Market Signal Briefing

American Bitcoin Corp. purchased an additional 329 BTC on Monday as part of its Bitcoin accumulation strategy. The latest purchase increased its total Bitcoin reserve to over 5,427 BTC, worth more than $508.5 million at current BTC prices.

The Trump family-backed firm currently ranks as the 19th-largest publicly traded Bitcoin treasury company by holdings, ahead of KindlyMd and below Next Technology Holding.

Eric Trump, Chief Strategy Officer of ABTC, acknowledged that the firm has grown and surpassed a flurry of Bitcoin treasury companies in just over three months. At the time of publication, ABTC’s market capitalization stands at $1.65 billion.

ABTC sees a surge in BTC Yield

American Bitcoin has increased its total Bitcoin reserve to ~5,427 BTC and achieved a BTC Yield of ~105.0% from its Nasdaq debut on September 3, 2025 through January 2, 2026. pic.twitter.com/KbEujDVriw

— American Bitcoin (@ABTC) January 5, 2026

The Trump-backed company added its Bitcoin holdings amid a combination of mining operations and strategic purchases. ABTC stated that the initiative follows an agreement with Bitmain, which includes BTC held in custody or pledged for miner purchases.

ABTC recently unveiled its Bitcoin yield metric to boost its existing Satoshis Per Share (SPS) disclosure. The Bitcoin yield gauge measures the percentage change in SPS over defined periods. 

The Trump family-backed firm reported a surge in its SPS to 556. Since the company’s Nasdaq debut on September 4, 2025, through January 2, 2026, American Bitcoin has achieved a BTC Yield of approximately 105%. The firm also promised to regularly update its users on its website and social media about its BTC holdings, SPS, Bitcoin Yield, and other performance metrics.

American Bitcoin’s stock is trading at $2.05 at the time of writing, up 14.8% for the day. The Bitcoin mining firm’s share price has also surged nearly 16.5% in the past 5 days.

Data from Quiver Quantitative revealed that ABTC insiders have traded the firm’s stock on the open market five times since July 2025. Two traders made purchases, while the remaining three made sales. 

The analytics firm also noted that LENDING CA, LLC, Anchorage, made no purchases and three sales of 2,534,490 shares for approximately $20,189,718. RICHARD BUSCH only bought 276,000 shares of ABTC for around $490,480. Quiver Quantitative noted that approximately 59 institutional investors added shares of ABTC stock to their portfolios, with no sales in Q4 2025.

A flurry of Bitcoin mining companies also posted positive gains in their stocks on Monday, including Bitfirms, which surged nearly 10% to $2.86. Mara Holdings added 4.89% to $10.40, and Hut 8 Corp’s share price increased by 13.2% to $58.03.

Other digital asset treasury companies (DATs) posted positive advances late last year, including Strive. The company added another 101.8 BTC in the last quarter of 2025, increasing its total BTC holding to approximately 7,696 BTC, valued at around $708 million.

ABTC’s Bitcoin purchase follows BTC’s rally above $93K
ABTC’s initiative to purchase additional BTC comes as Bitcoin’s price pushes above $93,000. The digital asset is currently trading at around $93,688, up more than 7% in the past 7 days. The surge in BTC prices comes as traders brace for the mix of geopolitical developments and early-year positioning across the markets.

There’s a notable rebound in U.S. demand, evident in the surge of the Coinbase Bitcoin Premium in the first week of this year. The metric had dropped to its lowest level in 9 months on Thursday, recording a negative 0.018% amid BTC trading at around $88,000. The metric has improved to-0.03%, signaling a return of U.S. capital flows into the markets.

As the overall crypto market recovers in the first week of 2026, traders are eyeing the $95,000 level for continued momentum. Head of OTC at Wintermute, Jake Ostrovskis, argued that it’s worth waiting for the U.S. market session to confirm or reject the move. He pointed to the late-2025 reverse pattern or U.S. selling, noting that BTC plummeted by 5.45% during U.S. trading hours, but gained 10% during APAC hours.

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In brief
Bitfinex hacker Ilya Lichtenstein has been released from prison years early and is now on home confinement.
Lichtenstein and his recently freed wife Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan both credited President Trump with their early releases.
Trump admin officials confirmed the release of Lichtenstein, but did not say whether the White House intervened.
Ilya Lichtenstein, who orchestrated the theft of over $11 billion worth of Bitcoin from crypto exchange Bitfinex in 2016, is out of prison years ahead of schedule—and credits President Donald Trump with the early release.

Months prior, Lichtenstein’s wife and convicted co-conspirator, Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan, was also released early from prison. Morgan similarly thanked Trump for her early release. 

A Trump administration official confirmed to Decrypt on Monday that Lichtenstein is in fact out of prison.

“This individual has served significant time on his sentence and is currently on home confinement consistent with statute and Bureau of Prisons policies,” the official said.

The official did not respond to further inquiries regarding whether the White House played any role in securing Lichtenstein’s early release.

The convicted money launderer was sentenced in November 2024 to five years in prison for stealing over 119,000 BTC from Bitfinex. Lichtenstein managed to obtain the funds by exploiting a vulnerability in the crypto exchange’s security infrastructure, with his wife convicted for helping to launder the stolen funds.

The stolen Bitcoin, valued at $71 million at the time, is now worth some $11.2 billion. The funds were eventually recovered by the U.S. government.

Upon his release on New Year’s Day, Lichtenstein credited “President Trump’s First Step Act” with his early release from federal prison.

“To the supporters, thank you for everything,” Lichtenstein said. “To the haters, I look forward to proving you wrong.”

In 2018, President Trump signed the First Step Act, a bipartisan prison reform bill that, among other things, offered new pathways for certain inmates to be “pre-released” into home confinement. Certain elderly and terminally ill inmates are permitted to serve the remainder of their sentences at home, and inmates can also earn up to 54 days a year of “good time credit” that can accumulate towards early pre-release.

It is not clear whether Lichtenstein qualified as elderly or terminally ill, or had accumulated sufficient good time credit to be pre-released barely a year after receiving his sentence. The Bureau of Prisons did not immediately respond to Decrypt’s request for comment on the matter.

Upon her own release from prison in October, Lichtenstein’s wife, the rapper Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan, thanked President Trump for the early exit—but made no mention of the First Step Act.

“I want to give a shoutout to Papa Trump for making my 18-month sentence shorter,” Morgan said from her bathtub. “So razzle-fucking-dazzle.”

At the time, a White House official told Decrypt that Morgan’s early release was “not due to a commutation from the president.”

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Solana crowd and smart money sentiment have both turned positive, signaling improving conviction across retail and informed participants. 

Market Profit sentiment gauges show crowd sentiment near neutral-positive, while smart money sentiment prints stronger bullish readings. This alignment rarely appears during sustained downtrends. 

At the same time, U.S. spot Solana ETFs recorded a $10.43 million net inflow in a single day. Cumulative inflows now approach $775 million, while total AUM has climbed above $1.02 billion. 

These flows suggest commitment rather than speculative rotation. However, sentiment alone cannot drive price. 

Therefore, confirmation must emerge from price structure and flow behavior before a durable trend develops.

Solana rebounds as buyers defend demand
Solana’s price has rebounded from a clearly defined descending channel, with buyers repeatedly defending the $120–$135 demand zone. 

Price printed higher lows inside the channel’s lower boundary before pushing toward its midpoint.

 Parabolic SAR dots flipped below price, signaling a short-term momentum shift. Importantly, sellers failed to force continuation breakdowns despite repeated tests. 

This behavior reflects demand absorption rather than weak relief buying. Resistance now sits near $145, followed by broader structural levels around $170 and $200. 

However, price must reclaim the channel top to confirm trend reversal. Until then, Solana trades in recovery mode rather than expansion.

Source: TradingView

Solana spot flows hint at quiet accumulation
Spot market data continues to show net negative flows, reinforcing accumulation behavior despite modest price recovery. At the time of writing, Solana recorded a $4.17 million net outflow from exchanges. 

This pattern has persisted for weeks. Traders continue removing SOL during consolidation rather than depositing into rallies. 

Historically, prolonged negative netflows reduce immediate sell pressure. However, price has not reacted aggressively yet. That disconnect suggests accumulation occurs without leverage-driven chasing. 

Therefore, spot participants appear patient, positioning ahead of confirmation rather than reacting to short-term price fluctuations. This dynamic supports structural stabilization instead of speculative exhaustion.

Source: CoinGlass

Longs regain control across derivatives
Derivatives positioning increasingly favored longs, especially on Binance. Long accounts represented roughly 72.6% of positions, while shorts saw near 27.4%. The Long/Short Ratio was at 2.6, reflecting rising directional confidence. 

Importantly, this shift developed gradually rather than through sudden spikes. Such behavior reduces liquidation risk from overcrowded longs. 

However, leverage alone cannot sustain upside without spot confirmation. Therefore, derivatives traders appear to anticipate continuation rather than force it. 

This positioning aligns with improving sentiment and spot accumulation, strengthening the broader recovery narrative.

Source: CoinGlass

Shorts absorb downside liquidation pressure
Liquidation data shows downside pressure getting absorbed rather than accelerating. At press time, total short liquidations reached approximately $7.82 million, while long liquidations stayed near $0.8 million. 

Binance, Hyperliquid, and Bybit accounted for most short-side liquidations. 

These events occurred without sharp price collapses. That response indicates sellers lost control near local lows. Meanwhile, longs remained largely intact, reflecting disciplined positioning. 

However, liquidation absorption alone does not guarantee reversal. It instead confirms weakening downside momentum. Therefore, Solana now trades in a zone where sellers struggle to regain dominance.

Source: CoinGlass

To conclude, Solana now sits at a structural crossroads where sentiment, flows, and positioning converge. ETF inflows and sentiment alignment support upside potential. 

However, price must confirm by reclaiming key resistance zones. Until then, Solana’s recovery remains constructive but unproven.

Final Thoughts

Solana appears to be transitioning from corrective exhaustion into a phase of strategic repositioning.
The market now faces a conviction test, where follow-through matters more than signals aligning.

TLDR:

XRP is in a compression zone within a descending channel on the 5-day chart.
Analysts identify a controlled correction that typically precedes aggressive expansion phases.
The $2.30 level is established as the definitive resistance to confirm a trend shift.

The recent behavior of Ripple is keeping the cryptocurrency market on edge, as XRP technical analysis shows alignment signals across multiple timeframes. In this regard, analyst EGRAG stated that the asset has entered a relevant technical phase, characterized by a compression structure that has historically served as a prelude to explosive price movements.

https://twitter.com/egragcrypto/status/2008045949600346159

Currently, XRP is trading within a clean descending channel. This is not a sign of weakness or mass distribution; experts suggest that this structure reflects a controlled correction following the previous strong bullish momentum. The price is accurately respecting the channel boundaries, indicating that the market is “cooling off” its momentum before the next major move.

Key Levels to Confirm the XRP Breakout
For the asset to validate a structural change toward a bullish scenario, three conditions must be met. First, the asset needs a sustained close above the 21-period Exponential Moving Average (21 EMA). Second, a successful retest that turns this level into solid support is vital. Finally, the definitive signal would be a decisive breakout above the $2.30 barrier.

If the price surpasses $2.30, the market structure would change drastically. Projections based on previous resistance clusters foresee that the next technical target would sit in the $3.10 to $3.30 range.

In summary, despite the uncertainty, structural probabilities favor an upside resolution. Descending channel patterns usually resolve with an upward expansion once buying pressure overcomes supply at the edge of the vertex. For now, investors remain attentive to daily closes, seeking confirmation that this cycle will emulate the historic growth seen in previous years.

In the past 7 days alone, the token has booked a 6.2% increase, and a handful of technical indicators are flashing extremely bullish signals.

Bitcoin’s funding rate has hit its highest level since October 5, back when the token reached its latest all-time high. Data from CoinGlass shows that, on January 1, the OI-weighted funding rate hit 0.011%.

A strong spike in BTC’s funding rate indicates that speculators have jumped back into the market and seem to believe that this could be the beginning of the top crypto’s next leg up.

The last time this metric reached this mark during a bearish cycle was in September this year. Back then, the price of BTC recovered by 10%, moving from $108,000 to $117,000 in just a few weeks.

Key Macro Catalysts to Watch This Week
Despite the latest uptrend, Bitcoin’s open interest (OI) is still on a downtrend. Data from CoinGlass shows that traders’ exposure to the token in the futures market has dropped from 752,000 BTC in mid-November to 663,000 BTC at the time of writing.

However, market sentiment is improving. The Fear and Greed Index has bounced back from a record low of 11 a few weeks ago to 42 at the time of writing. This means that investors’ attitude has shifted from Extreme Panic to Neutral following BTC’s latest consolidation.

Jupiter formally launched JupUSD, its reserve-backed stablecoin facilitated by Ethena Labs, and it is pegged to the US dollar. 

According to the post, JupUSD is launching on battle-tested stablecoin rails, and initially only 90% of reserves will be held in USDtb, a licensed, GENIUS-compliant stablecoin, collateralized by BlackRock’s BUIDL Fund, with a 10% USDC liquidity buffer, paired with a secondary pool on Meteora.

Jupiter debuts its JupUSD stablecoin 
Jupiter’s JupUSD stablecoin is being launched with the aid of Ethena Labs, which has experience in the stablecoin market as it has issued over $16 billion in stablecoins to date, including Frax’s USDe integrations and MegaETH’s USDm.

The team has claimed that as time passes, they plan to transition a portion of reserves to USDe in a bid to heighten flexibility, resilience, and encourage efficient economics for the Jupiter ecosystem.

They also claim that JupUSD was built with security in mind, which they attribute to institutional-grade self-custody with Porto by Anchorage Digital. Furthermore, the codebase itself is fully open-sourced, with 3 independent audits from entities like Offside Labs, Guardian Audits, and Pashov Audit Group, all completed before the launch.

To comply with the existing regulations, Jupiter has ensured its new stablecoin does not offer any yields. What it has are powerful integrations like Jup Lend, which can be used to lend, borrow, or even multiply, with benefits not otherwise available for other stablecoins.

“By depositing into Lend’s Earn Vaults, you’ll receive jlJupUSD, which gives you unique promotional rewards on top of your standard lending rewards,” the team claimed on X. 

There are also plans in place to set up borrow vaults that will provide JupUSD with additional liquidity and utility, a tandem they claim was made possible due to Jupiter’s unified product stack.

The next item on the team’s agenda is to integrate JupUSD into the rest of the Jupiter product suite. These include: “Limit Orders & DCA (rewards-while-you-wait), Mobile (one-balance UX), Perps (via JLP collateral), and prediction markets (settlement),” ultimately resulting in “One dollar, unified across every product.”

How did the community receive JupUSD?
The launch has been warmly welcomed by community members who piled into the comments section to praise the team for its near-flawless execution. 

Of course, there were those who expressed skepticism, with one user demanding to know what was wrong with USDT and USDC. “Why did we need a new stable coin? What problem are you solving here?” The user asked. 

Another prevalent question that came up in the comment section was about how JUP holders or stakers would benefit from the creation of JupUSD. 

At any rate, the bullish vibes far outweighed the skepticism as users expressed a desire to see how the launch would change things and what it would ultimately mean for the Jupiter ecosystem in the future. 

The Jup stablecoin was first announced last year during Solana Breakpoint, along with six other ecosystem upgrades that had people praising the team for constantly shipping great things. During the event, executives claimed controlling both the dollar and the transaction platform would have benefits across use cases, creating a self-reinforcing flywheel effect.

Jupiter’s other ecosystem upgrades 
The ecosystem upgrades Jupiter revealed at Solana Breakpoint were touted as deliberate enhancements to its existing infrastructure rather than entirely new directions. Aside from JupUSD, they talked about Jupiter Lend exiting beta and going fully open-source to promote transparency. 

They also mentioned upgrading Jupiter Verify by transforming it into a comprehensive trusted data layer for token verification, metadata updates, and high-signal insights. They hope it will help curb scams and vamp tokens. 

Other upgrades include the deployment of a unified dashboard for builders who are using Jupiter APIs; the creation of a professional standard trading terminal; the implementation of a unified system for incentives, and the acquisition of Rain.fi, a peer-to-peer lending protocol they plan to use to build an offer book with launch scheduled for the first quarter of 2026.

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TL;DR

XRP holds a narrow range near $2.27, supported by institutional ETF inflows and a supply squeeze as exchange balances hit 7-year lows.
The XRP Ledger is one of the fastest-growing real-world asset (RWA) networks, signaling adoption.
Despite positive on-chain metrics, price is capped by heavy derivative liquidation clusters between $2.50–$3.20.

XRP enters a new phase powered by institutional demand, while price holds a narrow range near $2.266 as of January 5, 2025. On-chain and derivatives metrics improve, yet spot remains subdued, prompting debate over consolidation versus broader risk caution. Traders track supply absorption, exchange balances, and liquidity pockets that continue to cap upward attempts.

ETFs drain supply while XRPL usage accelerates
U.S. spot XRP ETFs have attracted over $1 billion in cumulative inflows since launch, pulling circulating supply away from exchanges. Exchange balances stand near a seven-year low around 1.6 billion XRP, down from 3.76 billion in October 2025. Programmed purchases and periodic rebalancing reduce immediate sell pressure and tighten float available for short-term trading.

XRPL adoption advances in parallel. Over the past 30 days, the ledger ranks as the fastest-growing real-world asset network, posting nearly 18% growth and trailing only Canton. In the same window, Ethereum, Solana, and Avalanche lag on a relative basis. 

Payment rails, tokenized deposits, and compliance-oriented registries anchor new trials. In previous cycles, deeper usage often precedes repricing, although timing depends on liquidity conditions and funding costs across crypto.

Derivatives positioning explains why upside momentum stalls
Liquidity clusters remain heavy in the $2.50–$3.20 area, where unclaimed liquidations from earlier advances concentrate. Market makers and directional desks defend that region with resting offers and dynamic hedges, creating a ceiling that absorbs breakout attempts. Until buyers clear that supply, rallies fade into mean reversion.

Spot structure remains range-bound between $1.73 support and $2.32 resistance since mid-November. RSI trends near neutral, while MACD prints mixed reads without a confirmed impulse. 

Order books show firm bids above $1.73–$1.90, where taker activity slows and passive depth thickens. Imbalances flip closer to $2.25–$2.32, where liquidity takers meet layered offers and hedging flows from perps desks.

Portfolio managers adjust tactics to the microstructure
Directional mandates prioritize entries only after $2.32 breaks on rising volume with funding near flat. Tactical accounts prefer staggered bids near $1.73–$1.90 when books display durable depth and negative basis softens. Both profiles track open interest build-ups, funding skews, and basis curves across major venues to avoid chasing thin moves.

TL;DR

Jupiter launches JupUSD, a new stablecoin, alongside a broader package of infrastructure upgrades.
JupUSD aims to be a decentralized, transparent, and over-collateralized stablecoin.
The upgrades are part of Jupiter’s ongoing strategy to become a central DeFi hub on Solana.

Jupiter launched JupUSD, a new stablecoin built with Ethena, and announced seven coordinated platform upgrades. The plan adds a Developer Platform, a trading Terminal, and the acquisition of Rain.fi.

The decentralized exchange reports $1.08 trillion in combined spot and perpetuals volume in 2025 and holds $2.7 billion in TVL. With the bundle, the team targets fragmented data, counterfeit assets, and the lack of professional-grade tools.

The stablecoin for onchain finance has arrived.

Introducing: JupUSD

A reserve-backed stablecoin pegged to the US Dollar, designed to power the next chapter of finance.

Let’s dive in 👇 pic.twitter.com/dE0pIj35UV

— Jupiter (@JupiterExchange) January 5, 2026

Users apply the stablecoin in DCA orders, limit orders, and prediction markets, with native routing through the aggregator and its perp and lending modules. Executives argue that running both the dollar unit and the execution rails creates measurable synergies: higher retention, lower friction, and a value loop that returns to the protocol through more trades and interest.

JupUSD integration and network effects on Solana
JupUSD enters with deep integration, which already handles billions in stablecoin volume via swaps, perpetuals, and lending. The result aims at an end-to-end stack: issuance, routing, liquidity, and execution tools in one circuit. Listing controls and live monitoring seek to cut counterfeit listings and improve liquidity and slippage signals.

Western Union plans a US Dollar Payment Token on Solana with Anchorage Digital Bank in H1 2026 for cross-border remittances. In parallel, the Solana Foundation and Wavebridge are building a compliance-ready KRW-pegged stablecoin as South Korea advances its legislative framework. These moves raise competition for stable deposits and add more settlement pairs for DEX and lending venues.

On credit, Jupiter Lend exited beta, went fully open source, and surpassed $1 billion in total supply in eight days. The team links the pace to curated listings, constrained incentives, and direct integration with the aggregator. Pairing JupUSD with Lend reduces product hops and trims hidden costs for end users.

The package also introduces a Terminal with unified execution, risk dashboards, and auditable market feeds. The Developer Platform standardizes build kits, permissions, and testing, and clarifies how external teams plug into core Jupiter modules. The Rain.fi acquisition adds expertise in collateralized lending and pricing for less liquid assets, where clear metrics and predictable liquidations matter.

In brief
Bitcoin is bouncing in the new year, giving hope to crypto bulls.
BTC is now trading above its average price over the last 200 days, a trend not seen since October.
Bitcoin could now be poised to exit the dreaded "death cross" formation, a bearish pattern that formed in November.
The new year has started off with a bang—and one that initially had nothing to do with crypto. When U.S. Delta Force operators dragged Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro out of his fortified compound in Caracas on January 3, financial markets erupted into chaos. Gold surged above $4,400 per ounce, the S&P 500 rallied on tech momentum, and Bitcoin—after spending weeks trapped in a suffocating range—finally broke free.

Today's price action shows BTC trading at $93,958, up 2.69% on the day. But it's not the percentage gain that matters here. It's where that price sits: above the 200-day exponential moving average for the first time since October. If the trend persists, Bitcoin could break free from the “death cross” formation it painted on charts back in November.

That's a big deal for traders who've been watching Bitcoin struggle through what was supposed to be a triumphant year under a crypto-friendly Donald Trump administration.

Despite a pretty bullish first semester last year, Bitcoin ended up with a negative 6% performance in 2025. After a 125% rally in 2024 that sent BTC screaming past $100K, the market sold the news once Trump actually took office. All those policy changes and regulatory shifts were already priced in by the end of 2024, and 2025 ended up being the usual "buy the rumor, sell the news" scenario that left crypto investors nursing losses while gold and silver posted their best years since 1979.

Traditional safe havens have been crushing it while Bitcoin—the supposed "digital gold"—has struggled to hold $90K. The geopolitical backdrop has provided markets with a mixed bag. With Maduro now detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, oil markets are in FUD mode, and investors are piling into anything that looks like a hedge against chaos.

But here's the thing about chaos: it cuts both ways. The same geopolitical uncertainty that's driving institutional money into gold is also reminding crypto natives why Bitcoin was invented in the first place. When governments can capture sitting heads of state in midnight raids and declare they'll "run" entire countries, suddenly the idea of an asset that governments can’t easily seize or control starts looking pretty attractive again.

Bitcoin (BTC) price: The squeeze finally breaksBitcoin had been coiling tighter and tighter for weeks, trading in a narrow band between $85,000 and $90,000. Today, it gave in to the upside, starting the week at $91,498 and spiking to its current price of $93,925 with no upside wicks. Today’s candlestick is strong, all body no wicks, decisively breaking its most important resistance.

Bitcoin (BTC) price data. Image: TradingviewFor the first time since October, Bitcoin is trading above the 200-day exponential moving average. That's the line that separates longer-term bullish structure from bearish drift. When you're above it, you're technically in "uptrend" territory. When you're below it, you're fighting gravity. The market has been fighting gravity for months. Today's the first day since then that it’s not.

Exponential moving averages, or EMAs, help traders identify trend direction by tracking the average price of an asset over the short, medium, and long term. And here’s the rub: Bitcoin’s EMA configuration is still bearish.

When the short-term 50-day EMA falls below the longer-term 200-day EMA, it means bears are in control and the longer-term bull market structure has been broken. That’s known as a death cross formation among traders, and Bitcoin has been in one since mid-November.

For what it’s worth, though, common technical indicators that traders tend to rely on may provide some optimism: The Average Directional Index, or ADX, sits at 21.3 showing that the current down trend is weaker now. ADX measures trend strength regardless of direction, and readings below 25 typically signal choppy, directionless action where false breakouts are common.

The Relative Strength Index, or RSI, measures market momentum on scale from 0 to 100, with readings below 30 signalling oversold and above 70 suggesting overbought. At 65.6, Bitcoin is showing buying momentum without being overbought. At the moment, Bitcoin is in that sweet spot where momentum is building but hasn't yet reached exhaustion levels that typically trigger profit-taking.

So what does all this technical jargon actually mean for your portfolio?

It means we're at an inflection point. The compression that built up over the last few weeks has resolved to the upside. The 200-day moving average has been reclaimed. If—and this is a big if—the market can string together a few daily closes above $95,000 with rising ADX, then Bitcoin could escape its death cross formation and set up what’s known as a “golden cross.”

That's when the 50-day EMA crosses above the 200-day, a pattern that traders view as a major bullish signal for sustained uptrends.

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed by the author are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or other advice.

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Mon, 5/01/2026 - 18:44

Peter Schiff believes Bitcoin’s price movement has no relationship with gold; hence, he warned that it is false to think that a rising gold price is bullish for Bitcoin.

Cover image via U.Today

Bitcoin’s biggest and longtime critic, Peter Schiff, has continued to deliver his brutal criticism of Bitcoin even in 2026, despite the bullish momentum spreading across the crypto ecosystem since the new year began.

On Monday, January 5, Peter Schiff made new assertions against a Bitcoin surge theory, which he considers a “false narrative,” from Fundstrat co-founder Tom Lee, whom he tagged as CNBC’s favorite Bitcoin shill.

Gold’s breakout is not bullish for Bitcoin: Peter Schiff While Tom Lee had recently shared an idea that the historic rally in precious metals like silver and gold has often led crypto markets into major bullish cycles, Peter Schiff claims this is not the case.

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Although Tom Lee’s recent claim that gold’s breakout to new highs is “bullish for Bitcoin” has resonated with the crypto community, Peter Schiff is not having it and has argued that Bitcoin’s rise over the past decade was based largely on gold’s stagnation.

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According to his statements, Tom Lee strongly believes that increases in the price of gold often indicate growing concern over inflation and currency weakness; hence, this situation has continued to fuel a surge for Bitcoin and other digital assets over the years. 

Silver $SLV parabolic in past month
Gold $GLD parabolic in past year

Gold moves lead crypto

If these large commodity markets make such a move, how can one be skeptical of digital assets in 2026? $ETH $BTC pic.twitter.com/ko7BmRbRW5

— Thomas (Tom) Lee (not drummer) FSInsight.com (@fundstrat) December 31, 2025 In his assertions, Schiff pointed out that there was a period when Bitcoin saw strong growth, yet gold traded sideways at the time. According to Schiff, this created the perfect opportunity for Bitcoin to market itself as a better inflation hedge and alternative safe haven.

Schiff further stressed that the recent surge in gold’s price has proven the case otherwise, reasserting that Bitcoin does not qualify to be described as digital gold.

Nonetheless, Peter Schiff has continued to warn against investments in Bitcoin, further noting that the asset’s success has relied heavily on gold appearing stagnant and outdated; thus, it quietly reveals Bitcoin’s lack of real value. Schiff believes that these conditions prove Bitcoin is a poor tool for storing value.

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TLDR

Aster surpasses 200,000 holders and leads daily volume with $38.8 billion.
The innovative “Shield Mode” expands to commodities (gold and silver) with up to 100x leverage.
Despite operational success, the project faces challenges due to the exit of key investors and bearish pressure.

It has been a strong start to the week for the Aster exchange, which achieved a historic milestone in the DeFi sector. In the last 24 hours, the platform reached over 200,672 holders of its native token, with a transaction volume exceeding $38.8 billion. With this achievement, the platform consolidates its position as a leader in on-chain perpetual futures trading.

This growth is driven by the expansion of its flagship feature: Shield Mode. Following its success with Bitcoin and Ethereum pairs, Aster has integrated XAUUSDT (gold) and XAGUSDT (silver) contracts. This update allows users to trade commodities with up to 100x leverage while maintaining the privacy of their orders off public order books, thereby preventing strategy tracking by third parties.

Technological Innovation and Expansion Toward AsterChain
Leonard, CEO of Aster, stated that the platform’s on-chain perpetual futures trading seeks not only speed but also discretion and total control for users. With MEV-free (Maximal Extractable Value) execution and instant settlements, the platform offers an experience similar to centralized exchanges but under a fully decentralized architecture.

In addition to these enhancements, the roadmap for this new year includes the launch of the AsterChain mainnet, staking and governance programs, and fiat on-ramps to facilitate the entry of institutional capital. The ASTER token has responded positively to this news, recently breaking through the $0.78 resistance level, although analysts warn of persistent volatility in the sector.

However, it is not all optimism. The ecosystem faced turbulence following the exit of investors such as Yi Lihua of Liquid Capital, who cited a lack of communication with management. Despite this, Aster maintains operational dominance over direct competitors like Hyperliquid, proving that the demand for private, high-performance on-chain perpetual futures trading  continues to rise steadily.

With the start of 2026, the crypto markets have turned largely bullish. Memecoins, specifically, have seen significant rises, while the Shiba Inu price broke out after a prolonged period of consolidation. Shiba Inu is trading higher over the past 24 hours, rebounding from recent lows as on-chain data and price structure align. While SHIB has struggled to reclaim major resistance in recent weeks, two key charts suggest that downside pressure is easing and buyers are quietly regaining control.

Whale Accumulation Tightens SHIB SupplyThe first chart shows the percentage of SHIB supply held by the top 10 wallets, which has continued to rise into early 2026. Currently, these large holders control over 62% of the total supply, a level that has steadily increased even during periods of price weakness.

Source: XThis is a critical signal. When large wallets accumulate while the price is depressed, it reduces the amount of SHIB available on the open market. As a result, even modest demand can have a significant impact on prices. Today’s bounce fits that pattern—supply compression first, price reaction second.

Importantly, there is no visible sign of distribution from top holders. The steady upward slope in whale dominance suggests positioning rather than profit-taking, which helps explain why sell-offs have become shallower.

SHIB Price Rebounds From Major Demand ZoneThe SHIB price in the daily timeframe shows a bounce from the $0.0000065–$0.0000080 demand zone, an area that previously acted as a base during earlier consolidations. SHIB is now trading near $0.0000093, posting a 3–4% gain over the past 24 hours.

Several technical elements stand out:

Price has reclaimed short-term momentum after defending the lower range.Volume expanded on the rebound, indicating active dip buying.OBV has turned higher, suggesting accumulation rather than a dead-cat bounce.However, SHIB remains below key moving averages clustered between $0.0000108 and $0.0000110, which means the broader trend has not flipped bullish yet. For now, this is a relief rally within a larger consolidation, not a confirmed breakout.

What the Two Charts Say TogetherViewed in isolation, today’s move could be dismissed as a routine bounce. Taken together, the charts tell a stronger story:

Whales continue to absorb supply, limiting downside risk.Price is reacting positively from a well-defined support zone.Selling pressure appears exhausted, at least in the short term.This combination explains why SHIB is rising today without any major news catalyst. The market is responding to positioning and structure, not headlines.

As long as the Shiba Inu price holds above the $0.0000080 region, buyers are likely to defend dips. A move back toward $0.0000108–$0.0000110 would be the next logical test, where sellers may re-emerge. Failure to reclaim that zone would keep the SHIB price range-bound, while a breakdown below support would weaken the current setup.

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Zcash price action remains constructive despite short-term weakness. ZEC is still up nearly 40% over the past 30 days, reflecting a strong recovery from early December lows. However, momentum has cooled recently. Over the past 7 days, Zcash has been down close to 8%, even as Bitcoin has pushed higher. That divergence matters. It highlights Zcash’s negative correlation with Bitcoin, a factor that has repeatedly slowed near-term breakouts in past cycles.

Despite this pullback, the broader bullish structure has not broken. What follows is a closer look at why the setup remains intact, and why near-term pressure is still building.

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Bull Flag Holds, but CMF Signals Capital Outflow RiskZcash continues to consolidate after a strong impulse move beginning in early December, forming a bull flag rather than a topping pattern. The broader breakout trend with an 85% projection remains bullish as long as the price respects the pattern.

Momentum beneath the surface, however, is weakening. The Chaikin Money Flow (CMF), which tracks whether large capital is flowing into or out of an asset, has trended lower even as the price held up. Between December 24 and January 5, the ZEC price moved higher while the CMF turned lower.

Zcash Breakout Pattern Holds: TradingViewWant more token insights like this? Sign up for Editor Harsh Notariya’s Daily Crypto Newsletter here.

This divergence signals cooling buying pressure. CMF is now approaching the zero line, a key threshold. A break below zero would indicate capital outflows, often a precursor to short-term price weakness.

That signal gains relevance following the recent unshielding of roughly 202,000 ZEC, equivalent to nearly 1.2% of the circulating supply. While unshielding does not always guarantee selling, it increases near-term supply visibility and can amplify downside pressure if demand softens.

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For now, the structure holds. But $404 remains the critical level. A decisive break below it would invalidate the bull flag and weaken the bullish thesis.

Derivatives Show Short-Term Pressure, Long-Term SupportDerivatives positioning explains why the ZEC breakout may be delayed rather than cancelled.

On the 7-day Binance ZEC/USDT liquidation map, short liquidation leverage stands near $54.38 million, while long liquidation leverage sits around $24.41 million. That puts short exposure more than 120% higher than longs in the near term, increasing the risk of volatility and pullbacks. The 7-day view, therefore, leans bearish.

Short-Term Bias: CoinglassThe 30-day view tells a different story. Long liquidation leverage rises to $52.89 million, while short leverage drops to $39.84 million, giving longs roughly a 33% advantage. This suggests longer-term traders are still positioned for upside continuation.

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Mid-Term Bias: CoinglassIn short, short-term traders are cautious, while longer-term participants remain constructive.

Bitcoin Correlation Now Decides the Zcash Price Breakout TimingZcash’s negative correlation with Bitcoin remains a key antagonist to the rally. Correlation measures how closely two assets move together. Over recent cycles, ZEC has often weakened when Bitcoin consolidates or trends higher. Currently, on a weekly timeline, the correlation stands at -0.66, showing that they mostly move in opposite directions.

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That pattern is playing out again. Bitcoin’s strength over the past week has coincided with Zcash’s underperformance, reinforcing near-term hesitation.

From a structural perspective, confirmation is still missing. A move above $519 would signal a clean break from consolidation. Clearing $541 could trigger heavy short liquidations, accelerating upside momentum.

Short Liquidation Cluster: CoinglassSuch an aggressive move on the upside would then open the path for the 85% breakout projection.

Until then, downside risk stays defined. Losing $404 would invalidate the bullish structure and suggest a deeper reset before continuation.

Zcash Price Analysis: TradingViewZcash remains bullish on structure and longer-term positioning. But short-term bias, capital outflow signals, and Bitcoin’s influence suggest the breakout may need more time to develop.

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XRP is quietly going through one of its most dramatic supply changes in years, and it is happening away from price charts and headlines. The real change is happening in crypto exchanges, as on-chain data shows a steady and persistent drawdown of XRP balances on these platforms. 

The latest data from CryptoQuant highlights just how pronounced this trend has become, with exchange reserves now sitting at their lowest level in several years.

Exchange Reserves Breakdown After Year-End
The pattern of XRP exodus on crypto exchanges is visible on major trading venues, particularly Binance, which accounts for a large share of XRP liquidity. The CryptoQuant chart tracking the amount of XRP held on crypto exchange Binance shows a clear back-and-forth movement through 2024 and 2025, which eventually culminated in a sharp drop into early 2026. 

Between 2024 and early 2025, centralized crypto exchanges collectively held well above 3 billion XRP in their reserves. That figure has since fallen to the 2 billion XRP range in late 2025, with some brief spikes that were quickly reversed. Interestingly, the most recent data shows that exchange balances have fallen further at the beginning of 2026.

Source: Chart from CryptoQuant on X
However, XRP balances on Binance were still elevated as 2025 came to a close, holding steady above 2 billion XRP tokens through the final trading days of the year. At the time of writing, on-chain data from CryptoQuant shows that the total XRP has dropped to about 1.85 billion tokens, down from roughly 2.65 billion XRP on December 31, 2025. That represents an exit of nearly 800 million XRP from the exchange within the first five days of 2026.

Glassnode Data Shows Even Fewer Tokens On Exchanges
An even tighter picture of XRP’s exchange supply can be seen through Glassnode data highlighted on X by an account known as BULLRUNNERS. A chart shared on X by BULLRUNNERS shows that XRP balances across all exchanges may be far lower than many traders realize. 

Reacting to the data, the account noted that only 1.44 billion XRP is left on crypto exchanges. The chart shows a steep drop in XRP reserves from above 1.53 billion XRP to 1.44 billion XRP within the most recent trading sessions.

Reduced supply on exchanges can affect price reactions and is bullish for cryptocurrencies, at least in theory. Interestingly, XRP price’s action is starting to react to the outflows, amongst other factors, in the past 48 hours. 

At the time of writing, XRP is now back above $2 and is trading at $2.15. The significance of the ongoing exchange outflows becomes clearer when they are considered alongside the steady inflows into Spot XRP ETFs, which, so far, have not recorded a single day of net outflows since launch.

XRP trading at $2.1 on the 1D chart | Source: XRPUSDT on Tradingview.com
Featured image from Freepik, chart from Tradingview.com

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Scott Matherson is a leading crypto writer at Bitcoinist, who possesses a sharp analytical mind and a deep understanding of the digital currency landscape. Scott has earned a reputation for delivering thought-provoking and well-researched articles that resonate with both newcomers and seasoned crypto enthusiasts.
Outside of his writing, Scott is passionate about promoting crypto literacy and often works to educate the public on the potential of blockchain.

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Scott Matherson is a leading crypto writer at Bitcoinist, who possesses a sharp analytical mind and a deep understanding of the digital currency landscape. Scott has earned a reputation for delivering thought-provoking and well-researched articles that resonate with both newcomers and seasoned crypto enthusiasts.
Outside of his writing, Scott is passionate about promoting crypto literacy and often works to educate the public on the potential of blockchain.

20h05 ▪
25
min read ▪ by
Ralph R.

Summarize this article with:

Vous n’avez pas besoin de Bitcoin ? Vous le trouvez inutile, abstrait, spéculatif ? Alors vous vivez probablement dans un État de droit fonctionnel. Vous pouvez ouvrir un compte. Recevoir votre salaire. Épargner sans autorisation. Quitter votre pays sans perdre votre argent. Ce confort n’est pas la norme. C’est une exception historique. Seuls 11 % des humains naissent dans un système monétaire stable, démocratique, protecteur de la propriété. Les 89 % restants vivent ailleurs. Dans des économies fragiles, hyperinflationnistes, autoritaires ou arbitraires. Pour eux, l’argent n’est pas un outil neutre. C’est un filtre. Un test d’identité. Une condition d’obéissance. La majorité des discriminations économiques ne sont pas morales. Elles sont systémiques. Bitcoin n’a pas été conçu pour spéculer. Il est né pour fonctionner sans permission. Sans identité. Sans géographie. Ce texte propose une chose simple : regarder Bitcoin non depuis la minorité qu’il enrichit, mais depuis la majorité qu’il protège de l’effacement.

Summary

1.
En bref

3.
Bitcoin, la richesse que l’exil ne peut pas effacer

4.
Discrimination bancaire : être humain ne suffit pas

5.
Bitcoin face à la discrimination bancaire : supprimer le droit de refuser

6.
Discrimination temporelle par l’inflation : quand le temps devient un ennemi

7.
Bitcoin face à la discrimination temporelle : dernier refuge du futur

8.
Discrimination politique et autoritarisme : quand posséder devient un crime

9.
Bitcoin face à la discrimination politique : le droit de posséder quand posséder est criminalisé

10.
Le cercle qui broie, de la crise à la violence, puis à la crise : pourquoi ce débat devient urgent

11.
Discrimination monétaire et exode de masse : quand l’urgence devient structurelle

12.
Discrimination géographique : l’urgence quand la solidarité devient un privilège

13.
L’économie de la contrainte : l’urgence quand le temps tue

14.
Le grand recul démocratique : l’urgence d’une discrimination légale

15.
Bitcoin, une solution imparfaite mais universelle contre la discrimination

16.
Bitcoin comme droit humain émergent : la dernière ligne de vie

En bref

La plus grande discrimination économique mondiale n’est pas morale. Elle est monétaire, silencieuse et systémique.
Perdre l’accès à l’argent, c’est souvent perdre toute existence économique.
L’inflation extrême agit comme une confiscation du temps, imposée sans consentement démocratique.
Les régimes autoritaires commencent toujours par contrôler ou censurer l’argent.
Bitcoin ne résout pas les crises humaines. Il empêche l’effacement économique total.
Bitcoin n’est pas une idéologie. C’est une infrastructure minimale contre la discrimination systémique.

Discrimination invisible : quand l’argent efface l’existence
Il fuit de nuit, avec un sac trop léger pour une vie entière. À la frontière, ses papiers ne valent plus rien. Son argent non plus. Comptes bloqués, cartes refusées, espèces confisquées ou perdues : en quelques heures, il devient étranger à tous les systèmes. Ce jour-là, il ne perd pas seulement son pays d’origine. Il perd son droit d’exister économiquement.

Aujourd’hui, des milliards d’êtres humains subissent une discrimination économique sans qu’aucune loi ne la proclame. La discrimination la plus massive au monde n’est ni raciale ni religieuse. Elle est monétaire, et se manifeste jusque dans les usages réels de Bitcoin observés aujourd’hui, loin de toute abstraction. Être né sans papiers, sans compte bancaire, dans une mauvaise juridiction ou sous un régime autoritaire suffit. L’exclusion est automatique. Silencieuse. Globale.

Le réfugié sans papiers perd plus qu’un territoire. Il perd son identité légale, son accès à l’argent, sa continuité économique. Sans documents, il n’existe plus pour les banques. Sans compte, il n’existe plus pour l’économie mondiale. Le système monétaire mondial est conçu pour les citoyens. Pas pour les êtres humains.

Bitcoin, la richesse que l’exil ne peut pas effacer
Bitcoin introduit une rupture radicale. La richesse n’est plus attachée à un État, un compte ou une autorisation. Elle devient mémorisable, portable, transmissible. Un mot de passe suffit pour traverser une frontière avec sa valeur intacte. Ce qui est impossible dans le système traditionnel devient envisageable. Bitcoin ne résoudra jamais la tragédie des réfugiés. Il ne supprime ni la guerre, ni l’exil, ni la perte. Mais il empêche qu’elle devienne une disparition économique totale. Il permet de traverser une frontière avec sa mémoire comme dernier compte bancaire. Avec sa richesse dans sa tête. Une richesse qu’aucun douanier ne peut saisir, qu’aucune banque ne peut bloquer, qu’aucun régime ne peut effacer. Une économie qu’on n’a plus besoin de cacher. Seulement de se souvenir.

Discrimination bancaire : être humain ne suffit pas
Le réfugié découvre l’exclusion à la frontière. Mais des milliards d’autres naissent déjà exclus. Roya Mahboob, entrepreneuse et philanthrope d’origine afghane, voulait simplement payer des femmes pour leur travail en Afghanistan. Pas les enrichir, les rémunérer. Mais ces femmes n’avaient pas de compte bancaire. Pas par pauvreté. Par interdiction légale. En Afghanistan, être une femme suffit à fermer l’accès au système financier. Roya emprunte alors une autre voie : autonomiser ces dizaines de milliers de jeunes femmes, en les formant à la littératie numérique et financière, en Afghanistan et au-delà. Leur apprendre à comprendre, utiliser et conserver de la valeur, par le biais de formations en ligne ou dans des centres d’éducation clandestins. Des lieux discrets, non officiels, invisibles aux institutions. Apprendre est devenu un acte de résistance silencieuse.

Taux de bancarisation dans le monde
Quand un système interdit à une femme de posséder un compte bancaire, la discrimination n’est ni technique ni économique. Elle est politique, sociale, civilisationnelle. Roya découvre alors une vérité brutale : le travail des femmes existe, mais pas leur droit d’être payées. Le système bancaire ne les exclut pas par erreur. Il les exclut par design. Cette exclusion n’est pas marginale : près de 1,4 milliard d’adultes n’ont aucun compte bancaire. Parmi eux, des centaines de millions de femmes. L’exclusion bancaire n’est pas seulement liée au revenu, mais aussi et surtout à l’identité, au genre, au statut social. Sans documents, sans autorisation masculine, l’accès est refusé. La non-bancarisation est une exclusion par défaut. Elle ne sanctionne pas un comportement. Elle nie une existence économique. Comme pour les réfugiés, le système exige des preuves avant de reconnaître l’humain. Ceux qui ne peuvent pas prouver sont simplement effacés.

Bitcoin face à la discrimination bancaire : supprimer le droit de refuser
Face à cette exclusion, Bitcoin n’apparaît pas comme une innovation financière. Il apparaît comme une échappatoire. Roya Mahboob a commencé à payer ces femmes en bitcoins par nécessité. Elles n’ont pas de comptes bancaires, mais elles ont des téléphones. L’argent ne transite plus par les pères, les maris ou les intermédiaires. Il arrive directement. Sans contraintes, sans permission, sans négociation. Contrairement au cash, il ne disparaît pas. Contrairement aux banques, il ne juge pas.

Bitcoin devient alors une forme de désobéissance monétaire pacifique. Un moyen de rémunérer sans demander l’autorisation. Un moyen de contourner une loi injuste sans violence. Bitcoin ne sélectionne pas ses utilisateurs, et n’exige ni identité, ni statut, ni autorisation. Il ne « donne » pas accès au système. Il supprime le droit d’en refuser l’accès. Cette différence est fondamentale. Là où le système bancaire décide qui est éligible, Bitcoin est indifférent. Il traite chaque individu comme une entité économique légitime. Ni plus, ni moins. C’est une infrastructure d’autonomie financière, et non une aide humanitaire. Quand l’État devient l’oppresseur, cette neutralité cesse d’être abstraite. Elle devient essentielle.

Discrimination temporelle par l’inflation : quand le temps devient un ennemi
Il travaille. Il est payé. Puis il recommence. Mais chaque mois, son salaire vaut moins. Ce Vénézuélien n’est ni militant ni dissident. Il est ordinaire. Son épargne fond sans bruit. Pas à cause d’une erreur personnelle. À cause d’une décision politique lointaine. En février 2019, l’inflation dépasse 344 000 %. L’une des plus violentes de l’histoire moderne. Les prix montent. Les chiffres changent. Personne ne vote. Personne ne prévient. L’inflation agit comme une confiscation silencieuse. Une violence lente, invisible, cumulative. Elle ne détruit pas la richesse de tous. Elle détruit surtout celle de ceux qui ne peuvent pas s’en protéger.

Inflation dans le monde en 2025
Dans les pays à inflation extrême, les choix n’existent pas. Pas d’accès aux marchés mondiaux, pas d’actions, pas de diversification, pas d’actifs de couverture. L’argent doit rester local, fragile, exposé. Au Venezuela, au Liban, au Zimbabwe, en Argentine, au Malawi, au Nigeria, en Turquie, le temps devient un ennemi. Épargner n’est plus une vertu, c’est une faute. La monnaie perd sa fonction fondamentale : elle ne transmet plus la valeur dans le temps. L’inflation agit comme un impôt non voté. Elle pénalise toujours les mêmes : ceux sans réseau, sans actifs, sans issue. C’est une discrimination temporelle.

Inflation de 1980 à 2028
Bitcoin face à la discrimination temporelle : dernier refuge du futur
Quand la livre libanaise perd 90 % de sa valeur le 1ᵉʳ février 2023, personne n’est consulté. Quand la monnaie est dévaluée de 44 % du jour au lendemain au Malawi, personne n’est protégé. Ces décisions ne passent jamais par le débat public. Elles s’imposent et frappent unilatéralement. L’épargne est dissoute par décret. Le temps est confisqué sans consentement. Bitcoin introduit une rupture silencieuse : une épargne dont les règles ne changent pas, et une offre monétaire non manipulable. Un système parallèle, ouvert à tous, sans autorisation, sans statut, sans privilège. Pour la première fois, épargner devient possible hors du pouvoir politique. Non garanti, certes. Mais non confiscable.

Bitcoin ne supprime pas l’inflation. Il offre une échappatoire là où il n’y en avait aucune. Dans les pays stables, où l’inflation existe mais reste contenue, c’est une option de diversification parmi d’autres. Ailleurs, c’est une nouveauté historique. Avant Bitcoin, aucune technologie ne permettait d’échapper à l’hyperinflation. Aujourd’hui, une alternative existe. Elle n’est pas encore pleinement mature. Elle est fluctuante à court terme. Mais elle est accessible. Bitcoin ne promet pas la sécurité. Il promet la possibilité de ne plus subir passivement. Dans un monde d’inflation imposée, cette possibilité devient un droit.

Discrimination politique et autoritarisme : quand posséder devient un crime
Yeonmi Park est née sans droit de posséder. En Corée du Nord, rien ne lui appartenait : ni compte, ni épargne, ni même le droit de partir. Les dépôts pouvaient être bloqués du jour au lendemain. Et détenir du cash devenait dangereux. La monnaie s’est transformée en arme politique. Face à cette violence silencieuse, il ne reste souvent qu’une issue : l’exode. Yeonmi a fui enfant. D’abord pour survivre. Puis pour tenter d’aider ceux restés derrière. Enfin, pour sauver ou soutenir les réfugiés nord-coréens exilés et exploités en Chine. Avant d’être une question d’épargne, la monnaie est une question de survie.

Évolution de l’esclavage moderne
Comme Yeonmi, près de 300 000 Nord-Coréens ont fui vers la Chine, majoritairement des femmes. Beaucoup ont été réduites à l’esclavage moderne, souvent sexuel. Leurs enfants, issus d’unions forcées, sont apatrides. Sans identité, ils n’ont ni accès à l’éducation, ni à une existence légale. Dans un pays marqué par la politique de l’enfant unique, ces enfants ne sont reconnus nulle part. Sans existence juridique, aucun compte bancaire n’est possible. Pour ces réfugiées et leurs descendants, l’exclusion financière est totale.

La discrimination politique commence par l’argent. Geler un compte suffit à faire taire une voix. Exclure une ONG suffit à l’asphyxier. Sanctionner collectivement punit des populations entières. Opposants, journalistes, pasteurs, universitaires deviennent économiquement inexistants. À Hong Kong, des comptes sont gelés sans décision judiciaire, suite à une loi sur la sécurité nationale imposée par Pékin. Au Nicaragua, des institutions sont privées de ressources. En Iran, l’accès financier devient conditionnel à l’obéissance, suite à la « loi sur la protection de la famille par la promotion de la culture du hijab et de la chasteté ». La banque devient un instrument de conformité. Le système traditionnel ne protège pas contre l’arbitraire. Il en devient l’instrument mécanique.

Bitcoin face à la discrimination politique : le droit de posséder quand posséder est criminalisé
Face à cette réalité, Bitcoin n’apparaît pas comme une monnaie alternative. Il apparaît comme un droit minimal. Le droit de posséder, de transmettre, de partir sans être dépouillé. Sans droit de posséder, aucune liberté n’est durable. Pour Yeonmi Park, envoyer de l’argent signifiait autrefois risquer la confiscation totale. Pendant des années, elle a emprunté des circuits clandestins extrêmement coûteux. 40 % de commissions pour un intermédiaire chinois, 40 % pour un intermédiaire nord-coréen. 80 % perdus, avant même d’aider. Des sacs de cash lancés à la frontière nord-coréenne, la corruption, le vol, la peur constante. Parfois, l’argent n’arrivait jamais.

Aujourd’hui, une autre voie existe. Plus directe. Plus fragile aussi. Mais incensurable et indépendante des régimes. Bitcoin ne renverse pas les dictatures. Il ne protège pas contre la répression et la discrimination politique. Mais il devient un dernier recours, une frontière non violente contre l’effacement économique. Là où le système financier conditionne l’existence à la loyauté politique, Bitcoin reste neutre. Il ne juge pas, ne censure pas, n’accorde aucun privilège. Il empêche une chose essentielle : que le pouvoir décide qui a le droit d’exister économiquement. Bitcoin est souvent le dernier compte bancaire avant l’exil.

Le cercle qui broie, de la crise à la violence, puis à la crise : pourquoi ce débat devient urgent
Rien de tout cela n’est accidentel. Les crises économiques ne disparaissent jamais vraiment. Elles mutent, deviennent un accélérateur de pouvoir, engendrent l’autoritarisme. Inflation, dette, pénuries fragilisent les sociétés, installent la peur, légitiment le contrôle. Le pouvoir répond par la norme, la finance, la surveillance. L’argent devient conditionnel. La dissidence devient risquée. La conformité devient une exigence économique. Quand la monnaie est capturée, la liberté l’est aussi. Avant de retirer les droits civiques, on retire l’accès économique.

L’autoritarisme ne naît pas toujours par la force. Il s’installe par la gestion. Par des règles, des plafonds, des autorisations. L’autoritarisme transforme la discrimination politique en moteur d’exil. On ne fuit pas un pays. On fuit l’impossibilité de vivre, d’épargner, de transmettre. L’exode n’est pas une anomalie historique. C’est la conséquence logique d’un système économique devenu excluant par conception.

L’exode massif engendre à son tour une insécurité systémique. Routes migratoires, zones grises, États absents. Là où le droit recule, la violence s’organise. Plus l’exode est massif, plus la violence devient industrielle. Kidnappings, rançons, traite humaine deviennent des modèles économiques. Quand l’argent ne circule plus, la violence prend le relais. L’esclavage moderne n’est pas un accident. C’est une industrie née du vide institutionnel. Cette violence alimente de nouvelles crises économiques et politiques.

Ce que nous vivons n’est donc pas une succession de crises indépendantes. C’est une boucle mondiale auto-entretenue : crise, autoritarisme, exode, violence, nouvelle crise. Ce système ne s’effondre pas. Il fonctionne. Plus le monde se fragmente, plus les systèmes monétaires fondés sur la permission discriminent. Ce débat n’est pas théorique. Il est structurel. Bitcoin n’est pas la solution au monde injuste. Il est la limite basse en dessous de laquelle l’injustice ne peut plus aller. Ce qui suit n’est pas une hypothèse. C’est ce que nous observons déjà.

Discrimination monétaire et exode de masse : quand l’urgence devient structurelle
Ce qui était une tragédie marginale est devenu un phénomène de masse. En vingt ans, le nombre de réfugiés et de déplacés a plus que quadruplé. Des millions hier. Plus de cent millions aujourd’hui. La courbe ne progresse plus, elle s’emballe. Chaque conflit s’additionne aux précédents, chaque crise économique crée de nouveaux exilés. Chaque régime autoritaire produit sa propre vague de fuites. La mobilité forcée n’est plus une exception. Elle devient structurelle. Et avec elle, l’exclusion économique. Car le système monétaire mondial, lui, n’évolue pas. Il reste national, administratif, conditionnel, figé. Plus les réfugiés sont nombreux, plus la discrimination monétaire s’étend. Ce n’est plus une anomalie. C’est une dynamique globale.

Évolution du nombre de réfugiés
Quand des dizaines de millions de personnes traversent des frontières, l’argent ne suit pas. Il se bloque, se perd, se dissout. Chaque nouvelle vague amplifie le même mécanisme. Perte d’identité. Perte d’accès bancaire. Donc une perte de continuité économique. Ce qui était supportable à petite échelle devient destructeur à grande échelle. Le système monétaire n’est pas conçu pour l’exode. Il suppose la stabilité, la résidence, la conformité, la rigidité. Face à des déplacements exponentiels instables, il exclut mécaniquement. Ce n’est pas une défaillance ponctuelle. C’est une incompatibilité structurelle. À mesure que l’exode s’accélère, l’injustice et la discrimination se normalisent. Bitcoin desserre une contrainte et introduit de la mobilité là où le système impose l’immobilité. La portabilité de la richesse n’est alors plus une option. Elle devient une condition minimale de continuité économique.

Discrimination géographique : l’urgence quand la solidarité devient un privilège
Il travaille loin des siens, souvent invisible, parfois toléré, rarement protégé. Chaque mois, il envoie l’essentiel de son salaire à sa famille restée au pays. Ce geste banal soutient des foyers, des villages, parfois des économies entières. Mais envoyer cet argent devient une épreuve. Files d’attente. Formulaires. Soupçons. Humiliations répétées. Des commissions qui montent jusqu’à 25 %. En 2024, 900 milliards de dollars de rémittences ont généré 60 milliards de commissions. Des jours d’attente pour un transfert vital. Parfois, un refus sans explication. La discrimination est géographique. Né du mauvais côté de la frontière, soutenir les siens devient un privilège. Le système traite la solidarité comme un risque. Il pénalise ceux sans passeport puissant ni banque internationale.

Évolution des rémittences
Les transferts de fonds internationaux explosent, mais l’infrastructure reste rigide et archaïque. Des centaines de millions de migrants financent la survie de leurs proches. Le système traditionnel prélève, ralentit, filtre. Il transforme un devoir familial en épreuve administrative. Bitcoin ne répare pas ce système. Il le contourne, sans permission, ni censure géographique, ni délai politique. Dans les situations d’urgence — comme les appels aux dons pour l’Ukraine — il devient une bouée de sauvetage. Envoyer de l’argent redevient un acte direct. Imparfait. Volatil parfois. Mais neutre. Bitcoin ne promet pas la justice sociale. Il supprime un abus précis : le droit d’entraver la solidarité. Envoyer de l’argent à sa famille ne devrait pas être un privilège géopolitique.

L’économie de la contrainte : l’urgence quand le temps tue
Ils ont fui un régime, mais la violence les rattrape sur les routes de l’exil. Des réfugiés sont kidnappés, vendus, séquestrés pour faire pression sur leurs familles. Meron Estefanos, journaliste érythréenne exilée en Suède, a recueilli leurs voix. Des réfugiés enlevés au Soudan, revendus dans le Sinaï. Des rançons exigées sous contrainte temporelle. 30 000, parfois 70 000 dollars. Une heure pour payer. Les États sont absents, les banques deviennent inutilisables, les ONG restent impuissantes. Western Union impose des plafonds, des délais, des contrôles jusqu’à 25 % de commissions. L’argent existe, mais n’arrive pas à temps. Ici, la discrimination est totale : sans compte, sans État, sans recours. La monnaie cesse d’être économique. Elle devient vitale.

Kidnappings dans le monde (2024)
Face à cette urgence, Meron n’a pas choisi une idéologie. Elle a choisi ce qui fonctionnait. Bitcoin a réduit les délais, supprimé les plafonds, contourné les intermédiaires. Des vies ont été sauvées. Des dizaines de milliers. Bitcoin n’est pas « propre », et ne véhicule pas de charge morale. Il circule là où l’État a disparu. Il opère dans des zones moralement brisées. Mais quand tout s’effondre, les outils moralement neutres deviennent vitaux. Bitcoin ne combat pas les kidnappings. Il ne remplace ni la justice, ni la paix. Il empêche une chose précise : que le temps tue avant l’argent. Dans l’économie de la contrainte, chaque minute compte. Ici, Bitcoin n’est pas une promesse. C’est un dernier recours.

Le grand recul démocratique : l’urgence d’une discrimination légale
Que révèlent ces histoires humaines, poignantes, souvent inspirantes, parfois insoutenables ? En 2006, la démocratie semblait acquise. En 2024, elle recule presque partout. Rarement par la force. Souvent par la procédure, la norme, la finance. À peine 8 % de l’humanité vit aujourd’hui sous une pleine démocratie. Des États élus deviennent intrusifs : inflation silencieuse, surveillance financière, argent traçable, censurable, programmable. La discrimination ne cible plus des peuples entiers, mais des comportements. Un don, une opinion, une manifestation suffisent. Le système traditionnel ne protège plus contre l’abus légal. Il l’automatise. Quand l’argent devient un levier politique, la démocratie devient conditionnelle. Ce n’est pas une dystopie. C’est une infrastructure déjà en place.

En 2013, à Chypre, l’État a menacé de taxer les dépôts bancaires pour sauver les banques. Des citoyens ont fui vers Bitcoin par instinct de survie économique. Au Canada, lors du convoi de la liberté, les comptes de manifestants et de donateurs ont été gelés. Sans procès, par simple décision administrative. Edward Snowden et Julian Assange ont payé la transparence par l’exil, l’asphyxie financière et l’effacement civil. Le système n’a pas dérapé. Il a fonctionné exactement comme prévu. Bitcoin ne crée pas la liberté. Il ne garantit rien. Il limite cependant l’arbitraire, et empêche que l’argent devienne une laisse. Dans un monde de recul démocratique, Bitcoin est un contre-pouvoir non violent, minimal certes, mais réel.

Démocratie dans le monde en 2006
Démocratie dans le monde en 2024
Bitcoin, une solution imparfaite mais universelle contre la discrimination
On dit souvent que Bitcoin est inutile, superflu. Que le dollar suffit, notamment à protéger contre l’inflation locale. Que les stablecoins rendent ce dollar plus accessible. Mais le dollar dépend d’une banque et d’un État. Il obéit aux sanctions, à l’extraterritorialité du droit américain, à la politique et à la dévaluation monétaires. Les stablecoins dépendent d’un émetteur, sont programmables, gelables, révocables. Tous exigent une permission et exposent à l’arbitraire politique, administratif et monétaire.

Au Liban ou au Venezuela, ces permissions disparaissent sans jugement : comptes bloqués, plafonds arbitraires, conversions forcées. Le système traditionnel ne discrimine pas par idéologie, mais par conformité. Sans compte, sans identité reconnue, sans accès bancaire, le dollar devient inaccessible. Sans documents, le stablecoin devient vulnérable. Bitcoin, lui, ne demande ni autorisation, ni identité, ni intermédiaire. Il ne promet pas la stabilité ni l’égalité des résultats et des richesses. Il garantit une seule chose : l’égalité d’accès. Le dollar et les stablecoins fonctionnent tant que le système vous tolère. Bitcoin est utile quand le système vous rejette.

Oui, Bitcoin est volatil. C’est le coût de la liberté à court terme. Oui, son adoption est inégale. La technologie est exigeante. L’éducation est nécessaire. C’est le prix à payer pour posséder réellement sa propriété numérique. Car toute autre alternative exige un intermédiaire, une permission… qui peuvent devenir des outils d’exclusion. Bitcoin ne supprime ni le risque ni l’injustice. Il empêche l’exclusion totale. Il n’est pas seulement une monnaie, un investissement, ou une technologie, mais un protocole qui supprime les critères arbitraires d’exclusion. Aucun autre système n’offre une telle universalité sans permission. Ni le dollar, ni les stablecoins, ni les banques. L’imperfection est le prix de l’universalité. Et l’universalité est la seule protection contre la discrimination systémique. Un système parfait qui exclut est plus dangereux qu’un système imparfait qui n’exclut pas.

Bitcoin comme droit humain émergent : la dernière ligne de vie
Ce texte ne parle pas de Bitcoin. Il parle de ce qui arrive quand un humain ne peut plus payer, recevoir, partir, survivre. La discrimination commence toujours de la même façon. Un compte qui se ferme, un paiement qui échoue, une frontière qui transforme l’argent en faute. Personne ne devient réfugié par choix. Personne ne devient clandestin par idéologie. On le devient quand le système cesse de reconnaître votre existence. À ce moment précis, la monnaie cesse d’être abstraite. Elle devient une ligne de vie. Ou une ligne de mort. Bitcoin n’est pas la promesse d’un monde meilleur. Il est la preuve qu’un monde pire est déjà là, comme le montrent les raisons pour lesquelles Bitcoin dérange profondément les régimes autoritaires. Quand tout disparaît – papiers, droits, protections – il reste parfois une seule chose : la capacité de ne pas être effacé. Bitcoin n’est pas une solution confortable. C’est ce qui reste quand il ne reste plus rien.

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Ralph R.

Consultant international en gestion de projet. Ingénieur de formation, avec une maîtrise en administration des affaires (M.B.A.) et affaires internationales d’HEC Montréal. Passionné de technologie et de cryptomonnaies depuis 2016.

XRP is entering a new phase as institutional demand strengthens through ETF inflows, even while price action remains subdued.

As of January 5, 2025, XRP traded near $2.266, reflecting muted movement that contrasted sharply with improving on-chain and derivatives indicators.

This divergence has started a fresh debate over whether XRP is consolidating amid tightening supply or simply mirroring broader market hesitation.

Meanwhile, adoption across the XRP Ledger has continued to build beneath the surface.

Over the past 30 days, the XRPL ranked as the fastest-growing real-world asset network, posting nearly 18% growth and trailing only Canton.

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During the same period, it outpaced Ethereum, Solana, and Avalanche in relative RWA expansion. Historically, such infrastructure-led adoption has often preceded repricing, though timing remains dependent on broader liquidity conditions.

At the same time, ETF activity has become a key supply-side development. XRP balances on centralized exchanges have fallen to a seven-year low, dropping to roughly 1.6 billion tokens from 3.76 billion in October 2025.

This decline coincided with sustained U.S. spot XRP ETF inflows, which have exceeded $1 billion since launch and extended a multi-week streak.

As ETFs steadily accumulated tokens, immediate sell-side availability continued to shrink, effectively reducing liquid supply even as spot prices struggled to advance.

However, derivatives data show why upside momentum has remained capped. Heavy overhead liquidity persists in the $2.50-$3.20 region, reflecting dense clusters of unclaimed liquidations from leveraged positions.

These zones, built from repeated failed advances, have acted as resistance and kept XRP trading below areas of concentrated exposure.

For now, XRP remains range-bound between $1.73 support and $2.32 resistance since mid-November. Momentum indicators reinforce the stalemate, with the RSI near neutral levels and the MACD mixed.

Looking ahead, markets will be watching whether ETF-driven absorption and accelerating XRPL adoption can eventually translate into price discovery.

A sustained breakout will likely require expanding volume and broader participation. However, the underlying setup suggests that supply dynamics are shifting in ways that could matter into 2026.

Cover image via U.Today

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available.

Bitcoin (BTC) is pushing against a critical technical ceiling in the $93,500 to $94,000 zone.

This level has been identified as the pivotal line by market analyst David Cox, CMT, CFA. 

In a Monday update, Cox has noted that the underlying trend indicators on the daily chart are changing decisively in favor of the bulls.

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Moving average 'turning up'Cox pointed to a specific bullish stacking of moving averages as evidence of returning momentum. 

According to the analyst, the daily chart now reflects a structure where the shorter-term averages have crossed above the longer-term trend lines:

The eight-day exponential moving average is trading above the 20-day EMA, and both are situated above the 50-day simple moving average.

Crucially, the spot price has reclaimed its position above the 50-day SMA, a dynamic often viewed as a prerequisite for sustained rallies.

"Averages are turning up," Cox wrote. "Here on the daily, you can see 8EMA > 20EMA > 50SMA, and the price is back above the 50-day."

Macro structure remains intactDespite the friction at $94,000, Cox urged traders to maintain a broader perspective. He noted that the "longer charts are higher highs/lows," 

The analysis argues that a clean break above this $94,000 resistance band could clear the path for a retest of the psychological six-figure levels discussed by other analysts earlier this week.

Bitcoin price has rebounded over 7% since the calendar flipped for 2026 last week. The flagship coin has since retested a crucial liquidity level around $94k on Monday, January, 2025.

Why Is Bitcoin Up Today?Capitulation of retailers amid renewed whales demand According to onchain data analysis from Santiment, Bitcoin whales, with a balance of between 10 and 10k have gradually increased their holdings in the past few days. On the other hand, Bitcoin holders, with less than 0.01 BTC have increased their profit taking.

Historically, Santiment has shown that a rising accumulation from whales amid retail capitulation is a bullish recipe and vice versa.

The rising demand for Bitcoin from whale investors can be demonstrated through major treasury companies. For instance, American Bitcoin, a treasury company backed by President Donald Trump, increased its holdings to 5,427 BTCs, valued at over $505 million.

Strategy Inc also increased its Bitcoin holdings by 1,287 BTCs to currently hold about 673,783 coins. The risk-on investment behavior in Bitcoin from institutions is backed by the robust cumulative fundamentals in 2025, including notable cash inflows to the spot BTC ETFs. 

Bullish technical tailwinds From a technical analysis standpoint, BTC price is well positioned to rally beyond $100k towards a new all-time high in the near term. In the daily timeframe, Bitcoin price rallied beyond a crucial supply level around $93k to trade about $94,316 at press time.

Crypto analyst @Osemka8 on X noted that Bitcoin price has been following a similar bullish pattern to its 2023 market reversal. With the rising global money supply amid the notable predictions of a gold topout, Bitcoin price is well positioned to experience a parabolic rally in the near future.

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Crypto traders using leverage to bet on a Bitcoin price drop are getting hammered as a new week begins.

In the last 24 hours, $426.3 million in leveraged crypto bets have been liquidated, according to the market data tracker CoinGlass.

The vast majority of the liquidations hit traders going short, with total short liquidations hitting $346.1 million.

BTC is leading the volume with $227.96 in total liquidations in the last day, followed by Ethereum (ETH) with $73.33 liquidated and Solana (SOL) with $13.41 liquidated.

Bitcoin and the crypto markets have been steadily moving up since the start of the new year.

BTC is up from about $87,500 at the start of the year to $94,312 at time of publishing.

Crypto trader and analyst Michaël van de Poppe tells his 817,000 followers on X that BTC needs to hold above the $90,000 range to solidify the gains.

“Slowly, but surely, the momentum comes back into the markets. Great movements.

There’s one crucial level which must hold: the area around $90,000-$91,000 (or the 21-Day MA). If that holds and a higher low is established, we’re in for a test at $100,000.”

Source: Michaël van de Poppe/X

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SummaryTenax Therapeutics (TENX) initiated with a Buy rating and a $25 price target, implying 127% upside based on DCF analysis.TNX-103, targeting PH-HFpEF, shows a high probability of Phase 3 success with a 65% PoS and strong Phase 2 efficacy signals.Valuation assumes $500M peak sales by 2035, conservative market penetration, and robust cash position minimizing near-term dilution risk.Market underappreciates TENX's late-stage pipeline and risk-adjusted asset value; recommend buying ahead of Phase 3 data in H2 2026.Looking for more investing ideas like this one? Get them exclusively at Vasuda Healthcare Analytics. Learn More » Design Cells/iStock via Getty Images

EQUITY RESEARCH: PHARMACEUTICALS Company: Tenax Therapeutics (TENX) Investment Rating: BUY

Risk Profile: Speculative/ High Risk

First Price Target (12-months): $25

Current Price = $11.05

Upside: 127%

Executive Summary We are initiating coverage on Tenax Therapeutics (TENX) with a Buy

Analyst’s Disclosure:I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, but may initiate a beneficial Long position through a purchase of the stock, or the purchase of call options or similar derivatives in TENX over 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.

Investing in biotech/pharma sector is risky and may not be suitable for all investors. This note represents my own opinion and is not professional investment advice. Please conduct your own due diligence or consult your financial advisor before making any investment decisions.

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.

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP reminds investors of the upcoming February 2, 2026 deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in the class action filed on behalf of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Blue Owl Capital Inc. (“Blue Owl” or the “Company”) (NYSE: OWL) securities between February 6, 2025 and November 16, 2025, inclusive (the “Class Period”).

IF YOU SUFFERED A LOSS ON YOUR OWL INVESTMENTS, CLICK HERE TO INQUIRE ABOUT POTENTIALLY PURSUING CLAIMS TO RECOVER YOUR LOSS UNDER THE FEDERAL SECURITIES LAWS.

What Happened?
On October 30, 2025, before the market opened, Blue Owl reported financial results for the third quarter of 2025. Blue Owl reported, among other things, fee-related earnings of only $376.2 million, which missed consensus estimates; fee related earnings margins of 57.1% which missed expectations by roughly 20 basis points; and performance revenue, which fell 33% year over year to only $188,000.

On this news, the Company’s share price fell $0.70 per share, or 4.23%, to close at $15.86 per share on October 30, 2025, on unusually heavy trading volume.

On November 5, 2025, after the market closed, Blue Owl’s business development companies (“BDCs”), Blue Owl Capital Corporation (“OBDC”) and Blue Owl Capital Corporation II (“OBDC II”) announced they had entered into a definitive merger agreement and that “OBDC II does not anticipate conducting additional tender offers prior to the merger.” Under the terms of the proposed merger, “shareholders of OBDC II will receive newly issued whole shares of OBDC for each share of OBDC II based on the exchange ratio determined prior to closing.” “The exchange ratio will be calculated based upon (i) the NAV [net asset value] per share of OBDC and OBDC II, each determined before merger close and (ii) the market price of OBDC common stock (‘OBDC Price’) before merger close.”

On this news, the Company’s share price fell $0.74 per share or 4.72%, to close at $14.95 per share on November 6, 2025, on unusually heavy trading volume.

Then, on November 16, 2025, the Financial Times published an article entitled “Blue Owl private credit fund merger leaves some investors facing 20% hit.” The article provided an interview with the chief financial officer of OBDC, Jonathan Lamm (“Lamm”), revealing that “If shareholders were to vote down the deal, [Lamm] acknowledged that Blue Owl Capital Corporation II might be forced to limit redemptions.”

The article further reported details of two critical aspects of the merger. First, OBDC II investors would indeed be blocked from making any redemptions until the merger completes in 2026. Second, as part of the merger, OBDC II shareholders would see the value of their investments fall by about 20%. The article affirmed Lamm “conceded . . . that at current prices, the investors in Blue Owl Capital Corporation II could take a potential haircut on their investments.”

On this news, the Company’s share price fell $0.85 per share, or 5.8%, to close at $13.77 per share on November 17, 2025, on unusually heavy trading volume.

On November 19, 2025, Blue Owl announced the termination of the proposed merger, citing “current market conditions.”

What Is The Lawsuit About?
The complaint filed in this class action alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company’s business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors: (1) that Blue Owl was experiencing a meaningful pressure on its asset base from BDC redemptions; (2) that, as a result, the Company was facing undisclosed liquidity issues; (3) that, as a result, the Company would be likely to limit or halt redemptions of certain BDCs; and (4) that, as a result of the foregoing, Defendants’ positive statements about the Company’s business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

If you purchased or otherwise acquired Blue Owl securities during the Class Period, you may move the Court no later than February 2, 2026 to request appointment as lead plaintiff in this putative class action lawsuit.

Contact Us To Participate or Learn More:
If you wish to learn more about this action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact us:
Charles Linehan, Esq.,
Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP,
1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100,
Los Angeles California 90067
Email:  [email protected]
Telephone: 310-201-9150,
Toll-Free: 888-773-9224
Visit our website at www.glancylaw.com.
Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

If you inquire by email, please include your mailing address, telephone number and number of shares purchased.

To be a member of the class action you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the class action.
This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

Contact Us:
Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP,
1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Charles Linehan
Email:  [email protected]
Telephone: 310-201-9150
Toll-Free: 888-773-9224
Visit our website at: www.glancylaw.com.

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Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) stock climbed about 30% in one week in December following reports of a planned SpaceX initial public offering in 2026 at a valuation of up to $1.5 trillion. The news renewed investor interest in space stocks, with Rocket Lab shares rising 174% over the full year. The company also advanced its launch business, completing 21 Electron missions in 2025, a new record. 

With the Neutron rocket set for debut this year, Rocket Lab could access larger payload markets and boost revenue. Analysts project sales could more than double to $1.2 billion by 2027, driving bullish consensus ratings and price targets. Yet after such gains, questions arise on whether the stock faces a crash landing.

Neutron Rocket’s High Stakes
Rocket Lab has a lot riding on its reusable Neutron rocket, now in final development stages. The vehicle is expected to arrive at its Virginia launch site in the first quarter of 2026, with a debut flight to follow after testing. 

This medium-lift option targets constellation deployments and heavier payloads, unlike the small-lift Electron, which has served as the core launcher with prices averaging $8.4 million per flight. Neutron contracts are priced at $50 million to $55 million each, far above Electron’s fees, and could enable higher launch rates. If Rocket Lab’s launch cadence scales, analysts see potential for significant revenue growth, as Neutron’s larger capacity — 13,000 kilograms for low-Earth orbit (LEO) — opens up new mission opportunities.

Launch Delays and Revenue Risks
Yet there is some reason for concern. Neutron’s timeline has been pushed back multiple times — from an initial 2024 target to late 2025, and now into 2026. The company cites needs for more qualification work to ensure success, with the first launch expected no earlier than mid-2026. But further setbacks remain possible, with some reports indicating mid-2026 is the more realistic window, or even later if engine and integration issues develop. 

Delays add costs, estimated at $15 million per quarter, and could push the first flight to late 2026 or even 2027. Missing the first-quarter window might trigger a sharp stock decline — worse if next year looks like the launch timetable — as Neutron is key to competing in the medium-lift segment.

Facing SpaceX Head-On
Competition poses challenges as well. Neutron’s 13,000-kg capacity is less than Falcon 9’s 17,500 kg, and less than a tenth of Starship’s 150 metric tons. SpaceX dominates with lower per-kilogram costs on Falcon 9 rideshares, priced around $67 million to $70 million per dedicated launch, and it could readily lower prices to match or undercut Neutron’s $55 million target, limiting Rocket Lab’s projected margins of 40% to 50%. 

While demand for launches grows, increased competition could cap its revenue upside. Firefly Aerospace (NASDAQ:FLY), for example, is targeting a late-2026 launch of its Eclipse rocket developed with Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC). 

SpaceX’s dominance, though, extends beyond pricing. With internal costs for Falcon 9 launches estimated at around $15 million, the company has ample room to discount aggressively if Neutron gains traction. Analysts note that SpaceX’s focus on Starlink and Starship may leave medium-lift opportunities open temporarily, but a potential 2026 IPO could provide billions in fresh capital to accelerate reusability and further reduce costs across its fleet. This could erode Neutron’s niche for dedicated missions, especially for customers prioritizing reliability over slight price differences. 

Additionally, SpaceX’s proven track record — hundreds of successful launches — contrasts with Rocket Lab’s need for a flawless Neutron debut to build credibility. Government contracts, while diversified, often favor incumbents, and any perception of higher risk with a new entrant could slow Neutron’s backlog growth.

Execution and Funding Pressures
Beyond competition, Rocket Lab faces ongoing cash burn from its Neutron development, with total costs approaching $360 million by the end of 2025. Negative operating cash flows persist as well, despite record revenue, requiring careful capital management. High R&D and capex could necessitate further equity raises, risking dilution at elevated valuations. Supply chain issues or regulatory hurdles at the Wallops site add layers of uncertainty, potentially extending timelines and costs.

Key Takeaway
Optimism on Rocket Lab’s trajectory is backed by its record backlog, now over $2 billion after an $816 million satellite contract, and space systems revenue growth. Yet at 48 times forward revenue, the valuation assumes sustained 30% annual growth for years, a rare feat for a company experiencing delays and intense competition. 

While I am bullish on Rocket Lab’s long-term trajectory, consider waiting for the inevitable pullback in its stock, especially if Neutron misses its Q1 launchpad arrival.

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Growth stocks have clearly provided much of the total return many investors have seen within their portfolio in recent years. That’s a dynamic some investors clearly expect to continue, with capital inflows into higher-growth stocks continuing to outpace the move in value stocks and companies paying out meaningful dividend yields. 

That said, the macro environment we’re heading into for the duration of 2026 looks to be far different than the one we entered into this past year. Plenty of exuberance around re-elected president Donald Trump’s tax policies prompted earnings growth expectations to be ratcheted up. But with tariff, trade and geopolitical policies now providing investors with plenty of concern around inflation and a slowing jobs market, it’s unclear whether these high-flying growth stocks can have a fourth double-digit up year in a row.

For investors looking to play more defense within their portfolios, here are three top dividend stocks I think are worth considering right now. 

PepsiCo (PEP)
In the world of carbonated beverages and snacks, PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) has built quite an amazing empire. With past acquisitions including that of Frito-Lays, and a number of other banner snack and beverage brands under its umbrella, Pepsi is a solid #2 player in this highly profitable cash flow producing sector. 

Pepsi’s upside in the past has come from immense pricing power, which I’d argue hasn’t gone away. The ability for Pepsi to raise prices on its core snack business in particular has driven significant margin explosion in recent years, with the company’s gross margin coming in at 53.6% this past quarter and its operating margin coming in right around 15%. For this sector, that’s incredible. 

Despite concerns that the company’s business model is inherently cyclical, we’ve seen robust sales through past down markets. Thus, I’d argue his is a dividend stock with a solid defensive tilt.

On the dividend front, Pepsi’s 4% dividend yield is impressive. But I’d argue the company’s 53-year track record of raising its dividend is even more impressive.

So, for investors looking for a company with a rock-solid balance sheet, a dividend growth profile that’s hard to come by, and a world-class brand with a moat that’s nearly impenetrable, Pepsi is a top choice I think investors can’t ignore. 

Restaurant Brands (QSR)
Another dividend stock I’d definitely put in the defensive bucket right now is Restaurant Brands (NYSE:QSR). Shares of the quick service restaurant provider have traded within a relatively narrow band over the past two years, with many investors (myself included) expecting to see a breakout come at some point.

I still think we’ll see a breakout in the years to come, and in fact, I think 2026 could be this company’s year. That’s because the parent company of Burger King, Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen and Tim Horton’s (among other banners) has incredibly stable and growing cash flows driven by both organic same-store sales growth and continued global expansion in higher-growth markets in Asia. 

With operating income surging nearly 15% ithis past quarter and adjusted EPS also rising double digits, Restaurant Brands’ core dividend yield of 3.7% is well-covered. And if we do see more trade-down take place in the dining away from home segment, I think the company’s increasingly attractive value offerings should drive continued growth, bear market or not.

Thus, for those seeking a defensive 3.7% yield with plenty of dividend growth potential over the long-term (and a business model that’s still growing), Restaurant Brands is a stock I think could provide double-digit total returns for at least a decade or two ahead. Personally, that’s good enough for me. 

Constellation Energy (CEG)
In the utilities sector, Constellation Energy (NASDAQ:CEG) is one of my top picks for investors looking not only for robust dividend distributions today, but a solid growth profile over the medium to long-term. 

This company’s focus isn’t on the traditional electricity and natural gas utilities business many investors commonly think of. Rather, the company’s nuclear-focused business model provides the energy source of the future, and one that’s come in much higher demand of late thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence and the impressive electricity demand we’re likely to see for decades to come. 

Indeed, in order for the U.S. economy to support the kind of data center buildout that’s expected (given the country’s aging infrastructure on this front), more small modular nuclear reactors are going to need to be built. Constellation supplies such opportunities, with plenty of spending spurring solid stock price appreciation in recent years. That’s a trend I think can continue. 

Now, Constellation Energy is a stock that used to provide a reasonable dividend yield five years ago. That’s before this stock shot more than 800% higher over this time frame. Still providing a 0.4% yield with plenty of potential to ramp up distributions in the years to come, the real winners from this stock’s rise have been those who were able to lock in 4%-5% yields five years ago.

That said, I think that as the company continues to grow, Constellation Energy is likely to pass on more of its cash flows to investors in the form of dividend increases and share buybacks. I’d want to be on the right side of this trend, which is why CEG stock still looks like a buy to me even after its impressive rally. 

Transaction expands Nord's silver tailings historic resource by 2.9 million ounces Vancouver, B.C. — TheNewswire — January 5, 2026 — Nord Precious Metals Inc. (“Nord” or the "Company") (TSXV: NTH, OTCQB: CCWOF, FF: QN3) announces that it has entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement dated January 5, 2026 (the "Definitive Agreement") with Battery Mineral Resources Corp. ("BMR") to acquire four mining leases in the Gowganda Silver Camp of Ontario (the "Gowganda Property") adjacent and contiguous to Nord's existing Mining Leases. The Proposed Transaction consolidates Nord's position in one of Canada's most prolific historical silver-cobalt districts at a moment when silver prices have reached record levels, Ontario has enacted it's One Project, One Process permitting framework, and the province has launched a $500 million Critical Minerals Processing Fund to expand domestic processing capacity.