Market Signal Briefing

If the OG altcoin passes this liquidity zone test, the Elliott Wave-based price setup points straight to $20.

Market Sentiment:

Bullish Bearish Neutral

Published: January 16, 2026 │ 7:20 PM GMT

Created by Gabor Kovacs from DailyCoin

The popular remittance altcoin Ripple (XRP) continues to trade in range-bound mode, but the $2 level is coming sooner than the long-term target of $20. In the latest technical analysis by Chart Nerd, the deep liquidity pocket at $2 is expected to determine the near-term momentum.

Big Test: XRP Dives Into Liquidity Pocket To back it up, the seasoned trader relies on the Stochastic Relative Strength Index (StochRSI), currently in oversold mode, meaning that the asset is under-valued against the market in theory. Paired with the bullish crossover on MACD, a wider rebound rally could be next, says Chart Nerd.

$XRP LTF Update 📈

Price action is respecting the channel support and resistance.

Both the Stoch RSI and MACD are hinting at LTF reversal.

We may stick inside this channel until the $2 liquidity pocket is tapped.

The loss/break of the channel determines ST direction #NFA https://t.co/0I00ROgo8F pic.twitter.com/TkAlQrJPZM

— 🇬🇧 ChartNerd 📊 (@ChartNerdTA) January 16, 2026 “We may stick inside this channel until the $2 liquidity pocket is tapped”, – said the analyst as XRP’s price was trading just above $2.07. Since then, the markets saw a medium pull-back on Friday, with Bitcoin (BTC) retreating back to $95K. However, the markets remained mostly calm as crypto’s Fear & Greed Index turned to ‘greed’ levels for the first time in half a year.

XRP’s Wave 4 Bottom Sets $20 Price Goal Meanwhile, other technical analysts paint a bright picture for Ripple’s (XRP) price appreciation. In Egrag Crypto’s point of view, XRP is poised for a double-digit run once the Wave 4 activates – basing it all on the Elliott Wave theory. To solidify their thesis, ‘Y’ showcases a set of green & white circles that have built a logical structure over the years, printing higher lows on each cycle.

Hence, while market connoisseurs may find the $20 XRP price target outrageously optimistic, the technical back-up is there. Now, the fourth wave is expected to take the XRP’s price on a ‘classic bullish corrective consolidation’, the analyst noted while drawing attention to the break of 21-EMA zone, highlighted in yellow.

#XRP – The Chart Is Screaming, People Aren’t Listening (🎯$20):

💡Focus on the white⚪️ & green 🟢circles on the chart. That behavior is not weakness, it’s structure repeating.

🏳️What’s happening there:
▫️Price pulls back into rising support (21 EMA zone)
▫️Momentum cools… pic.twitter.com/s1ldjuDNKH

— EGRAG CRYPTO (@egragcrypto) January 16, 2026 With most of the major-caps back-tracking on Friday evening, XRP’s ability to stay above the psychological support level of $2 will be decisive, as it falls in line with the liquidity pocket mentioned by Chart Nerd. As of press time, XRP, the #4 ranked asset by market capitalization stood at $2.04, dipping by 2.31% in 24 hours.

On The Flipside XRP’s bulls have been battered by short-sellers on leveraged markets, implying excessive optimism that leads to liquidation. Long positions on XRP’s price accounted for $8.70 million out of $8.89 million in 24-hour liquidations, says CoinGlass data. Discover DailyCoin’s trending crypto news today:
Dogecoin’s “Third Test” Zone Loaded, Price Presses Key-Range High
Interactive Brokers Integrates USDC Deposits For Instant Trading

People Also Ask: What is this key liquidity pocket XRP is tapping?

Per Egrag Crypto’s price chart, XRP is entering Wave 4 and hitting a liquidity pocket averaged at $8.33–$41.2, equaling $20.50. This zone acts as a support/resistance area where price often bounces or reverses.

Why is this Wave 4 setup important?

Wave 4 in Elliott Wave theory is the corrective phase before the final Wave 5 impulse. Therefore, XRP bottoming in this liquidity pocket suggests accumulation before a major upside leg.

What are XRP’s price targets if it bounces?

Break above $2.34 resistance could target $20.50 as the following Wave 5 high, based on measured moves and historical patterns

Is this bullish for XRP coin overall?

Yes, if it holds the pocket and breaks higher—signals end of correction and start of new impulse. However, failure could lead to deeper Wave 4 lows around $0.332–$0.387.

What risks are there for XRP Army?

Broader market dumps or low volume on breakout could invalidate the setup. Thus, confirmation above $2.34 with strong buying is crucial before big positions.

DailyCoin's Vibe Check: Which way are you leaning towards after reading this article?

Market Sentiment

0% Neutral

This article is for information purposes only and should not be considered trading or investment advice. Nothing herein shall be construed as financial, legal, or tax advice. Trading forex, cryptocurrencies, and CFDs pose a considerable risk of loss.

Fri, 16/01/2026 - 19:48

XRP ETFs are seeing rising institutional demand as ETF inflows hit the highest weekly level since 2026 began, signaling rising interest among investors.

Cover image via U.Today XRP ETFs have maintained strong momentum since the year began. However, it appears they have performed far better this week, as data from SosoValue shows that they have recorded the highest weekly inflow of the year so far.

The data shows that U.S. XRP spot ETFs have pulled in a combined inflow of $55.71 million over the past week. With this performance, the total net assets held across all funds now stand at a massive $1.51 billion.

XRP ETFs see $17 million in latest capital intake Amid the strong demand seen this week, the XRP ETFs recorded $17.06 million in inflows during their last trading session. Notably, this has pushed cumulative net inflows to a massive $1.27 billion.

HOT Stories

With the impressive activity seen across the XRP-based investment funds, it appears that institutional investors have remained resilient despite the mixed price action seen in XRP over the week.

Moreover, it is important to note that trading activity across the ETFs has remained impressive. The total value traded across XRP spot ETFs as of Jan. 15 reached nearly $22 million.

As such, it appears that market participation has remained consistent even as prices dipped slightly across most of the listed XRP ETFs.

Canary XRP breaks positive flowWhile the broader XRP ETF ecosystem has painted a positive picture, the Canary XRP ETF did not follow the trend, as it recorded an outflow of $659,000 on the day.

Regardless of this, multiple funds stood out during the week, with Bitwise and Grayscale showing the most impressive records.

Over the last trading session, both funds each recorded more than $7 million in daily net inflows. This helped offset smaller outflows seen in other funds, such as Canary.

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The era of the crypto industry being seen as a two-asset town is officially over at the world’s largest derivatives marketplace.

On Jan. 15, CME Group announced plans to launch futures contracts for Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK), and Stellar (XLM) on Feb. 9, pending regulatory review.

This move represents a calculated signal from the Chicago-based exchange giant that the digital asset market has matured beyond the gravitational pull of Bitcoin and Ethereum into a diversified, risk-managed asset class.

The expansion introduces a deliberate two-tier structure designed to capture both institutional heavyweights and active retail traders.

The contracts will feature standard and micro sizes: 100,000 ADA and 10,000 ADA, 5,000 LINK and 250 LINK, and 250,000 XLM and 12,500 XLM.

By widening its “blue-chip” rails to include these three distinct assets, CME is effectively declaring that the infrastructure for crypto risk transfer is ready to handle a broader spectrum of blockchain utilities, from smart contract platforms to middleware and payments.

CME's volume argumentThe primary driver behind this expansion is visible in the exchange’s own scoreboard as its new listings come on the heels of a blowout year for CME’s crypto desk.

In 2025, the exchange reported record crypto futures and options activity, clocking an average daily volume (ADV) of 278,300 contracts. That figure represents approximately $12 billion in notional value changing hands every single day.

Perhaps more importantly for institutional adoption, average open interest (OI) stood at 313,900 contracts, representing about $26.4 billion in notional value.

These metrics suggest the market has crossed a threshold. Crypto at CME is no longer a niche experiment but a robust input into global portfolio construction.

The 2025 data reveal that scale is increasingly driven by accessibility rather than by large block trades alone. In its annual recap, CME noted that crypto ADV rose 139% year over year to a record 278,000 contracts.

Notably, the engine room of this growth has been the “micro” suite. Micro ETH futures averaged 144,000 contracts per day, while Micro Bitcoin futures averaged 75,000 per day.

This distribution model allows for granular hedging and speculative positioning, a feature that was on full display during the market’s volatility spikes.

On Nov. 21, 2025, the complex hit an all-time daily volume record of 794,903 contracts. The micro suite alone accounted for 676,088 of those, with Micro Bitcoin futures and options reaching 210,347 that day.

For CME, the lesson was clear: if you build accessible, regulated rails, the volume will follow.

The graduation playbookMeanwhile, CME is not entering this expansion blind as it has developed a proven playbook for “graduating” assets into the regulated sphere, validated by the performance of Solana and XRP.

When the exchange rolled out futures for those assets in 2025, they quickly became some of the fastest-adopted contracts in its history.

For context, more than 540,000 Solana futures had traded by mid-September 2025, since their March 17 launch, representing about $22.3 billion in notional value.

XRP showed similar traction, with more than 370,000 futures traded since its May 19 launch, totaling roughly $16.2 billion in notional value.

CME also flagged record monthly average daily volume and open interest metrics for both assets in August 2025, proving that liquidity can pool around specific altcoins if the venue is trusted.

This precedent is crucial for understanding the ADA, LINK, and XLM listings.

CME is likely betting that these assets, like SOL and XRP, have sufficient “graduated” status to support an institutional derivatives market.

The move reinforces the narrative that regulated futures can accumulate real traction for select assets, effectively pulling volume away from offshore perpetual swap markets and into a cleared, US-regulated environment.

Why CME is betting on ADA, LINK, and XLMCME's selection of these three specific tokens offers insight into how institutional investors are beginning to categorize crypto assets.

Industry observers noted that this represents diversification of “beta,” or market exposure.

Cardano functions as a classic Layer 1 instrument, allowing traders to hedge or take exposure to a smart contract ecosystem distinct from Ethereum.

Meanwhile, Chainlink represents “infrastructure beta,” serving as a proxy for the middleware oracle networks that connect on-chain applications to off-chain data.

Stellar is associated with payments and cross-border value transfer, a narrative that frequently resurfaces during discussions of tokenized cash and compliance-friendly settlement.

Crucially, the plumbing for these contracts has been in place longer than many realize. CME’s contracts are cash-settled based on CME CF reference rates, which are designed to be transparent and replicable.

Stellar, for instance, has been part of this benchmark universe for years. CME Globex notices from as far back as April 2022 listed the CME CF Stellar Lumens–Dollar Reference Rate (XLMUSD_RR) alongside other benchmark additions.

This benchmark maturity acts as a quiet prerequisite for institutional adoption, giving clearing members the assurance that settlement mechanisms will behave like traditional derivatives infrastructure.

The broader macro context further justifies the timing. CME has announced plans to make crypto futures and options available 24/7 (with a brief weekly maintenance window) beginning in early 2026, pending regulatory review.

The ETF catalystThe strategic weight of CME’s move was confirmed almost immediately by a wave of new product filings.

Ahead of the Feb. 9 futures debut, ProShares filed for six new ETFs tied to these specific assets, aiming to capitalize on the regulated infrastructure CME is building.

The filings cover both standard and leveraged exposure: the ProShares Chainlink ETF, ProShares Cardano ETF, and ProShares Stellar ETF.

This is alongside their 2x leveraged counterparts, which include the ProShares Ultra Cardano ETF, ProShares Ultra Chainlink ETF, and ProShares Ultra Stellar ETF.

While tickers and fees remain to be announced, the filings list an effective date of March 31.

This timeline is instructive, as it suggests an orchestrated sequence in which CME futures establish the necessary liquidity, hedging capabilities, and reference pricing in February. This would then clear the path for structured retail products to launch roughly 7 weeks later.

Notably, the inclusion of “Ultra” versions is particularly significant, as leveraged ETFs typically rely heavily on regulated futures markets to deliver their magnified returns. Thus, the CME listing is a functional prerequisite for their existence.

Measuring successThe market will quickly determine if ADA, LINK, and XLM are ready for the big stage.

The true test will be whether these contracts become genuine “tradable markets” with persistent open interest and tight spreads, or if they remain occasional hedging tools.

Using CME’s 2025 average daily notional of $12 billion as a baseline, a simple scenario analysis offers a framework for what success looks like over the first 90 days.

A “soft adoption” scenario, capturing just 0.1% of the share, would result in approximately $12 million in combined daily notional. This would be enough to sustain the listings but would indicate limited institutional integration.

Meanwhile, a “base case” of 0.5% share would yield roughly $60 million per day, consistent with steady hedging and meaningful market-making participation.

However, a “breakout” scenario with a 1.5% share would translate into about $180 million per day. Such a figure would signal that the onshore complex has become a genuine venue for altcoin risk transfer, likely paving the way for deeper options liquidity.

Mentioned in this article

TL;DR

Cathie Wood argues Bitcoin’s fixed supply makes it superior to gold. Bitcoin rose 360% vs gold’s 166% with lower annual supply growth. Bitcoin’s mining supply is code-limited, unlike gold’s discovery-based production. Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood presented a report comparing Bitcoin to gold. In her 2026 analysis, Wood argues Bitcoin is a superior scarce asset to the precious metal. The basis of her claim lies in the digital asset’s mathematically fixed supply, which she defines as inherently scarce.

Wood compared the performance of both assets. She observed gold recorded an appreciation of 166% with an annualized increase in its global supply of 1.8%. Bitcoin, in contrast, rose 360% with an annualized increase in its total supply of 1.3%. The investor pointed out a crucial difference in supply’s response to price signals.

Gold and Bitcoin Respond Differently to Prices Gold miners can increase production if they discover new deposits. This supply adjustment mechanism does not exist for Bitcoin. Its protocol sets a maximum limit of 21 million units and a decreasing emission rate. Wood explained Bitcoin’s annual supply increase falls to 0.9% after each halving.

Bitcoin’s mining supply is strictly limited by its code. New issuance is expected to increase approximately 0.8% annually over the next two years. From 2028, annual supply growth is forecast to slow to 0.4%. This predictability contrasts with the discovery-based nature of gold mining.

Wood also highlighted Bitcoin’s role in portfolio diversification. She noted Bitcoin’s correlation with gold is low, at 0.14. Its correlation with bonds is even lower, at 0.06. This profile makes it a source of diversification for asset managers seeking higher returns per unit of risk. The Ark CEO suggested managers have a fiduciary duty to consider crypto assets to optimize returns and risk.

Competitive Pressure from Gold and Future Outlook Gold’s performance in 2025 generated direct competitive pressure on Bitcoin. The metal advanced 69% for the year, while Bitcoin recorded a 5% decline. This performance raised doubts about the “digital gold” narrative and Bitcoin’s superiority as an inflation hedge.

Bitcoin experienced strong rallies in 2024, so a consolidation phase in 2025 is normal. Experts like Geigii Verbitskii, founder of TYMIO, maintain Bitcoin offers asymmetric upside in the long term, holding a history of faster growth than gold.

Other firms maintain bullish outlooks for Bitcoin, though they adjusted forecasts. Bernstein predicts Bitcoin could reach $200,000 by 2027. Standard Chartered reduced its 2026 prediction from $300,000 to $150,000. Cathie Wood maintains her optimism, previously projecting a price of $1.5 million by 2030, later revised to $1.2 million.

Dash [DASH] surged more than 15% in 24 hours to around $93 at press time, extending its rally after confirming integration with AEON Pay and firmly reclaiming the $90 zone. 

The sharp advance reflected more than short-term speculation, as expanding real-world utility underpinned demand. 

AEON Pay has already processed roughly 994,000 transactions worth over $29 million across a network reaching nearly 50 million merchants, strengthening Dash’s payments narrative. 

As a result, buyers stepped in with conviction, driving the price cleanly through former resistance. Momentum accelerated rather than stalled, indicating acceptance at higher levels for DASH prices.

A breakout candle resets Dash’s structure Dash delivered a decisive structural shift after ripping through the $80 resistance and reclaiming the $90–$95 zone, an area that previously capped upside attempts. 

The daily candle expanded aggressively, slicing through prior supply and signaling strong buyer urgency rather than gradual accumulation. 

Importantly, price now trades above the former breakdown region near $80, turning it into a clear support base. 

Momentum also aligns with indicators, as the MACD has flipped firmly bullish, with the signal line crossing higher and histogram bars expanding into positive territory. The combination reflects accelerating upside momentum, not exhaustion. 

With structure repaired and momentum strengthening, price now naturally gravitates toward the $100 psychological level, while a sustained hold above it opens a clean technical path toward the $120 resistance. 

Source: TradingView

Open Interest confirms aggressive upside positioning At press time, Open Interest (OI) jumped by over 20%, climbing to roughly $199.5 million as Dash accelerated higher. This increase reflects fresh positioning, not just short covering. 

Traders actively opened new exposure in favor of continuation, reinforcing trend strength. Moreover, OI expanded alongside price, which typically signals healthy participation. 

Conversely, weak rallies often show falling OI, yet Dash avoided that trap. As leverage aligned with direction, confidence grew across derivatives markets. 

Furthermore, positioning appeared orderly rather than euphoric, suggesting room for extension. As a result, price action gained durability instead of fragility. 

With capital committing aggressively but rationally, the market structure supports sustained upside rather than an immediate exhaustion move.

On-chain engagement quietly turns constructive Dash’s DeFi Total Value Locked edged higher to about $207,655, at press time, marking a daily increase of over 9%. 

While modest in absolute terms, the direction matters. On-chain engagement often lags price, yet Dash showed early signs of ecosystem reactivation. 

Moreover, rising TVL alongside price strength supports a utility-driven narrative. Participants did not merely chase candles; they interacted with the network. 

Additionally, improving on-chain metrics reduces the risk of purely speculative blow-offs. Therefore, this growth adds a secondary layer of confirmation beneath the rally.

As adoption headlines circulate and usage inches higher, Dash strengthens its broader demand base. That combination often sustains momentum beyond the initial breakout phase.

Shorts flushed as downside pressure collapses Liquidation data revealed a clear imbalance favoring bulls. Over $3.11 million in short positions vanished, while only about $604,000 in longs closed forcibly. 

The disparity shows that bears lost control decisively. As shorts exited rapidly, forced buying accelerated the move higher. 

Besides, longs remained largely intact, which reduced downside instability. This dynamic matters because rallies supported by short dominance often persist. 

Additionally, limited long stress suggests leverage aligned correctly with the trend direction. Consequently, the price did not stall after the squeeze. 

Instead, momentum stabilized above key levels. With bearish pressure removed and bullish positioning preserved, Dash gained room to build rather than retrace sharply.

Can Dash extend toward $100 next? Dash answered the adoption question convincingly by breaking above $90 with strength, structure, and participation aligned. 

Utility expansion, rising OI, improving on-chain signals, and dominant short liquidations all point in one direction. If buyers defend the $90 area, the $100 psychological level becomes a realistic next magnet.

Final Thoughts Dash’s breakout above $90 signals strong structural repair and sets the stage for a $100 test. Rising utility, healthy positioning, and flushed shorts support sustained upside momentum rather than a fragile rally.

TL;DR

Santiment’s 30-day GitHub tracking shows Solana development concentrating in infrastructure-heavy teams, with momentum measured in commits rather than price action, amid volatility. Chainlink leads the activity score, Solana ranks second, and Wormhole is third, underscoring priorities around data, core protocol execution, and cross-chain interoperability. Swarms, Pyth Network, and Meteora remain active on liquidity, data feeds, and DEX rails, while Drift, Jito, Marinade, and others keep refining derivatives, MEV, and staking. Santiment’s latest tracking of notable GitHub events over the past 30 days suggests Solana development is not slowing, it is concentrating. A small set of infrastructure-heavy teams is doing most of the shipping, giving a clean snapshot of builders prioritizing code over short-term price action. The headline is that engineering momentum is being measured in commits, not candles. The list surfaces where effort is compounding, even while several related tokens show short-term price weakness, and it sets the tone for what parts of the ecosystem are being reinforced right now before broader adoption can follow.

https://twitter.com/santimentfeed/status/2011953479942619203

Infrastructure, Oracles, and DeFi Rails Take Priority At the top, Chainlink leads by a wide margin on the development activity score, reflecting sustained work on oracle services and cross-chain tooling used by Solana-based applications. Solana ranks second, a reminder that core protocol development continues even through market volatility. Wormhole sits in third, reinforcing its role as a critical bridge, with updates that signal ongoing effort to improve interoperability and security. This top-three stack reads like a checklist for scaling: data, base-layer execution, and cross-chain rails. For operators, that mix matters, because each layer reduces friction for apps needing reliable feeds and settlement.

Mid-table, the activity shifts from foundations to throughput. Swarms, Pyth Network, and Meteora post meaningful development scores, pointing to active work on liquidity design, market data distribution, and decentralized exchange infrastructure. Together, they represent the functional layer where users actually trade, route orders, and move capital across pools. The signal here is that Solana’s builders are still optimizing the pipes that keep onchain markets liquid and informed. In a down week for some tokens, that focus looks less like hype and more like operational discipline. That kind of groundwork tends to compound quietly over time.

Lower on the rankings, DoubleZero, Drift, Jito, and Marinade still register notable, if lighter, activity, spanning infrastructure, derivatives, MEV, and staking services. Santiment’s snapshot reinforces a familiar pattern: developer attention clusters around interoperability and core financial primitives, not speculative apps. It also hints at sequencing, with tooling, liquidity rails, and data layers maturing before broader adoption follows. The pragmatic takeaway is that Solana’s growth story is being written in backend iterations that users may not notice yet. For stakeholders, the watch item is whether this code cadence translates into resilience and expansion over the cycle

Lawmakers in West Virginia and Arizona are advancing proposals to test Bitcoin inside state public-finance frameworks. One measure would restrict eligible digital assets to those above a $750 billion market cap and is now in committee review.

NEW: West Virginia Introduces Bitcoin & Gold Treasury Bill

West Virginia lawmakers have introduced Senate Bill 143, the Inflation Protection Act of 2026, which would allow the state Treasury to allocate a portion of state funds to Bitcoin and gold as an inflation hedge.

The… pic.twitter.com/rjb5Cr6Ra2

— Bitcoin News (@BitcoinNewsCom) January 15, 2026

In West Virginia, SB 143, the Inflation Protection Act of 2026, would let the state treasury allocate up to 10% into inflation-protection assets, including physical gold, approved stablecoins and Bitcoin as the only qualifying crypto asset. In Arizona, SB 1043 would allow agencies to accept Bitcoin for taxes, fees and fines but convert receipts to U.S. dollars immediately, while SB 1042 would permit up to 10% of certain public funds to back a strategic Bitcoin reserve.

The near-term watch item is whether committees move these bills toward floor votes and whether custody, conversion and reporting requirements are clarified, turning pilots into repeatable operating models.

Source: BitcoinNewsCom (X); public-finance policy report.

Disclaimer: Crypto Economy Flash News are based on verified public and official sources. Their purpose is to provide fast, factual updates about relevant events in the crypto and blockchain ecosystem.

This information does not constitute financial advice or investment recommendation. Readers are encouraged to verify all details through official project channels before making any related decisions.

Ark’s Cathie Wood claims in a recent 2026 report that Bitcoin beats gold as a scarce asset because its mathematically fixed supply makes it inherently scarce. Wood observed that gold has surged 166% with a 1.8% annualized increase in global supply, while BTC has climbed 360% with a 1.3% annualized increase in total supply.

According to Wood, an important consideration relevant to this comparison is that Bitcoin and gold miners are likely to respond differently to price signals. Gold miners can boost the production of undiscovered gold, something not possible with Bitcoin.

Wood previously explained that Bitcoin is becoming more scarce than gold because its annual supply increase decreases to 0.9% after each halving. However, the seasoned investor has maintained her optimism on crypto, projecting that BTC could hit $1.5 million by 2030. She later revised the figure slightly downward to $1.2 million, reflecting gold’s market performance and the growing popularity of stablecoins.

BTC beats gold as a diversification asset Ark’s Cathie Wood also observed that BTC’s correlation with gold is low at 0.14, and even lower with bonds (0.06). That makes it the best source of diversification for asset allocators seeking higher returns per unit of risk in the coming years. Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan supported Bitcoin’s scarcity thesis by suggesting that sustained institutional demand that outpaces supply could result in a “parabolic blowoff” for Bitcoin.

The Ark CEO recently suggested that gold prices may have reached “irrational exuberance” relative to money supply. Meanwhile, she championed Bitcoin as the ultimate diversifier, noting that BTC’s correlation to traditional asset classes remains near zero. Wood now argues that allocators have a fiduciary duty to consider crypto assets to optimize portfolio returns and risks. 

Wood further noted that BTC’s mining and supply are strictly limited by protocol, and new issuance is expected to increase by roughly 0.8% per year for the next two years. However, the annual supply is expected to slow to about 0.4% annually from 2028. 

Meanwhile, Bernstein analysts remain bullish on Bitcoin as a better hedging asset than gold, predicting that Bitcoin could hit $200,000 by 2027. Standard Chartered has also halved its 2026 BTC price prediction from $300,000 to $150,000. 

Gold’s 2025 performance creates direct pressure on Bitcoin Reports suggest that gold’s performance in 2025 created direct competitive pressure on BTC as a store of value and inflation-hedge asset. Gold’s 69% gain YTD outperformed Bitcoin’s 5% YTD decline, raising concerns over BTC’s superiority as an alternative value preservation asset. 

The credibility of the digital gold narrative for Bitcoin also suffered significant damage as a struggling Bitcoin took on gold, which delivered comparatively higher returns. Unlike crypto, gold’s value is derived from universal recognition, a millennial track record as a wealth preservation asset, and physical scarcity. Gold’s non-digital nature apparently provides comfort to investors concerned about technological vulnerabilities and failures.

Meanwhile, Gold’s 2025 performance is reportedly forcing reconsideration of portfolio allocation and raises questions about diversification strategies. Gold allocations are likely to increase based on the precious metal’s demonstration of diversification benefits and crisis-hedging value in 2025.  

However, Geigii Verbitskii, the founder of TYMIO, argues that Bitcoin’s 2025 performance only looks weak in isolation, noting that context matters. According to Verbitskii, BTC rose sharply in 2024, making the 2025 consolidation period completely normal and justified.

The TYMIO executive believes that 2026 is a year of holding rather than buying and selling, further noting that while gold offers stability, BTC offers “asymmetric upside.” He also pointed out that Bitcoin has historically grown faster than gold and expected this trend to continue this year.  

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Grant Cardone Bets on Bitcoin Real Estate as Trump Plots Housing Shakeup — What To Expect

Hassan Shittu

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Grant Cardone is expanding his push into a strategy that links Bitcoin with income-generating real estate, positioning the approach as the U.S. housing market faces growing political and regulatory uncertainty amid President Donald Trump’s renewed emphasis on affordability.

The real estate investor and entrepreneur laid out the strategy in a recent Fox Business interview, describing plans to combine large apartment complexes with Bitcoin holdings, tokenize ownership, and ultimately take the structure public as a single tradable vehicle.

How Cardone Is Turning Apartment Cash Flow Into Bitcoin ExposureCardone said the strategy combines two contrasting assets to balance risk and return.

On one side is multifamily housing, which provides steady cash flow through rental income and is viewed by lenders as low risk, while Bitcoin offers liquidity but comes with price volatility.

By linking the two, Cardone said rental proceeds are gradually used to buy Bitcoin, creating a structure that generates predictable income while steadily building exposure to the digital asset over time.

In the interview, Cardone said his firm is already executing the model at scale. He cited a $366 million multifamily project acquired out of bankruptcy from Blackstone, explaining that such assets could be tokenized into hundreds of millions of units, allowing investors to participate with as little as one dollar.

Cardone noted that tokenization removes geographic and capital barriers that typically limit access to large real estate deals, opening participation to investors outside the United States or those without six-figure minimums.

The strategy is not theoretical, as Cardone Capital already manages more than 14,000 apartment units across the U.S. and roughly $5.1 billion in assets and has been steadily adding Bitcoin to its balance sheet.

In June 2025, the firm disclosed the purchase of 1,000 BTC worth just over $100 million at the time.

By August, it added another 130 BTC as part of a refinancing deal tied to its Miami River property, opting to raise equity and secure debt at a 4.89% rate rather than buy interest rate caps.

The firm has said it is targeting up to 4,000 BTC, which would place it among the largest non-mining corporate holders.

Cardone’s Bitcoin-Property Model Emerges Amid U.S. Housing Policy ChangesCardone has framed the approach as different from pure Bitcoin treasury companies, which typically rely on issuing debt or equity to accumulate crypto without an operating business underneath.

In contrast, he argues that housing generates recurring cash flow regardless of market cycles.

In November, Cardone said one newly launched 366-unit property paired with $100 million in Bitcoin could produce roughly $10 million in annual net operating income, funds he plans to reinvest into additional BTC purchases.

The timing of Cardone’s push comes as housing policy moves back to the center of U.S. politics.

On January 7, President Trump said he would move to block large institutional investors from buying more single-family homes, arguing that corporate ownership has priced Americans out of homeownership.

Source: Truth Socials Trump also said more details would be unveiled at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The administration has pushed to lower borrowing costs, with mortgage rates falling to about 6% in early January after Trump said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were directed to buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds.

Rates are at their lowest since late 2022, helping lift existing home sales for a fourth straight month, even as prices remain high.

Cardone told Fox Business that his team has been in discussions with policymakers about loosening housing constraints, including expanding capital gains exemptions on home sales and extending bonus depreciation rules.

Solana is testing investor confidence as the SOL price slips back toward key support levels, even as the network continues to expand across multiple fronts. After briefly pushing above $147 earlier this week, the token failed to hold its gains and is now trading below $145.

The pullback comes at a time when Solana is seeing rising institutional interest, growing real-world asset adoption, and new user-focused initiatives, creating a contrast between short-term price pressure and longer-term ecosystem growth.

SOL's price moving sideways on the daily chart. Source: SOLUSD on Tradingview SOL Price Tests Critical Support Zone SOL has entered a short-term correction after failing to clear the $150 resistance area. The price dropped below the $146 and $145 levels, moving under the 100-hour simple moving average. On the downside, technical analysts are watching the $141–$140 zone, where a bullish trend line and Fibonacci support converge.

If the SOL price breaks below $140, the next support sits near $132, with further downside risk toward $124. On the upside, resistance remains near $146 and $148. A confirmed move above $148 could open the door to a retest of $155 and potentially $162.

Momentum indicators reflect cautious sentiment. The hourly RSI remains below 50, and the MACD continues to show bearish pressure. Despite a healthy trading volume of around $5 billion in 24 hours, SOL is still down roughly one-third from its price a year ago and well below its previous peak near $293.

Regulatory Developments and Solana ETF Inflows Beyond price action, regulatory news in the U.S. may influence Solana’s medium-term outlook.

The draft bill known as the “Clarity Act,” released by the Senate Banking Committee, proposes reclassifying certain cryptocurrencies with exchange-traded products as “non-incidental” assets starting in 2026. This would ease some SEC disclosure requirements for assets like SOL.

If passed, the proposal could place Solana in a similar regulatory category to Bitcoin and Ethereum, potentially improving institutional access. Early signs of interest have already appeared.

On January 15, U.S. spot Solana ETFs recorded $23.57 million in net inflows, the highest in four weeks. However, ETF assets still represent only about 1.5% of SOL’s market capitalization, limiting their immediate impact on price.

Network Growth Outpaces Price Momentum While the SOL price struggles, Solana’s network continues to expand. In 2025, the blockchain processed $1.6 trillion in trading volume, accounting for roughly 12% of the crypto market. Its DeFi ecosystem remains anchored by platforms like Jupiter, Raydium, Orca, and Kamino, with TVL holding steady near $11.5 billion.

A major milestone came as Solana’s real-world asset (RWA) ecosystem reached a record valuation of $1.15 billion, driven by tokenized U.S. Treasuries, equities, and institutional funds. This signals growing use of Solana as a settlement layer for traditional assets.

Related Reading: Bitcoin Tailwind: Cathie Wood Sees ‘Reaganomics On Steroids’ Ahead

User engagement initiatives are also expanding. Solana’s Seeker phone is rolling out a large SKR token airdrop to over 100,000 users, while Interactive Brokers has enabled 24/7 USDC deposits via the Solana network, improving access for global traders.

Cover image from ChatGPT, SOLUSD chart from Tradingview

TL;DR

Strategic Exit: Christopher Wood eliminates his 10% Bitcoin allocation after four years, citing existential security risks. Return to Gold: The Jefferies strategist replaces his digital assets with physical gold and mining stocks as a safe haven. Technical Debate: Experts estimate that 30% of the Bitcoin supply is vulnerable to brute-force attacks by quantum computers. The decision by Christopher Wood, Global Head of Equity Strategy at Jefferies, has left the digital asset sector on edge. The renowned analyst has completely removed his exposure to the pioneer cryptocurrency from his model portfolio.

This drastic move responds to the fear that quantum computing and Bitcoin may not be able to coexist without compromising the protocol’s cryptographic security. The analyst warns that breakthroughs in this technology could arrive much sooner than the community anticipates.

Christopher Wood asserts that any vulnerability in the network’s foundation undermines the thesis of Bitcoin as a long-term store of value. For this reason, he preferred to rotate his capital into gold, an asset historically proven in the face of uncertainty.

The security dilemma in the face of advancing quantum computers The debate over quantum computing and Bitcoin remains very much alive. Prominent figures in the ecosystem, such as Nic Carter and Adam Back, hold divided opinions on the matter. Some demand an urgent migration to quantum-resistant signatures, while others call for calm to avoid market panic.

Coinbase researchers point out that approximately 6.51 million BTC reside in addresses vulnerable to long-range attacks. This is because the public keys of these legacy wallets are already visible on the blockchain.

While the price remains strong near $97,000, “Q-Day” looms on the horizon. The relationship between quantum computing and Bitcoin will define whether the asset manages to consolidate itself as digital gold or succumbs to technological evolution.

In short, the resilience of ETF investors will be put to the test while the industry decides how to implement quantum defenses. For now, major capital players like Jefferies seem to prefer the tangible security of precious metals over technical uncertainty.

Less than a year after re-entering the U.S. market, Nexo has added an F1 deal to its sponsorship pipeline.

The Audi Revolut F1 Team announced Friday a multi-year partnership with the crypto lender, marking the auto company's inaugural official digital asset partner as it enters Formula 1 racing this year.

"Nexo was built for a demanding reality: instant, self-directed, and always on. Partnering with Audi Revolut F1 Team at the start of their new era is a statement about how we see the future," Nexo co-founder Antoni Trenchev said in a release. "As the team’s official digital asset partner, we will bring meaningful utility and premium experiences to a global audience, grounded in the same discipline and precision that defines success in motor sports."

Throughout the four-year partnership, Nexo will "activate globally through premium experiences and digital-first engagement," the release said. These opportunities include exclusive access, co-created content and education, and next-generation immersive brand experiences.

"The partnership reflects a shared ambition to scale with discipline and innovation, and to create tangible value — from exclusive experiences to new ways of engaging our global fanbase and Nexo's clients," said Stefano Battiston, chief commercial officer of Audi Revolut F1 Team.

Nexo currently has sponsorship deals with professional tennis tournaments, the Australian Open, and the Dallas Open.

Nexo exited the U.S. in 2022 as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Nexo of failing to register the offer and sale of its Earn product to retail clients. The company was welcomed back to the U.S. last April at a private event that included comments from Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son.

"I think crypto is the future of finance," Trump Jr said at the time. "We see the opportunity for the financial sector and want to ensure we bring that back to the U.S."

Crypto.com has been a longtime partner with Formula One racing, and last year, Coinbase became the official sponsor of Aston Martin's F1 racing team. The F1 team Sauber inked a two-year deal with crypto casino Stake in 2024.

NEXO, the native token of the Nexo platform, traded up 2.7% over the past 24 hours according to The Block's price data. The token has a market cap just shy of $1 billion.

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

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

The cryptocurrency market saw a pullback today, with Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, and Cardano all under pressure. Over the past 24 hours, the market dipped by 1.72%, despite holding a 3.14% gain over the week. The sentiment of investors declined following recent surges in prices, and profit-taking, regulatory delays, and heavy liquidations contributed significantly to the decline.

Reasons Why Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, and Cardano Are Struggling Ethereum led liquidations, recording $61.6 million in total, with $40.4 million coming from long positions. Following recent profits, traders started to lock in profits, leading to a price drop in major tokens. Dogecoin and Cardano dropped by 4% and 3%, respectively.

Liquidations amounted to 53.64 million in Bitcoin, mostly through long orders. This liquidation of leveraged positions enhanced selling, which enhanced the downward trend across the market.

Bitcoin and other digital tokens have declined due to a delay of an important crypto market structure bill by a committee in the U.S. Senate. The regulatory uncertainty was further extended by the delay, which made traders cut down their exposure.

The market mood returned to a neutral level, as it was in the Crypto Fear & Greed Index. Traders were wary, and they pulled back when wider markets were giving mixed signals.

Bitcoin and Ethereum Face Pressure as Market Trends Turn Bearish At the time of writing, the BTC price traded at $94,773 with a 2% decrease over the past 24-hours.

Bitcoin price has recently tested the $95,000 resistance zone, but the outlook remains uncertain. 

If Bitcoin manages to break through this level, the price could rally toward the $96,000 zone. Should the bullish momentum persist, a move toward $100,000 as per the full Bitcoin forecast report. 

Nonetheless, in case bearishness persists, there could be a correction of Bitcoin into the $90,000 correction range.

Source: Tradingview Likewise, Ethereum has also failed to continue its bullish trend, declining by 1.59% to $3 276. The resistance was encountered at the price of $3,400, which created a bearish divergence, and the price has since reversed.

Ethereum had briefly gone above $3,400, but has since withdrawn due to market weakness. In case of a further continuation of the bearish direction, Ethereum price may fall even lower to the level of the $3,100 range. Nevertheless, with the bulls back in charge, there is a chance that Ethereum may start recovering to $3,400.

Dogecoin and Cardano in a Critical Spot as Bearish Pressure Mounts Dogecoin has also seen a 4% decline over the last 24 hours, trading at $0.1362. This pullback follows a week of strong bullish performance. Dogecoin price is now standing at a crossroad where the selling pressure is mounting towards the $0.15 level.

Any break above $0.14 would initiate a move to $0.15, and on breaking $0.1620, would be able to hit the $0.16 zone. Nevertheless, further decline to less than $0.140 might drag Dogecoin to the $0.135 support level.

The price of Cardano decreased by 3.78% within the last 24 hours, and currently its price is $0.3830. Despite a previous rise in the week, Cardano is currently dropping.

To experience a potential bullish recovery, ADA would have to break above the resistance level of $0.40, and high volume would be required. In case of success, it may aim at the $0.44 level, yet unless there is any substantial uptrend, Cardano might still be in trouble.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) The market is experiencing a pullback due to profit-taking, liquidations, and regulatory delays. These factors have caused a weakening in investor sentiment.

Profit-taking, a significant number of liquidations, and a delay in a key U.S. Senate crypto bill caused selling pressure, leading to declines in both Bitcoin and Ethereum.

The following article is adapted from The Block’s newsletter, The Daily, which comes out on weekday afternoons.

Happy Friday! Crypto's next phase may be defined less by hype and more by plumbing, with macro forces and institutional flows reshaping how bitcoin trades in 2026, according to Kraken Global Economist Thomas Perfumo.

In today's newsletter, Jefferies strategist Christopher Wood removes a 10% bitcoin allocation from his model portfolio over quantum risks, Google Play is set to ban overseas crypto exchanges from its South Korea store, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon says the firm is actively exploring tokenization and prediction markets, and more.

Meanwhile, X users celebrate a crackdown on the "plague" of AI-led reply spam as InfoFi platforms seek alternatives.

P.S. Don't forget to check out The Funding, a biweekly rundown of crypto VC trends. It's a great read — and just like The Daily, it's free to subscribe!

Jefferies strategist drops 10% bitcoin allocation over quantum computing fears Christopher Wood, global head of equity strategy at investment bank Jefferies, removed bitcoin entirely from his "GREED & fear" model portfolio, reallocating the full 10% position into physical gold and gold-mining equities.

Wood said rising concerns around quantum computing pose an existential risk to bitcoin's long-term store-of-value thesis, even if near-term price impact appears limited. He cited a 2025 Chaincode Labs study estimating that 20% to 50% of circulating bitcoin could be vulnerable to quantum-enabled key extraction. The shift marks a reversal for one of bitcoin's earlier institutional advocates, who originally added the asset as a digital alternative to gold during the pandemic-era stimulus cycle once mature custody infrastructure was in place. Industry attention to quantum risk has intensified following recent advances in quantum computing, alongside warnings from experts about potential exposure tied to reused addresses. Governments and crypto projects are already adjusting, with El Salvador restructuring its bitcoin holdings and new startups raising capital aiming to harden networks against future quantum threats. Google Play to ban overseas crypto exchanges from South Korea store Google Play Store is set to block unregistered overseas crypto exchanges and wallets in South Korea starting Jan. 28, requiring all platforms to register as VASPs with the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit.

The move effectively removes global exchanges like Binance, Bybit, and OKX from Android app downloads and updates, while favoring 27 locally registered platforms, including Upbit and Bithumb. Overseas exchanges face steep barriers to compliance, as Korea's registration process requires local security and AML certifications that are widely viewed as impractical for foreign firms. According to local media reports, while users can still access global exchanges via web browsers, regulators risk pushing retail traders toward VPNs and APK downloads, increasing security risks in one of the world's most active crypto markets. Goldman Sachs CEO says firm is actively exploring tokenization and prediction markets Goldman Sachs is actively evaluating where tokenization, stablecoins, and prediction markets could enhance its existing businesses, according to CEO David Solomon.

During Thursday's earnings call, Solomon said regulatory clarity, particularly around U.S. market structure legislation, remains central to how the bank is approaching such innovations. His comments come as Goldman and other major banks previously disclosed that they are jointly exploring a bank-backed digital money initiative tied to regulated stablecoin-like structures. On prediction markets, Solomon said he recently met with two large platforms and spent several hours learning about their operations. He added that Goldman has specific teams studying the sector, particularly products regulated by the CFTC, which he said resemble derivatives-style contract activity. Iran's crypto ecosystem nears $8B as bitcoin withdrawals surge during protests: Chainalysis Iran's crypto ecosystem grew to $7.8 billion in 2025, with onchain activity closely tracking domestic unrest and geopolitical flashpoints, according to Chainalysis.

Wallets linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps accounted for roughly half of all value received by Iranian crypto addresses in the fourth quarter, underscoring the group's expanding financial footprint, the blockchain forensics firm said. Chainalysis observed sharp spikes in activity around conflict and cyber incidents, highlighting crypto's dual use as both a civilian financial lifeline and a funding rail for sanctioned actors. During recent mass protests, bitcoin withdrawals from Iranian exchanges to personal wallets surged, behavior the firm said may reflect a flight to safety amid political and economic instability. House Democrats press SEC over pausing Justin Sun case, citing 'pay-to-play' concerns Three House Democrats accused the SEC of retreating from crypto enforcement, asking Chair Paul Atkins to explain why high-profile cases, including one involving Tron founder Justin Sun, have been paused or dismissed.

In a letter to Atkins, lawmakers said the pullback has coincided with a surge in crypto political spending, arguing the timing creates the appearance of a "pay-to-play" dynamic that undermines investor protection. The letter zeroed in on the prolonged pause of the Sun case, citing his large investments in Trump-linked crypto ventures and raising concerns about preferential treatment and national security risks. A spokesperson for Sun rejected the allegations as factually incorrect and politically motivated, said the SEC matter remains pending, and emphasized Sun's cooperation with regulators and his role in initiatives like the T3 Financial Crime Unit to combat blockchain abuse. Looking ahead to next week UK CPI inflation and U.S. mortgage data are out on Wednesday. U.S. jobless claims, PCE, and GDP figures are scheduled for Thursday. World Economic Forum annual meetings begin on Monday. ZKsync, deBridge, ApeCoin, Melania Meme, Official Trump, LayerZero, Kaito, and Wormhole are among the crypto projects set for token unlocks. Web3 Hub Davos 2026 kicks off in Switzerland. The Nashville Energy & Mining Summit 2026 also gets underway. Never miss a beat with The Block's daily digest of the most influential events happening across the digital asset ecosystem.

Disclaimer: This article was produced with the assistance of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and reviewed and edited by our editorial team.

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

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

Monero's native token, XMR, hit an all-time high earlier this week, at one point rallying nearly 80% to $797.73 from a recent weekly low around $450, according to The Block's data.

Onchain sleuth ZachXBT now ascribes this price action, at least a portion of it, to a recent series of swaps following a multi-million crypto theft.

"On January 10, 2026 at around 11 pm UTC a victim lost $282M+ worth of LTC & BTC due to a hardware wallet social engineering scam," ZachXBT, who last year became a Paradigm advisor, wrote on Friday. "The attacker began converting the stolen LTC & BTC to Monero via multiple instant exchanges causing the XMR price to sharply increase."

While details of the theft are still largely unknown, ZachXBT pointed to several suspected wallets associated with the alleged robbery.

One wallet (0b4fc3e) appears to be a consolidation address for about $43.7 million worth of bitcoin. This address received the majority of its funds through about 10 high-value transactions totaling between 39–47 BTC, and smaller transfers. Those funds were ultimately sent to an address beginning c3b4ccc, after an intermediate stop at bc1qlux. There’s no clear onchain evidence that these particular funds have been swapped to Monero, a popular privacy chain.

Another suspected address (bc1qpsmh) received over 1108 BTC, worth about $105 million, which was then split three times in two 35 BTC sends and 928 BTC send. The three recipient addresses have continued to break down the funds, further complicating the web of transactions. An additional 2.05 million LTC also appear to have been moved following a similar modus operandi.

None of the flagged addresses have been publicly labeled on common explorers, and it is possible these are just simple wallet-to-wallet transfers for common address rotation. The Block has reached out to ZachXBT for additional information.

ZachXBT notes that the stolen assets were also sent to Ethereum, Ripple, and Litecoin via Thorchain. The suspected transfer largely happened in the days after the alleged theft, coinciding with Monero's all-time high on Jan. 14.

Privacy in the spotlight Monero has been gaining alongside other leading blockchain privacy projects, like Zcash, beginning late last year. Many major industry participants, from the nonprofit Ethereum Foundation to the largest asset manager BlackRock, have noted that privacy ought to be an embedded, core property of blockchains.

Although some regions, including Dubai, have recently moved to limit privacy coins, there are a host of projects pushing forward the idea of "pragmatic privacy" that offers a balance between user autonomy and regulatory needs.

XMR is currently trading at $647, down about 9.7% on the day, making it the worst-performing asset within the top 50 coins by market cap on a day where bitcoin is largely flat, according to The Block's price page.

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

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

Bitcoin (BTC) slipped into its deepest undervaluation against gold (XAU) on Friday, reviving expectations of a potential capital rotation away from the precious metal and back into cryptocurrency markets in 2026.

Key takeaways:

Bitcoin is at a record undervaluation versus gold, a level historically linked to major BTC bottoms.

Past gold-led cycles favor a bullish outlook for BTC price in 2026.

Bitcoin will “massively outperform gold” in 2026The undervalued reading came from the BTC–XAU ratio’s Z-score, a metric that measures how far the current ratio deviates from its long-term average.

BTC/XAU Z-score and its standard deviation bands. Source: JV_IndicatorsA reading below −2 indicated that Bitcoin was trading more than two standard deviations below its historical norm compared to gold, which is extremely rare. In this case, BTC entered the model’s lowest band for the first time on record.

Historically, moves in the BTC/XAU ratio toward the −2 standard deviation zone preceded extended periods of Bitcoin outperforming gold, as shown in the Power-Law bands graph below.

BTC/XAU weekly chart. Source: JV_Indicators“Everything points to Bitcoin massively outperforming Gold over the coming months,” said Julius, the analyst who conceptualized the BTC/Gold Power-Law bands and the Z-score oscillator

What does gold’s record rally mean for BTC price?In the past, the Z-score’s dips toward the −2 standard deviation zone marked major Bitcoin bottoms.

For instance, a BTC/XAU undervaluation signal in November 2022 preceded a roughly 150% BTC price rally over the following year.

BTC/USD weekly chart. Source: TradingViewSimilarly, Bitcoin rose by over 1,170% a year after the signal’s appearance in March 2020.

The Z-score correctly called Bitcoin’s macro tops, as well, according to Julius.

“At the end of 2017, Bitcoin was extremely overbought, while Gold was oversold,” he wrote in a X post on Jan. 3, adding:

“Shortly after, Bitcoin entered a bear market, and Gold began a multi-year rally toward new ATHs.”In addition, historical data suggests that Bitcoin’s strongest price expansions tend to follow gold bull markets.

Source: XBTC began its parabolic phases only after gold had already moved decisively above its long-term trend. In previous cycles, this lag ranged from roughly two months to over a year, after which BTC delivered its largest percentage gains.

Bitcoin’s discount versus gold, therefore, suggested a bullish price outlook for BTC in 2026, provided the historical pattern holds.

Multiple analysts projected BTC would reach $200,000–$300,000 by the year’s end.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.

What's behind the latest lay-off spree?

Polygon Labs has carried out another round of layoffs. The company has reportedly cut around 30% of its workforce as it restructures and pivots toward stablecoin-based payments, according to multiple posts and disclosures from affected employees on the social media platform X.

While Polygon Labs has not publicly disclosed the exact number of roles eliminated, its CEO, Marc Boiron, later confirmed the workforce reduction in a public statement.

Brutal 30% Cuts The latest job cuts appear to be part of an organizational reset as Polygon moves away from a primarily infrastructure-focused strategy toward building what it describes as a payments-first blockchain platform.

Back in 2024, Polygon reduced its headcount by 19%, after eliminating almost 60 roles in what it described at the time as an effort to form a more “efficient surgical team.” It had also granted remaining employees a minimum 15% salary increase. A year earlier, in 2023, the company behind the Layer 2 network cut approximately 20% of its workforce, which impacted around 100 positions.

The latest restructuring comes days after Polygon Labs agreed to acquire US-based crypto payments firm Coinme and wallet infrastructure provider Sequence in deals worth more than $250 million combined to offer regulated stablecoin payments in the US. Those acquisitions provide Polygon with access to Coinme’s network of US money-transmitter licenses, fiat on- and off-ramps, and Sequence’s embedded wallet technology and cross-chain payment tools used by banks, fintech companies, and enterprises.

Layoffs Are Structural, Not Performance-Related In an X post announcing the changes, Boiron said the company has spent the past few months “sharpening” its focus around a single mission – moving all money on-chain. He stated that as Coinme and Sequence are integrated into a combined organization, Polygon decided to consolidate overlapping roles. Boiron added that while overall headcount is expected to remain roughly similar after the restructuring, the composition of the workforce will change to support its payments strategy.

The exec also added that the layoffs were about structure and not related to performance.

You may also like: Polygon Rolls Out Madhugiri Hardfork With 33% More Capacity Mastercard Partners With Polygon, Mercuryo to Simplify Self-Custody Transfers Calastone Taps Polygon to Launch Tokenized Fund Share Classes Tags:

Polygon (POL) has seen a challenging start to the year as security concerns and workforce reductions weigh on market sentiment.

Over the past 24 hours, Polygon price fell 5.6%, underperforming the broader crypto market, which saw a decline of just 1.52%.

Despite a strong 30-day gain of 31.31%, this pullback reflects growing short-term pressures on the blockchain network.

Security concerns and ecosystem risks Copy link to section

Polygon’s ecosystem recently faced scrutiny after a ransomware group, DeadLock, misused public Polygon smart contracts to host proxy server addresses.

Security researchers confirmed that the attack did not exploit Polygon’s code, but it highlighted potential misuse risks in public blockchain networks.

The incident has amplified investor caution, as the immutability of blockchain can inadvertently support illicit activity.

This development also raises the possibility of heightened regulatory attention, which could influence Polygon price dynamics in the short term.

Layoffs at Polygon Labs Copy link to section

Adding to the bearish sentiment, Polygon Labs recently cut roughly 30% of its workforce, or between 90 and 120 roles.

These layoffs followed an aggressive $250 million acquisition spree, including the integration of Coinme, a US-regulated fiat-to-crypto payments platform, and Sequence, a cross-chain wallet and payment infrastructure.

Polygon CEO Marc Boiron described the restructuring as part of a broader “payments-first” strategy, focusing on stablecoin payments and on-chain money movement.

However, the workforce reduction signals operational strain and raises questions about the company’s ability to execute its strategic initiatives efficiently.

Market reaction was immediate, with Polygon (POL) price falling to around $0.149 and approaching critical support near $0.140.

Technical resistance and market momentum Copy link to section

Polygon price recently failed to breach the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement level at $0.165.

This rejection came after a strong monthly rally, which drove the Relative Strength Index (RSI) down from overbought levels to 55.

Volume also declined by roughly 34.7% compared to the previous day, indicating that traders are taking profits near resistance.

The combination of technical resistance, security concerns, and internal restructuring has created a convergence of bearish factors for Polygon.

Polygon (POL) price forecast Copy link to section

Overall, Polygon (POL) faces a delicate balance between long-term strategic growth and short-term market pressures.

Traders should monitor the integration of Coinme and Sequence, alongside developments from Polygon Labs, which will be essential for assessing future Polygon (POL) price movements.

On the charts traders should closely watch $0.140 as the key short-term support level for the Polygon price.

If this level holds, the network’s robust activity, with 178 million monthly transactions, could help stabilise the price.

On the upside, breaking through $0.165 could reignite bullish momentum, but failure to overcome this resistance may lead to further consolidation or declines.

Jessie A Ellis Jan 16, 2026 18:14

Stellar (XLM) Community Fund v7.0 introduces AI-powered prescreening, verified referral incentives, and faster funding tracks for Web3 developers on the network.

The Stellar (XLM) Development Foundation has unveiled SCF 7.0, a significant restructuring of its community grant program that introduces AI-powered application screening and a financial incentive system for referrers who surface quality builder teams.

The revamped Stellar Community Fund replaces the previous open-application model with a tiered submission process. Builders can now signal interest at any time through the community fund portal, with eligible projects entering open Build Award rounds. The changes aim to cut time-to-decision while filtering out low-quality submissions that previously clogged the review pipeline.

Referral System Creates New Incentive LayerThe most notable addition is a verified referral pathway. Trusted ecosystem participants—including SCF alumni, ambassadors, accelerator programs, and official partners—can now vouch for incoming teams. Referred projects receive stronger trust signals in the review process and faster evaluation timelines.

Referrers aren't doing this out of goodwill alone. The new system ties financial incentives to the success of teams they bring in, creating skin-in-the-game dynamics that should theoretically improve referral quality. Projects arriving without referrals aren't shut out—they proceed through AI-based prescreening that filters obvious mismatches before human reviewers get involved.

Timing Aligns With Stellar's 2026 PushThe grant program overhaul lands as Stellar executes on an ambitious 2026 roadmap. Protocol 24, slated for this year, will introduce zero-knowledge proofs enabling private transfers on the network. Soroban smart contract upgrades targeting cross-chain liquidity are also in development.

CME Group announced January 15 that it will launch Stellar futures on February 9, potentially bringing institutional trading volume to XLM. The token currently trades at $0.2253 with a $7.3 billion market cap, down 2.81% over the past 24 hours.

The network has been building its real-world asset credentials through partnerships with Visa, PayPal, and the United Nations Development Programme announced last September. More developers building on Stellar infrastructure could accelerate these institutional relationships.

What This Means for BuildersFor developers considering Stellar, the pathway is now clearer but more structured. Finding a referrer from the existing ecosystem becomes a meaningful advantage—not a requirement, but a fast-track option. The AI prescreening should reduce wait times for everyone, though its effectiveness at surfacing genuinely promising projects versus those that simply write better applications remains to be seen.

Applications proceed to either panel review or community vote depending on the funding track selected. The Foundation hasn't disclosed total funding allocation for SCF 7.0 rounds, though previous cycles have distributed millions in grants across dozens of projects since the program launched.

Image source: Shutterstock

stellar xlm grants web3 development scf

Momentum across crypto ETFs remained intact as investors kept allocating capital despite mixed fund-level flows. While bitcoin inflows slowed compared to earlier in the week, ether ETFs took center stage, reinforcing confidence in broader digital asset exposure. Bitcoin, Ether ETFs Stay Green as Broad Inflows Continue Bitcoin ETFs recorded a $100.

TL;DR

Ethereum Inflows: Spot Ethereum ETFs brought in $164 million on Jan. 15, driven mainly by BlackRock’s $149 million addition and supported by $15 million from Grayscale, while most other issuers saw flat activity. XRP Fund Activity: XRP ETFs added $17.06 million, lifting cumulative inflows to $1.27 billion and total net assets to about $1.51 billion, with trading volume near $22 million and varied issuer participation. Market Divergence: XRP ETF prices fell 3% to 4% despite inflows, showing continued investor allocation even as broader market pressure pushed products lower.
Spot XRP and Ethereum ETFs attracted fresh capital on Jan. 15 despite broad market weakness, signaling that investors continued allocating to both assets even as prices fell. Ethereum products led with about $164 million in net inflows, while XRP funds added $17.06 million, highlighting selective but persistent demand across major issuers.

Strong Ethereum Inflows Concentrated in Major Issuers Spot Ethereum ETFs recorded about $164 million in net inflows, one of the strongest single-day totals this month. BlackRock’s ETHA dominated activity with roughly $149 million added, while Grayscale’s ETH product contributed about $15 million. Most other Ethereum ETFs reported flat flows, underscoring that inflows remained concentrated rather than broad-based. The session followed several volatile days earlier in the month, when Ethereum ETFs swung between sharp inflows and outflows. Even with that turbulence, cumulative net inflows have climbed to nearly $12.9 billion, reflecting sustained institutional interest since launch.

Volatility Fails to Slow Broader Ethereum ETF Momentum The uneven pattern of flows throughout January has not derailed overall demand for Ethereum ETFs. Recent inflows arrived without widespread participation from smaller issuers, suggesting that investors favored select products rather than engaging in a market-wide surge. The data indicate that institutional positioning remains steady, with larger issuers continuing to attract the bulk of new capital. This selective behavior highlights a preference for established fund providers during periods of market uncertainty.

XRP ETFs Add $17M as Assets and Participation Vary U.S. spot XRP ETFs recorded $17.06 million in net inflows on Jan. 15, lifting cumulative net inflows to about $1.27 billion. Total net assets across XRP funds reached roughly $1.51 billion, representing about 1.21% of XRP’s market capitalization. Trading activity remained moderate, with total value traded near $22 million. Issuer participation varied: Bitwise led with $7.16 million, Grayscale’s GXRP added $7.20 million, Franklin Templeton contributed $3.36 million, Canary posted a $659,000 outflow, and 21Shares reported no change.

XRP Prices Decline Despite Steady Allocations Despite positive flows, XRP ETF prices declined alongside the broader market, with daily drops between 3% and 4%. Assets under management held steady, indicating continued allocation even as short-term pressure weighed on prices. The divergence between inflows and price action suggests that investors maintained conviction in XRP exposure despite the session’s declines.

XRP’s price is on track to drop for two consecutive weeks, as it pared back gains made earlier this year.

Summary

XRP price has formed a large double-top pattern on the weekly timeframe chart. It has formed a dragonfly doji candle on the weekly timeframe chart. XRP inflows and futures open interest have pulled back recently. Ripple (XRP) token was trading at $2.05, down by ~15% from its highest point this year, and technical analysis points to more downside in the near term.

The decline happened as market participants continued to react to the happenings in Washington, where the Senate Banking Committee withdrew the Market Structure Bill after objections by Coinbase, the biggest cryptocurrency exchange in the United States.

Ripple Labs has expressed support for the bill, with Brad Garlinghouse, the Chief Executive Officer, saying that having a bill was better than having none. He believes that the bill has more good things for the crypto industry.

XRP dropped as the momentum in the exchange-traded fund market waned. Data compiled by SoSoValue shows that spot XRP ETFs have had $107 million inflow this month, lower than December’s $500 million and November’s $666 million. 

Another sign that demand is falling, with the futures open interest being in a downward trend since January 6. It has moved from a high of $4.5 billion to $3.9 billion today.

XRP price analysis points to a bearish breakout Ripple price chart | Source: crypto.news  The weekly chart shows that XRP has slumped from a record high of $3.6550 in July to the current $2.05. A closer look shows that it has formed a few bearish patterns. It formed a dragonfly doji candlestick pattern last week.

This pattern consists of a tiny body and a long upper shadow and is a common bearish reversal sign. It has also formed a double-top pattern at $3.4045 and a neckline at $1.6140, its lowest swing in April this year.

The token has moved below the 50-week and 100-week Exponential Moving Averages, a sign that bears are in control. It has also moved below the Supertrend indicator.

Therefore, the most likely scenario is where the token retreats further in the coming weeks. If this happens, the initial target to watch will be the December low of $1.7712. A drop below that price will point to more downside to the neckline at $1.6140, which is about 22% below the current level.

Bitcoin price lost a key support level after a failed breakout attempt past $97,000.

Risk sentiment faded as key legislation stalled in the US and short-term traders started booking profits.

Total crypto market cap slipped below the $3.3 trillion mark for the second time this month, having dropped over 2%.

The crypto fear and greed index dropped 4 points in the past 24 hours to enter the lower bounds of neutral territory at 50.

Altcoins, likewise, followed Bitcoin’s lead, with most retracing gains that had built up earlier in the week.

A few outliers managed to post modest profits, but broader sentiment remained cautious.

Why is Bitcoin price down today? Copy link to section

After failing to break past the two-month high near $97,000, Bitcoin slipped back below the $95,000 support zone as sentiment weakened around stalled regulatory progress in the United States. 

Attention turned to the Market Structure Bill, widely referred to as the CLARITY Act, after its expected Senate markup was delayed following Coinbase’s decision to withdraw support.

The setback quickly fed into market pricing. Prediction odds for the bill passing this year fell from 63% to 49%, adding another layer of uncertainty for investors who had been positioning for clearer regulatory direction. 

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said the bill risked undermining the tokenisation sector, interfering with stablecoin reward structures, encroaching on user privacy within DeFi, and weakening the CFTC’s role as a regulator. 

At the same time, profit-taking accelerated after Bitcoin’s strong run earlier in the week. 

Several of the day’s weakest performers were among the top gainers just days ago, pointing to short-term traders locking in returns rather than fresh selling driven by new bearish catalysts.

From a technical perspective, momentum cooled as Bitcoin once again failed to sustain upside traction toward the $100,000 level. 

Further, losing the $95,000 area later in the day shifted short-term bias lower and reduced trader confidence, particularly among leveraged participants who had positioned for continuation higher.

Meanwhile, over the past 24 hours, total crypto liquidations climbed to $256.79 million, with long positions accounting for roughly $203.75 million of that total.

Bitcoin 24-hour liquidation. Source: Coinglass. Bitcoin alone made up about $75.88 million in liquidations, showing how heavily long exposure was concentrated near recent highs.

The bulk of forced exits occurred as prices slipped through key intraday levels, amplifying downside moves as stops were triggered.

Will Bitcoin price go up? Copy link to section

Analysts broadly view the pullback as a corrective phase rather than a trend reversal.

Bitcoin’s move to a two-month high earlier this week left the market extended in the short term. 

While on-chain data continues to show accumulation by larger holders, smaller retail participants appear to be taking profits, contributing to short-term softness as the market waits for a clearer macro or regulatory catalyst.

For now, Bitcoin bulls need to defend the $95,000 psychological area, which is acting as a pivotal pivot point for short term price action.

If the asset fails to reclaim this level quickly, the focus shifts toward deeper liquidity pools.

Market analysts are keeping a close watch on the $91,000 to $92,000 range, which served as a reliable base during the early January climbs. 

A break below that could open the door for a “liquidity hunt” toward the $88,000 zone, where institutional buyers have historically stepped in to absorb selling pressure.

The immediate trajectory depends largely on whether the market can digest the recent legislative friction. 

While the delay of the CLARITY Act created a temporary vacuum of confidence, the underlying demand remains strong. 

This is evident across Spot ETF inflows, which have shown resilience even during this pullback, attracting over $1.7 billion in the past few days alone. 

This means that bigger players are treating these dips as accumulation opportunities rather than a reason to exit.

To regain a truly bullish posture, Bitcoin needs to clear the $98,000 resistance. This level represents the average entry price for many short-term holders. 

Reclaiming it would turn those underwater positions back into profit, reducing the urge to sell on every bounce.

Until then, investors should expect a period of range-bound trading between $90,000 and $96,000 as the market awaits fresh macro data.

Bitcoin upside remains in play Copy link to section

Some analysts, however, are completely downplaying the downside risks

On X, the pseudonymous market analyst CryptoBoss characterised the current dip as a textbook retest of a key support area.

$BTC retesting support and then UP

Fellow market watcher Crypto-ROD, also presented a similar idea to their more than 58,000 followers on X.

$BTC Hear me out Just a bullish retest here and we send everything hard ☕️

Well-followed trader Ash Crypto also presented a bullish take by highlighting a compelling historical fractal. 

In a recent analysis, the analyst drew direct parallels between the current market structure and the early stages of the 2019 bull run.

His analysis pointed out that both cycles followed a “worst Q4” performance, leading to a capitulation event where the price dipped below the lower weekly Bollinger Band. 

Historically, this technical signal marks an extreme oversold condition and a local bottom, which has consistently been followed by a strong recovery in January.

Based on this Q1 2025 vs. Q1 2019 fractal, Ash Crypto suggests that the recent pullback is simply a consolidation phase within a much larger uptrend, while sharing the below chart.

BTC/USD 1-Day price chart. Source: Ash Crypto on X.“It seems like Bitcoin is going much higher from here, the analyst noted.

At the time of publication, the Bitcoin price was hovering just below $95,000, down a little over 1.5% on the day.

Altcoin gainers for the day Copy link to section

The market cap of all altcoins combined dropped by 1.1% over the past 24 hours to $1.21 trillion at the time of writing. 

Ethereum (ETH) dropped nearly 2% over the day and settled at $3,260, while other large-cap cryptocurrencies such as XRP (XRP), Solana (SOL), Dogecoin (DOGE), and Cardano (ADA) posted losses between 1-4%.

The bearish sentiment extended to the majority of the top 100 cryptocurrencies, with some of the top laggards being Polygon (POL), Ethena (ENA), and Aptos (APT).

A resurgence in the privacy coin narrative provided a strong tailwind for the day’s few winners, as investors sought refuge in anonymity-focused assets amid the regulatory friction in Washington.

Dash led the pack as the only token to secure double-digit gains, surging 12.6%. 

This move was ignited by the broader rotation into privacy-centric cryptocurrencies and further amplified by a massive spike in futures open interest, signalling aggressive demand from derivatives traders.

Decred followed a similar path, closing the day with a 6.7% gain. While it benefited significantly from the renewed interest in the privacy sector, the rally was bolstered by internal governance wins. 

The community’s overwhelming approval of a proposal to cap treasury spending provided a secondary boost, as investors cheered the move toward stricter fiscal discipline.

For Chiliz (CHZ), its 7% rise came shortly after the project’s CEO teased a major upcoming announcement and the rollout of a comprehensive SportFi strategy specifically timed to capitalise on the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Source: CoinMarketCap

ETH/USD Daily Chart (Binance) – Source: TradingView

The latter has acted as a strong area of support on three occasions at least, confirming its technical relevance for market participants.

Now, the price action is touching a structural level at $3,300 that ETH needs to clear to fully reverse its downtrend.

If we get a strong rejection off this mark, that could endanger the latest rally and favor either a bearish Ethereum price prediction or the continuation of the consolidation pattern that has formed lately.

That said, positive momentum has been steadily rising in the past couple of months, even though the price has not stepped out of consolidation yet.

This could be considered an early buy signal as it shows that momentum is building up ahead of this touch of a key resistance.

Bears Seem to Be Winning This Hand as $3,280 Support Falters In contrast to the bearish scenario outlined previously, if we get a bullish breakout above $3,300, that could set off a short squeeze that brings us quite fast to $4,000 at least in the near term.

Ethereum activity is heating up amid a surge in new wallets transacting on the network for the first time. With ETH trading around $3,300, is this the start of a recovery in adoption or just a temporary blip?