry disease study was still being analysed, while the company said it would work with global regulators to determine next steps.

STUDY DETAILSThe drug showed superior improvements in neurological symptoms such as speech and limb coordination for type 3 Gaucher disease patients, compared to those who received enzyme replacement therapy. It also demonstrated statistically significant improvements on three of four secondary goals of that study.

In patients with Fabry disease, venglustat helped reduce neuropathic and abdominal pain, but not enough to declare statistical success. Sanofi suggested that may be due to a large placebo effect. The company said it helped reduce levels of plasma lyso-GL-3 in patients, which is an indicator of accumulated harmful fat molecules.

Sanofi already sells Fabrazyme, an enzyme‑replacement therapy for Fabry disease, and markets Cerezyme and the oral drug Cerdelga for Gaucher disease.

Reporting by Bhanvi Satija Editing by Bill Berkrot

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Bhanvi is a London-based reporter covering European pharmaceutical companies and the healthcare industry. She previously covered U.S. health and pharma firms, with a focus on the new weight loss drugs that are transforming the obesity treatment space. Her coverage includes a trend piece on the underuse of their weight-loss drugs among men, increased interest in therapies being developed for preservation of lean mass, and a scoop on gene therapy maker Sarepta defying an FDA order to stop shipping its muscular dystrophy treatment.

SummaryCompaniesBarry Callebaut changed CEO in JanuaryNew CEO Schumacher seen as right leader for growth phaseBoard opposed proposal to separate cocoa unit-sourceBarry Callebaut is world's top chocolate makerZURICH/LONDON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Barry Callebaut (BARN.S), opens new tab and its former CEO Peter Feld parted ways last month after a previously unreported clash at the top of the world's largest chocolate maker over a proposal to separate its cocoa business, two sources told Reuters.

Members of Barry Callebaut's board, including its chairman Patrick De Maeseneire, opposed the plan, the sources said. Cocoa accounted for 31% of Barry Callebaut's total sales revenue and 15.5% of its operating profit in 2024/25.

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Reuters reported in December that Barry Callebaut was in the early stages of looking into separating the lower-margin cocoa unit and possibly selling a minority stake at a later stage.

Feld and De Maeseneire did not respond to Reuters emails and calls seeking comment on the split within Barry Callebaut's leadership or the CEO's sudden exit from the Zurich-based firm.

Barry Callebaut, which supplies chocolate for Magnum (MICCT.AS), opens new tab ice cream and Nestle (NESN.S), opens new tab KitKat bars, named ex-Unilever (ULVR.L), opens new tab boss Hein Schumacher on January 21 to replace Feld, who joined the Swiss company as chief executive in 2023.

"One reason for the departure was diverging views regarding the company's future strategy," a person with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, asking not to be named because they were not authorised to speak publicly.

"The CEO was open to considering a separation of the cocoa unit and a potential transaction, but for parts of the Board - led by the chairman - this was a non-starter," they added.

Barry Callebaut declined to comment on any disagreement between the former CEO and its board. It said the Swiss company has a "fully integrated cocoa and chocolate business model".

'A NEW PHASE OF GROWTH'One of the sources said that Barry Callebaut's board, which had initially been more supportive of a split, backed off from the idea, leading to a clash with Feld over strategy at the company, whose ingredients are used in about one in four chocolate and cocoa products consumed globally.

Both sides agreed that a change was needed, the source said, adding that there were also other areas of disagreement, including on the level of investment in digitalization.

Reuters earlier reported that the proposal for separating the cocoa business was aimed at reducing Barry Callebaut's exposure to volatile prices for the chocolate ingredient.

The chocolate maker is under pressure because of high cocoa pricesCocoa demand has collapsed after a 2024 price surge, falling to 21-year lows in the fourth quarter of last year in Europe as chocolate makers shrink product sizes and reformulate recipes.

Barry Callebaut processes almost 1 million metric tons of cocoa a year, a fifth of global volume, and so is more exposed to price fluctuations than consumer-facing chocolate firms, who outsource some production to companies such as the Swiss group.

Separating the cocoa processing arm could allow Barry Callebaut to protect itself from commodity price swings, focus resources on its higher-margin chocolate business and optimise its financing, sources previously told Reuters.

The second source, who is close to the company, also said that there had been disagreement within the higher ranks of Barry Callebaut over the idea of separating the cocoa business.

In an internal memo to employees seen by Reuters, Barry Callebaut said that with its transition programme nearly complete and the company moving to "a new phase of growth", now was the right time for a CEO transition.

Schumacher was "the right leader at this stage to chart Barry Callebaut's next phase... based on our fully integrated cocoa and chocolate business model", the memo read.

Artisan Partners, which has a stake of some 10% in Barry Callebaut, welcomed Schumacher's appointment and indicated it should keep the cocoa unit which gives it "vertical integration".

"I think it's just a competitive advantage," David Samra, a managing director at Artisan Partners, told Reuters.

Reporting by Oliver Hirt, May Angel and Amy-Jo Crowley. Additional reporting by Paolo Laudani, Danny Callaghan, Alexander Marrow and Andres Gonzales Estebaran. Writing by Anousha Sakoui; Editing by Adam Jourdan and Alexander Smith

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

An award nominated Reuters reporter with experience working on high profile, agenda setting stories in a fast paced, real time news environment. Committed to producing fair and accurate stories that give all parties an opportunity to have their say. Currently responsible for covering high impact events in soft commodities and agricultural commodities more broadly, analysing industry trends and uncovering developments that drive the market. In this role, I have produced market moving investigative stories covering topics like commodity trade flows, corporate strategy, farmer poverty, sustainability, climate change and government policy.

A logo is pictured on Swiss private bank Julius Baer building in Geneva, Switzerland, November 21, 2024. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

ZURICH, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Swiss bank Julius Baer(BAER.S), opens new tab on Monday reported a net profit of 764 million Swiss francs ($988 million) for 2025, down 25% from 2024, but slightly above a consensus expectation of 679 million francs.

Assets under management grew by 5% to 521 billion francs, the bank said, with net new money of 14.4 billion francs matching a Zuercher Kantonalbank forecast.

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These inflows and rising global equity market valuations more than offset the impact of the stronger Swiss franc, Julius Baer said.

The bank did not announce any further writedowns after CEO Stefan Bollinger had to announce a series of negative surprises in 2025, his first year in office.

"All in all, 2025 was a successful transition year," Bollinger said.

($1 = 0.7730 Swiss francs)

Reporting by Ariane Luthi, Editing by Friederike Heine

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

TappAlpha Innovation 100 Growth & Daily Income ETF offers a high estimated annualized yield of 17.7% with monthly payouts and Nasdaq-100 exposure. TDAQ employs a 0DTE covered call strategy on the Nasdaq-100 Index, balancing income generation with limited upside growth potential. The ETF has maintained consistent, tax-efficient distributions, with 100% classified as return of capital, appealing to income-focused investors.

Solana-based DEX aggregator Jupiter announced that it is integrating Polymarket, bringing the decentralized prediction markets platform to Solana.

In a Sunday post on X, Jupiter said that it has launched a built-in "Prediction" feature in its app, allowing users to trade Polymarket contracts without leaving the Jupiter app.

"Integrating Polymarket is primed for making Jupiter the most innovative predictions platform on Solana," the exchange said in the announcement. The move positions Jupiter as a hub for prediction markets on Solana, combining its existing trading infrastructure with Polymarket's widely used event-based markets.

Polymarket has emerged as one of the most active prediction platforms, offering markets spanning politics, macroeconomic events, sports, and culture. The platform has seen explosive growth over the past year as interest in event-driven trading surged, particularly around major political and sporting events. 

According to The Block's data dashboard, combined trading volumes across Polymarket and rival Kalshi reached tens of billions of dollars last year and are on pace to set fresh records this year. In January 2026, Polymarket recorded $7.66 billion in volume, up from $5.31 billion the previous month, while Kalshi's volume rose to $9.16 billion from $6.58 billion in December.

The Jupiter integration comes as prediction markets expand beyond niche crypto users and into more mainstream trading experiences. In late January, Coinbase rolled out Kalshi-powered prediction markets to users in all 50 U.S. states, making a major step for federally regulated event contracts in the U.S. market.

Also last month, Polymarket signed an exclusive, multi-year sports licensing agreement with Major League Soccer, the largest professional soccer league in the U.S.

Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures.

© 2026 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

In brief Bitcoin’s weekend drop triggered more than $5 billion in liquidations since Thursday, driving futures open interest to its lowest level in nine months. Derivatives and options markets have turned defensive, with traders paying elevated premiums for downside protection and reducing leveraged exposure. Analysts remain split on the outlook, with some viewing the move as a healthy deleveraging phase, while others warn that macro conditions could pressure prices toward lower support levels. A sharp selloff has pushed Bitcoin into one of its largest CME futures gaps on record and driven momentum indicators to levels previously seen only during major drawdowns.

The leading crypto has slipped more than 10% from a weekend high of $84,177 to $75,947, according to CoinGecko data. 

The scale of the weekend rout is most visible in the CME futures gap. Because the world’s largest derivatives marketplace, CME, closes on Friday and reopens Monday, the price disconnect created a more than 8% gap—the fourth-largest since Bitcoin futures launched in 2017. 

The broader risk-off environment is being driven, in part, by a confluence of macroeconomic and geopolitical factors, experts told Decrypt. 

Key catalysts include the partial U.S. government shutdown, trade-war headlines, rising long-dated Japanese government bond yields, and geopolitical tensions, including the ongoing war in Iran and brewing friction in the South China Sea.

Occurring during a period of thin weekend liquidity, the slump triggered $2.56 billion in liquidations on Sunday, marking the largest single-event wipeout in over three months.

Since Thursday, total liquidations have exceeded $5.42 billion, per CoinGlass data. The deleveraging has effectively hollowed out the market’s speculative foundation, with aggregated open interest plummeting to $24.17 billion, a nine-month low, according to CryptoQuant data.

“The CME gap formed from this move is one of the largest since the March 2020 COVID selloff,” Jeff Ko, Chief Analyst at CoinEx Research, told Decrypt.

A CME gap forms when Bitcoin’s spot price moves while CME futures are closed, leaving a price gap when trading reopens that traders often expect to be revisited.

Ko noted that while most CME gaps tend to be filled within days to a week, the timing of a mean reversion move in February will "depend heavily on macro variables such as bond yields and broader risk sentiment."

The gap—sitting roughly between $77,000 and $84,000—will likely act as a magnet for traders once volatility compresses, Andri Fauzan Adziima, research lead at Bitrue, told Decrypt. 

“It probably won’t close this week with the current pressure, but a bounce could push it toward $84,000 in the next few weeks if we get oversold relief,” Adziima explained.

Further signaling extreme technical exhaustion, the Weekly Relative Strength Index (RSI) plummeted to 32.22. However, the breakdown below the 100-week moving average and the emergence of a "death cross" suggest a more bearish structural shift, the Bitrue analyst said.

Under pressureThe selloff has also pushed Bitcoin below a critical psychological floor: the average cost basis for U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, according to a tweet from Alex Thorn, Head of Research at Galaxy.

Bitcoin is trading below that threshold after the second and third-largest outflow weeks ever recorded. The decline has also brought Bitcoin dangerously close to Strategy’s average purchase price of roughly $76,000, according to Bitcoin Treasuries data. 

“While volatility is likely to persist through Q1 amid ongoing macro uncertainty, this environment may also present opportunities to accumulate Bitcoin at a discounted price,” Ko said, describing the current phase as a "healthy deleveraging" rather than a structural bear market.

In the options market, the outlook remains defensive. Bitcoin’s 7-day and 30-day 25 delta skew dropped below -12% and -8%, respectively, over the weekend, signaling that investors are paying a significant premium for downside protection (puts). 

“Traders have switched to defense mode. Futures positions are shrinking, and options show heavy buying of puts,” Adziima added. 

While the Bitrue analyst forecasted a $70,000 to $60,000 target, the CoinEx analyst remains conservative, citing a $68,000 to $70,000 range as a key support zone.

However, Lai Yuen, investment analyst at Fisher8 Capital, told Decrypt that the largest discretionary buyers, such as corporate treasuries, may be "tapped out" for now. 

“Speculative capital from retail participants has shifted into space stocks, AI, and memory stocks,” Yuen said. “There needs to be a reason for capital to rotate back into crypto assets.”

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Team and investor tokens now set to unlock in August 2026 as the IP-focused blockchain moves to slow new supply, tighten token economics and buy time to build network usage amid weak market sentiment. Feb 2, 2026, 4:43 a.m.

Layer 1 blockchain Story Protocol has delayed the scheduled unfreezing of its $IP token by six months, opting to keep a larger share of supply locked for longer as debate intensifies over how crypto projects manage token releases.

In a statement, Story said the decision is part of a broader set of long-term measures aimed at strengthening alignment with its community and reinforcing the network’s economic foundations, describing the delay as a way to introduce new liquidity more gradually alongside lower emissions and wider participation.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

“When we launched Story, our mission was to build foundational infrastructure for programmable intellectual property,” Story said in a statement. “While that mission remains unchanged, our understanding of where the strongest traction is forming, and what long-term success requires has continued to evolve.”

The $IP token is trading around $1.45 to $1.50 right now. That's down about 32% over the past 30 days, worse than the CoinDesk 20 Index's 22% drop, highlighting the tough market conditions Story mentioned.

Under the revised schedule, the first major release of previously locked team, investor, and early contributor tokens will shift from February 2026 to August 2026.

Story says the change doesn't touch the total 1 billion token supply, individual allocations or legal ownership, and only alters the timing at which locked tokens may enter circulation. The foundation added that an automated smart-contract mechanism has been introduced to enforce the updated lockup terms, while emphasizing that it does not gain custody of wallets or the ability to move tokens.

Token unlocks are closely watched events in crypto markets because sudden increases in circulating supply can weigh on prices, and recent research has suggested that large releases often lead to delayed selling pressure rather than immediate rebounds.

Analysts frequently point to so-called low-float, high-fully-diluted-valuation launches, where a small portion of tokens trade freely while most remain locked, as a source of volatility and investor distrust when vesting periods expire.

On-chain metrics compiled by DeFiLlama show Story has had nearly non-existent activity so far, with less than $100 in daily on-chain revenue, underscoring how much of the token’s $500 million valuation remains tied to future expectations rather than present cash flow.

Late last year, Story's co-founder Jason Zhao announced he was stepping back from day-to-day operations to join a new AI venture.

Traders are zeroing in on a cluster of bids near $87,500 and repeated sell pressure under $90,000, a setup that looks like a tug of war into month end. Feb 2, 2026, 5:01 a.m.

Bitcoin’s BTC$75,906.11 price action looked strangely lethargic early last month even as traditional assets such as precious metals and equities pushed to fresh highs.

The world’s largest cryptocurrency repeatedly failed to clear the $90,000 level — a stall that, in hindsight, foreshadowed the recent sharp sell-off to $75,000.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

At the time, traders blamed everything from a flight to safer assets and fading crypto demand to churns in spot ETF flows and month-end positioning. But some analysts say the real story was visible well before prices broke down — sitting in plain sight in exchange order books.

According to Keith Alan, co-founder of trading analytics firm Material Indicators, order-book data showed persistent sell-side pressure below $90,000 that consistently smothered upside momentum, even when broader market conditions appeared supportive.

In posts on X, Alan said Material Indicators’ FireCharts tool showed repeated waves of visible sell liquidity appearing just above spot prices, effectively pinning bitcoin near the lower end of its range.

FireCharts shows $BTC price is being suppressed by one entity using a liquidity herding strategy to push price lower, potentially to get their own bids filled, or possible to keep price pinned in the lower end of this range before Friday's options expiry.

A significant amount of… pic.twitter.com/c63miAxBkh

— Material Indicators (@MI_Algos) January 29, 2026 He described the behavior as a form of “liquidity herding,” where large orders shape market behavior by nudging price toward levels that benefit the dominant participant.

Think of it like a crowded auction where one very large player controls the room. By placing sizeable sell orders where everyone can see them, buying appears risky. As buyers hesitate, price drifts sideways or lower, allowing that player to quietly accumulate at more favorable levels.

This tactic doesn’t rely on news or fundamentals. It uses the order book itself to influence behavior — and it often shows up around options expiry, when keeping price within a specific range can reduce losses or improve payouts for large traders.

At the same time, order-book data showed a dense cluster of bids building between roughly $85,000 and $87,500. That zone repeatedly absorbed sell pressure and acted as a near-term floor during bitcoin’s consolidation phase.

“If that support held, it was seen as a potential base for another attempt higher,” Alan said at the time. “But once it breaks, things can unwind quickly.”

That warning proved prescient. When bitcoin finally slipped below the lower end of that bid cluster, selling accelerated rapidly as thin liquidity amplified each move. The breakdown marked a decisive failure of the range that had contained prices for weeks.

Bitcoin tested lows near $74,000–$76,000 over the weekend, highlighting a fragile battle between dip buyers and forced sellers in a thin market.

BTC in "bearadise"Meanwhile, Alan had previously warned that a monthly close below roughly $87,500 — the opening level for 2026 — would represent a clear technical failure. He referred to such a scenario as a move into “Bearadise,” shorthand for a phase where downside momentum feeds on itself as confidence erodes.

Large players influencing short-term price action through liquidity placement is not new in crypto markets.

Whales and high-frequency traders have long used visible order-book depth to shape expectations, often trapping smaller traders on the wrong side of the move.

In hindsight, however, the same order-book dynamics that kept bitcoin pinned below $90,000 also left it vulnerable once support gave way.

2 mins mins

Key Points:

Binance announces Zama listing for trading pairs on February 2.Zama price saw fluctuations from $0.1585 to $0.042.$11 million raised in Zama’s Pre-TGE Prime Sale on Binance. Binance announced the listing of Zama for spot trading with pairs ZAMA/USDT, ZAMA/USDC, and ZAMA/TRY, commencing February 2, 2026, at 21:00 (UTC+8).

This new listing on a major exchange could increase Zama’s market presence, driven by its focus on privacy through confidential smart contracts in cryptocurrency trading.

Binance’s $11 Million Pre-TGE Prime Sale Boosts Zama Binance’s official announcement confirmed that Zama would be available for spot trading beginning on February 2, 2026, offering trading pairs with USDT, USDC, and TRY. Preceding this announcement, Binance handled a Pre-TGE Prime Sale via its Web3 Wallet, raising $11 million.

Zama’s market activity showed notable fluctuations in premarket trading, with prices ranging from $0.1585 to approximately $0.042. This volatility underscores the market’s anticipation of the listing and its potential impact on Zama’s market dynamics.

BingX offers exclusive rewards and top-tier security for new and high-volume crypto traders.

Market anticipation continued to build as Binance, one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges, facilitated the Pre-TGE Prime Sale. Unverified Binance Square posts highlighted a positive sentiment but lacked official backing. No major statements were issued by key figures from Binance or Zama.

Zama Faces 72% Price Drop Ahead of Binance Listing Did you know? Binance’s listing of Zama marks a significant milestone for the privacy-focused blockchain protocol, as it leverages Fully Homomorphic Encryption to enable confidential smart contracts, distinguishing itself from traditional blockchain protocols.

According to CoinMarketCap, Zama currently trades at $0.04 with a market cap of slightly over $97 million. It commands nearly no market dominance and has seen a significant 72.17% price drop over the past 60 days, with 2.2 billion Zama in circulation.

Zama(ZAMA), daily chart, screenshot on CoinMarketCap at 05:08 UTC on February 2, 2026. Source: CoinMarketCap Coincu’s research team suggests the listing may lead to enhanced liquidity and market presence for Zama. Historical price data shows variability typically observed in new token listings. Technological advancements driven by Fully Homomorphic Encryption may attract investors seeking privacy-focused blockchain solutions.

DISCLAIMER: The information on this website is provided as general market commentary and does not constitute investment advice. We encourage you to do your own research before investing.

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'This is absolutely INSANE."

While the comment came from a social media post, the painful knee-jerk reaction is likely reverberating across the board for anyone even remotely interested in crypto, as bitcoin just plunged to near $77,000 on Saturday and has held there since.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

The price of the largest digital asset didn’t just stumble; it plunged through the $80,000 floor, hitting levels not seen since the "tariff tantrums" of April 2025.

By Saturday afternoon, in thin weekend liquidity, at just above $77,000, bitcoin had seen a staggering $800 billion in market value vanish since its October peak above $126,000, and about $2.5 billion in leveraged long positions liquidated in 24 hours.

The wipeout has even pushed bitcoin out of the global top 10 assets, where it had been for a long time, now trailing institutional heavyweights like Elon Musk's Tesla and Saudi Aramco.

To say that this selloff has been painful would be putting it mildly, as social media is in full-blown panic mode, and wherever you look, there is blood on the street. And this is not just isolated to bitcoin; this week has been painful across all asset types, from tech stocks to precious metals.

Historic week of downturns (Max Crypto/X)

If you’re wondering why the "digital gold" narrative has suddenly gone silent, here is the breakdown of the three-headed monster currently driving the market into a state of "Extreme Fear."

1. Geopolitics rattles the 'safety' tradeThe immediate spark on Saturday was a literal explosion. Reports of a potential sharp military escalation between the U.S. and Iran sent risk appetite into a deep freeze. In a repeat of a familiar script, traders didn't treat bitcoin as a safe haven; they treated it as a liquidity source.

In times of war, investors typically engage in a "flight to safety," moving capital into the U.S. Dollar. Because bitcoin is a 24/7 market, it often acts as the "first responder" to global panic. On Saturday, it served as the world’s ATM, being sold off to cover losses and find safety amid a thin, low-liquidity weekend.

Not to mention that liquidity, since the Oct. 10 crash (which has many pointing fingers at Binance), has never recovered, making market dynamics even more fragile heading into this weekend.

2. Gold and silver face a 'hard money' resetBitcoin wasn’t the only victim this week. The broader "store of value" trade came under siege. Gold plunged 9% in a single trading session on Friday to just under $4,900, while Silver suffered a historic 26% crash to $85.30.

In a bizarre twist, the traditional "safe havens" of gold and silver are being sold off alongside crypto. Analysts suggest that the massive rally in the U.S. Dollar — ignited by the nomination of Kevin Warsh to lead the Fed—has made these dollar-priced metals too expensive for international buyers, leading to a massive "de-risking" across all hard assets.

In early Sunday trade, both gold and silver are bouncing from that difficult Friday, up 1% and 3%, respectively. Currently, gold is trading near $4,730 and silver around $81.

3. The 'liquidation trap'The geopolitical shock hit a market already "bruised" by Washington's shifting political landscape. As the price slipped, it triggered a massive mechanical breakdown in the markets.

According to data from Coinglass, over $850 million in bullish bets (long positions) were wiped out in a matter of hours on Saturday when prices started to crumble, eventually adding up to nearly $2.5 billion. These liquidations occur when traders borrow money to bet that the price will rise; once the price hits a certain "trap door," exchanges automatically sell their holdings to repay the debt. This creates a "domino effect" — forced selling leads to lower prices, which trigger even more liquidations. Across the board, nearly 200,000 traders had their accounts "blown out" on Saturday.

4. Michael Saylor's very bad dayTo make matters worse, bitcoin’s price plummeted briefly below Michael Saylor’s Strategy (MSTR) average entry point of approximately $76,037, putting his massive bitcoin stack "underwater." Panic set in that he might have to be forced to sell his stash, making the selloff even deadlier.

However, CoinDesk debunked that theory, explaining that Saylor won't be forced to sell his bitcoin stash, given none of his coins are pledged as collateral. What it does mean, though, is that it will hinder his ability to raise cheap capital to buy more bitcoin in the open market.

Although Saylor later came out signaling that he would "buy the dip, the damage was done. The market realized that if a large corporation, such as Strategy, can't raise more capital to buy bitcoin in the open market, the already fragile market will be left with no buyers, becoming vulnerable to forced liquidations and profit-taking.

Consequently, the sentiment has shifted from "moonshot" optimism to defensive hedging, as investors rush to buy price insurance in the options market against further slides toward $75,000.

5. Wall Street on edge: U.S. futures turn redThe contagion is already leaking into traditional finance.

While the New York Stock Exchange is closed for the weekend, U.S. Stock Futures, which opened for trade on Sunday evening (U.S. East Coast time), are lower across the board; the Nasdaq is down 1% and the S&P 500 is off 0.6%.

Get ready for a potential messy Monday!

6. Whales vs. the world: a tale of two investorsPerhaps the most telling part of this crash isn't the price; it’s the wallet data.

According to Glassnode data, small investors are running. "Small Fish" (holders with less than 10 BTC) have been persistently selling bitcoin for over a month. They are capitulating, spooked by a 35% drop from the $126,000 all-time high.

Meanwhile, "mega-whales" (those holding 1,000+ BTC) have been quietly adding to their stacks. This cohort is now back at levels not seen since late 2024, effectively absorbing the coins that panicked retail traders are dumping. Although their buys weren't significant enough to move the price upwards.

7. Bigger picture: The inevitable human greedNow let's zoom out and compare this weekend's selloff and current market dynamics with those that played out before.

To be clear, this cycle is not all doom and gloom. The likes of BlackRock and JPMorgan of the traditional finance have been going all in on crypto through exchange-traded funds and stablecoins. Regulatory frameworks are being created around the world to make crypto more accessible and usable for the masses, and many legitimate crypto companies are trading publicly and turning into part of many fund managers' "must-have" stock allocations. None of these were even remotely thinkable during previous cycles.

But the parallels between the last four months and the beginnings of the crypto winter in late 2021/early 2022 are perhaps growing, and while the names and methods may have changed, human behavior and the boom-bust nature of markets haven’t.

The likes of Three Arrows Capital, Do Kwon and TerraUSD, BlockFi, and Sam Bankman-Fried might have been replaced by the Trump family’s alleged naked profiteering, Michael Saylor's massive buying and promises of an 11% risk-free rate in a world of 3% risk-free rates, and well-followed crypto Twitter personalities who teamed up with investment bankers to make a quick buck in digital asset treasury companies.

Just as in 2021, these new dynamics have probably created a speculative bubble that has likely collapsed in 2026. The only question now is how long and how deep the downturn will be.

While no one has fond memories of the 2022 crypto winter — with the price of bitcoin falling 80% — the timeline was relatively brief, roughly one year from the blowoff top to the bottom. From there, bitcoin quickly doubled in price, rose through 2023, and ultimately hit a new record in early 2024.

In theory, if there were another 80% decline from the October 2025 high of $126,000, bitcoin would be around $25,000. It's a scary number to even think about, but it might be necessary to wipe out the worst of this past bull-market grift and clear the decks for another sustained run higher.

The denouement of the 2022 bear market came not far after the collapse of FTX and the arrest of its CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried. Whether bracelets will be necessary for any of this cycle’s bull market personalities remains to be seen.

"It’s only when the tide goes out that you discover who’s been swimming naked," said Warren Buffett. The tide may not be fully out yet, but it surely feels like it's headed that way.

Read more: How instant gratification is sucking the air out of the bitcoin market

Bitcoin price started a major decline below $80,000. BTC is down over 10% and might soon test the $70,000 support zone.

Bitcoin failed to remain above $82,500 and started another decline. The price is trading below $80,000 and the 100 hourly simple moving average. There is a bearish trend line forming with resistance at $79,200 on the hourly chart of the BTC/USD pair (data feed from Kraken). The pair might dip further if it trades below the $75,000 and $74,000 levels. Bitcoin Price Dips Again Bitcoin price failed to remain stable above the $85,000 zone. BTC started a major decline below the $83,200 and $82,500 levels. The bears were able to push the price below $80,000.

It spared major bearish moves, pushing the price below $78,000. A low was formed at $75,665, and the price is still signaling more downsides. There is also a bearish trend line forming with resistance at $79,200 on the hourly chart of the BTC/USD pair.

Bitcoin is now trading below $78,500 and the 100 hourly simple moving average. If the price remains stable above $75,000, it could attempt a fresh increase. Immediate resistance is near the $78,500 level. The first key resistance is near the $79,200 level or the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the downward move from the $90,440 swing high to the $75,665 low.

Source: BTCUSD on TradingView.com A close above the $79,200 resistance might send the price further higher. In the stated case, the price could rise and test the $82,000 resistance. Any more gains might send the price toward the $83,000 level or the 50% Fib retracement level of the downward move from the $90,440 swing high to the $75,665 low. The next barrier for the bulls could be $84,000 and $84,500.

More Losses In BTC? If Bitcoin fails to rise above the $79,200 resistance zone, it could start another decline. Immediate support is near the $76,200 level. The first major support is near the $75,500 level.

The next support is now near the $75,000 zone. Any more losses might send the price toward the $72,000 support in the near term. The main support sits at $70,000, below which BTC might struggle to recover in the near term.

Technical indicators:

Hourly MACD – The MACD is now gaining pace in the bearish zone.

Hourly RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The RSI for BTC/USD is now below the 50 level.

Major Support Levels – $75,500, followed by $75,000.

Major Resistance Levels – $79,200 and $82,000.

Cryptocurrency XRP

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Arslan Butt

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Arslan Butt

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Arslan Butt is an experienced webinar speaker, market analyst, and content writer specializing in crypto, forex, and commodities. He provides expert insights, trading strategies, and in-depth analysis...

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2 minutes ago

On February 2, 2026, XRP is trading between $1.59 and $1.61, continuing its recent decline as the overall crypto market faces pressure. In the past 24 hours, XRP fell about 3 to 4 percent, and over the last week, losses reached 12 to 16 percent.

This drop has brought XRP to its lowest point in almost nine months, about 19 percent below its January highs. Trading remains busy, with about $4 billion traded in one day. This shows that many traders are still active, even as prices fall.

For beginners, moves like this often show fear and uncertainty in the market, not a problem with the project itself.

Why XRP Is Falling: Bitcoin and the Bigger PictureA main reason XRP is having trouble is its strong link to Bitcoin. Currently, XRP moves in the same direction as Bitcoin about 87 percent of the time. So when Bitcoin falls, most other coins, including XRP, usually follow.

Investors are also responding to global economic worries. Recent changes in US Federal Reserve leadership have made people think interest rates could stay high for longer. When this happens, traders often lower their risk and move money out of volatile assets like crypto.

Simply put, XRP is not falling by itself. It is part of a larger market pullback.

XRP ETFs Show Buyers Stepping InEven though the price has dropped, there are some positive signs. On January 30, XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs) had $16.79 million in net inflows, according to SoSoValue. This means more money went into these funds than came out, despite large withdrawals earlier in the week.

The biggest inflows came from:

21Shares’ TOXR ETF: $8.19 million Bitwise XRP ETF: $3.91 million Canary XRP ETF: $2.79 million Franklin’s XRPZ ETF: $1.90 million For new investors, this shows that some institutions view the recent drop as a chance to buy, not a reason to worry.

XRP Technical Analysis: Why $1.55 MattersLooking at the charts, XRP price prediction is bearish as XRP is still in a short-term downtrend, which means prices are mostly moving lower. On shorter time frames, XRP faces resistance near $1.65 to $1.68, while buyers are trying to hold support around $1.55.

A popular indicator called the RSI (Relative Strength Index) is close to 30, which often means selling pressure is easing. However, this does not yet confirm a rebound.

XRP Price Chart Source: TradingviewIf XRP falls below $1.55, the next level to watch is around $1.48. If it rises above $1.68, that would be the first sign of improving momentum, with a chance to recover toward $1.75 to $1.82.

Right now, XRP seems to be settling down instead of crashing. If selling keeps slowing and the overall market mood gets better, this period could help set up a steadier recovery in the future.

Bitcoin Hyper: The Next Evolution of BTC on Solana?Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) is bringing a new phase to the BTC ecosystem. While BTC remains the gold standard for security, Bitcoin Hyper adds what it always lacked: Solana-level speed. The result: lightning-fast, low-cost smart contracts, decentralized apps, and even meme coin creation, all secured by Bitcoin.

Audited by Consult, the project emphasizes trust and scalability as adoption builds. And momentum is already strong. The presale has surpassed $31.4 million, with tokens priced at just $0.013665 before the next increase.

As Bitcoin activity climbs and demand for efficient BTC-based apps rises, Bitcoin Hyper stands out as the bridge uniting two of crypto’s biggest ecosystems. If Bitcoin built the foundation, Bitcoin Hyper could make it fast, flexible, and fun again.

Click Here to Participate in the Presale

Popular market commentator Jim Cramer offered a cheeky take on Bitcoin's (CRYPTO: BTC) latest crash Sunday, urging Strategy Inc. (NASDAQ:MSTR) founder Michael Saylor to “jam up” the apex cryptocurrency. Cramer's Tongue-In-Cheek Remark In an X post, Cramer proposed that Saylor should wait until about 6:30 pm to observe the S&P futures, and then attempt to push Bitcoin's price up to $82,500 from $76,500.

Shalini Nagarajan

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Shalini is a crypto reporter who provides in-depth reports on daily developments and regulatory shifts in the cryptocurrency sector.

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Last updated: 

1 hour ago

A fresh bout of turbulence hit Bitcoin and equities markets at the Asia open on Monday, after a historic wipeout in precious metals spilled into risk assets and left investors bracing for a packed week of earnings, central bank meetings and headline economic data.

In early trading, Bitcoin hovered around $75,000 after dipping below $76,000 in thin weekend conditions, revisiting levels last seen during the fallout from Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs last year.

Asian share markets tracked Wall Street futures lower, as traders digested Friday’s metal shock and turned cautious ahead of a heavy calendar. MSCI’s broad Asia-Pacific index outside Japan fell 0.7%, and South Korea dropped 1.0%.

Japan stood apart. The Nikkei 225 gained 0.7% after opinion polls pointed to a landslide for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party in next week’s lower house election, a result investors see as supportive of large-scale stimulus and a weaker yen.

Market snapshot Bitcoin: $75,549, down 4% Ether: $2,210, down 9.3% XRP: $1.56, down 6% Total crypto market cap: $2.62 trillion, down 4.3% The mood stayed skittish in commodities. Silver extended its rout and at one point fell another 5%, after Friday’s roughly 30% crash squeezed leveraged positions in what had become a crowded trade.

Gold also remained under pressure after a Friday slide that marked its steepest daily fall since 1983, while silver suffered its worst single-day loss on record.

Oil slipped almost 3% after Trump said over the weekend Iran was “seriously talking” with Washington, a comment that traders read as lowering the immediate risk of a US military strike. Iran stayed a key geopolitical swing factor for energy.

Markets Brace For Earnings And Central Bank DecisionsCurrency moves added another layer. The dollar stayed firm after Trump nominated Kevin Warsh as the next Federal Reserve chair, a pick markets viewed as potentially less friendly to rapid rate cuts, and more pointed about the Fed’s balance sheet.

Equity futures in Europe and the US edged lower, with S&P 500 futures down 0.2% and Nasdaq futures off 0.4% as investors positioned for results from Alphabet, Amazon and AMD, and for more scrutiny on AI spending after Microsoft drew a chilly reception.

That earnings focus lands alongside major policy meetings, including the Reserve Bank of Australia, European Central Bank and Bank of England, with markets pricing about a 75% chance the RBA lifts rates to 3.85% to tackle resurgent inflation.

Data due in Asia includes S&P Global manufacturing PMIs for Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, plus inflation prints for Indonesia and Pakistan, while Malaysia remains closed.

Bitcoin plunges below $85K, triggering $320M in liquidations as market volatility surges and traders scramble to manage leveraged positions.

Emir Abyazov2 min read

2 February 2026, 03:42 AM

Bitcoin price today plunged below the key $85,000 mark, shaking market sentiment and triggering a sharp wave of liquidations across crypto exchanges. The sudden drop pushed BTC down nearly 6% intraday, marking one of the steepest short-term corrections in recent weeks.

$320 Million in Liquidations Rock the MarketAccording to derivatives data, more than $320 million in crypto positions were liquidated over the past 24 hours, with Bitcoin accounting for the majority of wiped-out trades. Long positions made up over 80% of total liquidations, signaling that bullish traders were caught off guard by the rapid downturn.

Liquidations occur when leveraged traders fail to maintain margin requirements, forcing exchanges to automatically close positions. This creates a domino effect — as prices fall, more positions are liquidated, accelerating selling pressure and deepening volatility.

Why Did Bitcoin Fall Below $85K?Market analysts attribute the move to a mix of profit-taking near recent highs and broader macro uncertainty. After an extended rally, funding rates had climbed, signaling overcrowded long positions. The correction appears to have flushed excessive leverage from the system, resetting derivatives markets.

Interestingly, on-chain metrics show limited movement from long-term holders, suggesting the sell-off was largely driven by short-term traders. Historically, Bitcoin has experienced similar 10-15% pullbacks during bullish cycles before stabilizing.

Key support levels now sit around $82,000 and $80,000, with traders watching closely for either a rebound or further downside.

Despite the sharp dip, volatility remains a defining trait of the crypto market — and rapid corrections often reshape sentiment just as quickly as rallies build it.

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Bitcoin

Ethereum price today fell sharply beneath the crucial $2,200 support level, rattling traders as leveraged positions were crushed. The broader crypto market’s weakness, including Bitcoin pressure, added to the sell‑off, highlighting the fragility of sentiment around the second‑largest digital asset.

$180 Million in Liquidations Shake ETH TradersOver the past 24 hours, more than $180 million in Ethereum positions were liquidated, with long leveraged trades making up most of the losses. When ETH breaks key supports, forced liquidations can create cascading selling, pushing price action even lower and amplifying volatility.

Liquidations occur when traders using borrowed funds fail to maintain margin requirements, triggering automatic position closures by exchanges. This mechanism can intensify rapid downward moves like the recent slide under $2,200.

Analyst Sees Potential Drop Below $2,000Bloomberg analyst Mike McGlone warned that Ethereum could move below $2,000 if current market conditions persist, highlighting risks from macroeconomic uncertainty and elevated funding rates. His analysis suggests that while short-term traders face pressure, long-term holders may remain more stable.

On-chain data shows limited movement from long-term wallets, indicating the sell-off is largely driven by leveraged positions and short-term traders. Critical support levels now sit near $2,000 and $1,950.

In a related bearish outlook reported recently, analysts noted that if ETH loses major support zones, further declines below $2,000 could unfold, with prices possibly dipping into deeper demand areas that have historically been tested during sharp corrections.

What Traders Are Watching NowCritical support clusters now sit around $2,000 and down to $1,800, levels that analysts have flagged as possible next price floors if selling pressure continues. Traders are closely watching whether bulls can defend these zones or if further liquidation events will unfold.

Despite the current weakness, some market participants remain attentive for oversold bounces or technical relief rallies, typical in highly volatile crypto conditions.

XRP price extended losses and traded below $1.60. The price is now consolidating and might decline further if it remains below $1.50.

XRP price started a fresh decline below the $1.650 zone. The price is now trading below $1.60 and the 100-hourly Simple Moving Average. There is a key bearish trend line forming with resistance at $1.650 on the hourly chart of the XRP/USD pair (data source from Kraken). The pair could continue to move down if it stays below $1.650. XRP Price Dives 15% XRP price failed to stay above $1.80 and started a fresh decline, like Bitcoin and Ethereum. The price declined below $1.720 and $1.650 to enter a short-term bearish zone.

The price even spiked below $1.550. A low was formed at $1.50, and the price is now consolidating losses. There was a recovery wave above $1.550. The price even cleared the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the downward move from the $1.938 swing high to the $1.50 low.

The price is now trading below $1.60 and the 100-hourly Simple Moving Average. If there is a fresh upward move, the price might face resistance near the $1.60 level. The first major resistance is near the $1.650 level. There is also a key bearish trend line forming with resistance at $1.650 on the hourly chart of the XRP/USD pair.

Source: XRPUSD on TradingView.com A close above $1.650 could send the price to $1.720 or the 50% Fib retracement level of the downward move from the $1.938 swing high to the $1.50 low. The next hurdle sits at $1.770. A clear move above the $1.770 resistance might send the price toward the $1.80 resistance. Any more gains might send the price toward the $1.8350 resistance. The next major hurdle for the bulls might be near $1.90.

Another Decline? If XRP fails to clear the $1.60 resistance zone, it could start a fresh decline. Initial support on the downside is near the $1.540 level. The next major support is near the $1.5150 level.

If there is a downside break and a close below the $1.5150 level, the price might continue to decline toward $1.50. The next major support sits near the $1.4650 zone, below which the price could continue lower toward $1.420.

Technical Indicators

Hourly MACD – The MACD for XRP/USD is now gaining pace in the bearish zone.

Hourly RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The RSI for XRP/USD is now below the 50 level.

Major Support Levels – $1.540 and $1.50.

Major Resistance Levels – $1.60 and $1.650.

Contrary to a common assumption, not all utility stocks are the same.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is still the biggest and best investment opportunity of an entire generation. But are investors looking right past the best way to play it?

Maybe. As it turns out, the industry's most underappreciated bottleneck isn't a lack of computing power, or for that matter, a lack of AI data centers. It's a lack of the massive amount of electricity needed to power the business. Goldman Sachs predicts that data centers' worldwide demand for electricity is set to grow by 165% between 2023 and 2030, mostly led by the ongoing proliferation of artificial intelligence.

There are several ways to supply this energy, with some operators even establishing their own on-premise power production facilities. Utilities companies remain best positioned to meet this growing need, though, and likely will be for the foreseeable future. They'll also see a great deal of unexpected growth, rewarding shareholders as a result.

And one of these utility names is arguably better positioned to plug into this growth than any of its peers. That's Constellation Energy (CEG 2.35%).

Image source: Getty Images.

Constellation is unique If the name rings a bell, it may be because Constellation was the company that announced in September 2024 it intended to restart one of the nuclear power reactors at Pennsylvania's infamous Three Mile Island, after agreeing to supply electricity to a nearby AI data center owned and operated by technology giant Microsoft.

This is only a microcosm of the much bigger dynamic in place at this time, though, as well as Constellation Energy's ability to quickly increase production of electricity that the world is now demanding. With 21 nuclear reactors at 12 different sites accounting for 86% of its output, this company is the nation's single-biggest producer of carbon-free electricity. In fact, this outfit has more nuclear power production potential than the rest of the United States' nuclear producers combined.

Perhaps more important to interested investors, however, is the fact that this nuclear-rich mix means Constellation's got room to increase output from its existing and operational nuclear reactors quickly. That's why its usually slow-growing top line is expected to experience accelerated growth this year and next, and continue accelerating from there once Three Mile Island is brought back online, and as other production projects are completed and brought online.

Data sources: StockAnalysis.com, Simply Wall St. Chart by author.

Right place, right time, right product Nuclear power isn't the only option to supply AI-focused data centers with the power they need, of course. Electricity is electricity regardless of how it's produced.

Nuclear power solves the enormous problem here and now, though, and does so cost-effectively. That's why Goldman Sachs adds that global nuclear power production is set to grow more than 50% by 2040. Meanwhile, boosted by executive orders issued by President Donald Trump, the World Nuclear Association predicts the United States' nuclear power production capacity could quadruple by 2050. Given that Constellation Energy is already a well-proven player in this space, it's difficult to see how it wouldn't be one of the biggest beneficiaries of this evolution of the energy industry.

Today's Change

(

-2.35

%) $

-6.77

Current Price

$

280.68

The stock's recent setback stemming from the federal government's threats of capping electricity rates following its third quarter is more near-term noise than long-term warning, creating a nice buying opportunity here.

James Brumley has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Constellation Energy, Goldman Sachs Group, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

There is a good reason why Micron's stock is cheap.

Finding cheap stocks with huge growth potential is a potent combination. This combines value investing with growth investing, and if done correctly, can yield incredible investment returns.

One area that has gotten a lot of attention over the past few years is artificial intelligence (AI), so it seems odd to find a value stock hiding in this area. However, Micron (MU 4.87%) appears to be that way.

Wall Street expects huge growth this year, yet the stock trades for a relatively cheap price tag. So is this a genius buy? Or is there a catch?

Image source: Getty Images.

Micron's stock is cheap for a reason Micron makes memory chips, which are distinctly different from logic chips such as those produced by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The primary difference between memory and logic chips is that there isn't really any differentiating technology between memory chips. This area has become commoditized, which means the companies in the space have relatively little pricing power.

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However, if demand outstrips supply, then prices can skyrocket, and that's exactly what's happening.

If you haven't checked on RAM prices for laptops or computers recently, do yourself a favor and research them. Prices have spiked because memory chips are being completely consumed by the massive demand caused by the data centers being built to power generative AI. As a result, companies like Micron can increase their prices to account for the huge supply imbalance.

This is the core reason why Micron's earnings are expected to explode throughout the year. Micron's fiscal year 2026 ends in August, and Wall Street analysts expect Micron's earnings per share (EPS) to increase from $8.29 in FY 2025 to $33.31 in FY 2026. Beyond that, they expect further growth to $42.79 in FY 2027. That's huge growth powered by insatiable AI demand, and it may be several years before memory companies have built enough capacity to meet demand.

But that's the major problem with Micron. Memory demand is incredibly cyclical, and it could crash shortly after Micron and its peers have built enough production capacity to meet demand. This will reduce memory chip prices and cause the stock to slump. The market is well aware of this, which is why the company's stock trades for a dirt cheap 13 times forward earnings.

MU PE Ratio (Forward) data by YCharts

The primary question is: How long will AI demand last? Many estimates expect the buildout to occur through at least 2030, which gives Micron stock about five years to benefit from soaring memory prices. This factor could make Micron stock a great buy now, but you'll have to pay attention to the right time to sell.

I prefer my investments to be a bit steadier, which is why I don't own Micron stock. However, I still think there's a great investment opportunity here, and savvy investors can make a great return by investing in Micron stock.

Keithen Drury has positions in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Micron Technology and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Rising free cash flow, a 4% dividend, and a new $10 billion share buyback program have investors hitting the buy button.

Shares of AT&T (T +4.30%) jumped more than 10% this past week, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence.

The wireless carrier delivered an impressive quarterly financial report and issued a bullish long-term growth forecast.

Image source: AT&T.

AT&T is back to its winning ways A focus on bundled offerings is helping AT&T attract more customers. The communications leader won 421,000 postpaid phone and 283,000 fiber subscribers in the fourth quarter.

During a conference call with analysts, CEO John Stankey said AT&T saw an upturn in the portion of its fiber customers that also subscribed to its wireless services.

"Our fiber convergence rate climbed 200 basis points year over year to 42%, which is our fastest annual increase since we began tracking this metric," Stankey said. "This is further evidence that where we have fiber, we win with fiber and 5G."

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Moreover, AT&T's postpaid churn rate -- an important metric of account cancellations -- came in at less than 1%. Investors were happy to see that the wireless giant was also doing an admirable job of retaining its existing customers, despite the promotional activity of rivals like Verizon and T-Mobile.

More cash for shareowners In all, AT&T's convergence-based strategy helped it generate $16.6 billion in free cash in 2024. The telecom expects that figure to grow to more than $21 billion by 2028.

AT&T intends to pass much of that cash on to shareholders. Its stock currently sports a 4.2% dividend yield. The company's board of directors also approved a new $10 billion stock buyback program.

Joe Tenebruso has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends T-Mobile US and Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Alliance to Enhance Shonan Beauty Clinic Brand Recognition in China and Support Growth in Inbound Medical Demand to Japan

, /PRNewswire/ -- SBC Medical Group Holdings Incorporated (Nasdaq: SBC) ("SBC Medical" or the "Company"), a global provider of comprehensive consulting and management services to medical corporations and their clinics, today announced that Medical Corporation Nasukai, a Japan-based medical corporation supported by SBC Medical and the operator of Shonan Beauty Clinic, has entered into a strategic business alliance with Daibi Medical Aesthetics, a medical aesthetic clinic based in Shanghai, China. The alliance aims to enhance the quality of services at Daibi Medical Aesthetics by sharing Nasukai's clinical expertise, operational know-how, and customer-centered practices cultivated by its long-standing experience in aesthetic medicine. The collaboration also seeks to strengthen recognition in China of the Shonan Beauty Clinic brand's safety standards and advanced medical technologies.

Commemorative photo following the signing ceremony held at Daibi Medical Aesthetics These efforts aim to deepen SBC Medical's understanding of China's medical environment and customer needs, while supporting increased inbound customer visits to Shonan Beauty Clinic in Japan and exploring long-term revenue opportunities associated with growing cross-border medical demand.

Established in 2021, Daibi Medical Aesthetics subsequently opened its clinic in 2022 in Shanghai's North Bund area. The clinic operates approximately 2,200 square meters of floor space and provides community-based medical aesthetic services. Under the alliance, physicians affiliated with Nasukai will work within Daibi Medical Aesthetics' clinical framework to share knowledge and expertise related to medical safety, clinic operations, and consultation practices. The two parties will also explore opportunities to promote mutual understanding and professional exchange in the field of aesthetic medicine between Japan and China, with specific initiatives being considered in phases.

The alliance comes amid growing global interest in medical tourism, defined as international travel for the purpose of receiving medical services. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global medical tourism market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.0% from 2024 to 2032, reaching approximately USD 62.18 billion by 2032.

As global interest in medical tourism continues to rise, Japanese aesthetic medicine has gained strong recognition, particularly across Asia, for its advanced medical technologies, safety standards, and attentive consultation practices. Reflecting this trend, inbound customer visits to Shonan Beauty Clinic have increased steadily, nearly tripling from approximately 600 customers in early 2024 to around 1,700 customers by the end of 2025.To support this growing demand, Shonan Beauty Clinic has enhanced its inbound medical infrastructure through initiatives such as the development of Chinese-language translation tools and the renewal of its Chinese and English language official websites, providing overseas customers with clear and reliable medical information and a supportive care environment.

Shonan Beauty Clinic (Chinese): https://cn.sbc-beauty.com/
Shonan Beauty Clinic (English): https://en.sbc-beauty.com/

This alliance is expected to further support these efforts by enabling deeper insight into medical practices and customer expectations in China, contributing to a more seamless and consistent customer experience from pre-visit information to post-treatment follow-up, while also supporting improvements in the quality and reliability of aesthetic medical services at the local level.

Through its consulting and management support for medical institutions including Shonan Beauty Clinic, SBC Medical remains committed to building constructive partnerships with local stakeholders, fostering sustainable international medical exchange through medical tourism, and delivering customer-centered medical care that transcends national and regional boundaries.

About Daibi Medical Aesthetics
Location: Room 3301, No. 1158 Dongdaming Road, Hongkou District, Shanghai, China
CEO: Haibo Yu
Business: Provision of medical aesthetic services

About Nasukai
Location: 2F Maruito Ginza Building, 1-3-9 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Chairman: Keisuke Takeda
Business: Comprehensive medical services spanning specialized medicine, aesthetic medicine, insured medical care, and elective treatments

About SBC Medical Group Holdings Incorporated
SBC Medical Group Holdings Incorporated is a comprehensive medical group operating a wide range of franchise businesses across diverse medical fields, including advanced aesthetic medicine, dermatology, orthopedics, fertility treatment, dentistry, AGA (hair restoration), and ophthalmology. The Company manages a diverse portfolio of clinic brands and is actively expanding its global presence, particularly in the United States and Asia, through both direct operations and medical tourism initiatives. In September 2024, the Company was listed on Nasdaq, and in June 2025, it was selected for inclusion in the Russell 3000® Index, a broad benchmark of the U.S. equity market. Guided by its Group Purpose "Contributing to the well-being of people around the world through medical innovation," SBC Medical Group Holdings Incorporated continues to provide safe, trusted, and high-quality medical services while further strengthening its international reputation for quality and trust in medical care.

For more information, visit https://sbc-holdings.com/
For more insights and updates from SBC Holdings, follow us on LinkedIn

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts or statements of current conditions, but instead represent only the Company's beliefs regarding future events and performance, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company's control. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to, among other things, the Company's product launch plans and strategies; growth in revenue and earnings; and business prospects. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may," "should," "expects," "anticipates," "contemplates," "estimates," "believes," "plans," "projected," "predicts," "potential," "targets" or "hopes" or the negative of these or similar terms. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which are current only as of the date of this release and are subject to various risks, uncertainties, assumptions, or changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict or quantify. The forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and are not guarantees of future performance. The Company does not undertake or accept any obligation to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all of them; such factors include, among other things, changes in global, regional, or local economic, business, competitive, market and regulatory conditions, and those listed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), which are accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

Contacts
SBC Medical Group Holdings Incorporated
Hikaru Fukui / Head of IR Department E-mail: [email protected]
Akiko Wakiyama / Head of Public Relations: E-mail: [email protected]

ICR LLC (US Time)
Bill Zima / Managing Partner E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE SBC Medical Group Holdings Incorporated

HomeIndustriesSoftwareTech StocksTech StocksAfter issuing an $18 billion bond offering last fall, Oracle intends to tap the debt and equity markets anew in 2026Published: Feb. 1, 2026 at 9:04 p.m. ET

To finance its artificial-intelligence ambitions, Oracle is looking to raise more money, which could further stoke Wall Street’s fears about the level of financing underpinning the AI boom.

The company announced on Sunday that it intends to raise $45 billion to $50 billion in “gross cash proceeds” this year, split approximately between debt and equity issuance.

It's going to be a tale of two halves for the company this year.

UPS (UPS +0.26%) management surprised the market with its fourth-quarter earnings and guidance last week. The most salient update was free-cash-flow (FCF) guidance for $6.5 billion in 2026, up from an adjusted figure of $5.5 billion in 2025. That will be more than enough to cover its planned $5.4 billion in dividends, which currently yield 6.1%.

As such, the stock appears highly attractive to investors seeking passive income. Still, is it enough to make the stock a buy?

Image source: Getty Images.

UPS guidance The guidance for FCF of $6.5 billion in 2026 is significantly above the Wall Street analyst consensus of $5.3 billion going into the earnings report. To be fair, it's something CFO Brian Dykes said would happen back in October, when discussing FCF in the context of covering the dividend: "We've got a dividend of around $5.4 billion to $5.5 billion, and we expect it [free cash flow] to be above that in the very near future."

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What UPS has to do to hit guidance The case for investing in UPS centers on its plan to focus on more profitable deliveries, such as those for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and healthcare operations. By moving away from lower-margin deliveries, such as those from Amazon, UPS aims to become a more profitable, cash-generating company.

Those adjustments involve investing in automation and smart facilities to improve productivity (allowing for 93 building closures in 2025 with plans for another 24 in the first half of 2026). In addition, CEO Carol Tomé said UPS had 127 buildings automated at the end of 2025 and planned to add another 24 in 2026, resulting in 68% of U.S. volume processed through automated facilities at the end of 2026, up from 66.5% at the end of 2025. She also noted cost per piece (CPP) was 28% lower in automated buildings.

All these changes are expected to result in U.S. cost per piec normalizing from an adjusted rate of 7.2% in 2025 to "kind of normal inflation level," according to Dykes, on the earnings call. At the same time, management expects revenue per piece (RPP) to grow by a mid-single-digit percentage in 2026.

As such, management expects to end 2026 with revenue per piece above cost per piece as part of a year of inflection characterized by declining revenue (as Amazon deliveries continue to decline) and operating profit margins in the first half. This is expected to lead to a reversal of fortune in the second half as non-Amazon SMB deliveries and enterprise deliveries grow at a mid-single-digit rate, resulting in revenue and margin expansion.

UPS should exit 2026 in good shape The result is forecast to be slightly better revenue growth and a similar adjusted operating profit.

Metric 

2024

2025

2026 Estimate

Revenue

$91.1 billion

$88.7 billion

$89.7 billion

Adjusted operating profit margin

9.8%

9.8%

9.6%

Adjusted operating profit

$8.9 billion

$8.7 billion

$8.6 billion

Data source: UPS presentations.

Although the 2026 headline guidance may not stand out, the main takeaway is that UPS will reach a turning point in 2026. By the end of the year, profit margins should expand, revenue per piece will grow faster than cost per piece, and the company will generate higher-quality revenue thanks to less reliance on Amazon and greater growth in healthcare and SMB revenue.

In addition to the $3.5 billion in savings generated in 2025, management plans another $3 billion in cost savings as it lays off 30,000 workers and closes buildings. Meanwhile, the FCF estimate of $6.5 billion is supported by an intended reduction in capital spending to $3 billion in 2026 from $3.7 billion in 2025.

Image source: Getty Images.

Is UPS stock a buy? Based on management's outlook, UPS stock is attractive and will suit investors seeking passive income. That said, the tale of two halves means investors will have to be patient to see the full benefits of management's actions in the numbers. Furthermore, investors are entitled to ask whether the capital spending cut and the $5.4 billion in dividends are holding back investment in automation and technology (further improving productivity) or investments to fuel revenue growth in chosen end markets.

UPS looks good as a cautious buy for investors right now, but there's a lot of work to do before it hits the forecast numbers that make its stock look attractive.