CryptoTalks

The probability of a spot Cardano (ADA) exchange-traded fund (ETF) being approved has surged as investors await a decision from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Specifically, market-implied odds for a 2025 approval have risen to 64%, representing a 54% increase in bullish sentiment compared to earlier this year, according to insights from the betting platform Polymarket.

This spike in optimism comes as the SEC approaches a key deadline on May 29 to approve, deny, or extend its decision on Grayscale’s proposed Cardano ETF.
Notably, ADA ETF approval odds fluctuated throughout Q1 and early Q2. However, recent regulatory developments, such as appointing crypto-friendly Paul Atkins as the SEC chair, have strengthened investor confidence.
SEC’s extended ETF decision
On February 24, the SEC acknowledged NYSE Arca’s proposal to list and trade the Grayscale Cardano Trust shares, formally starting the regulatory review process. That triggered a standard 45-day extension, pushing the decision deadline to May 29.
While such extensions are routine, the market appears increasingly hopeful for approval.
Currently, 72 crypto-related ETF applications are pending with the SEC. Only two are Cardano-specific: the Grayscale Cardano Trust and the Tuttle Capital 2X Cardano ETF, a leveraged product.
If approved, these ETFs would mark a significant milestone for ADA, potentially boosting institutional adoption and lending greater legitimacy to the asset.
Meanwhile, momentum surrounding the ADA ETF continues to build, despite controversy involving founder Charles Hoskinson. 
On May 7, NFT artist Masato Alexander accused Hoskinson of misusing access during the 2021 Allegra hard fork to transfer 318 million ADA from unclaimed 2017 ICO tokens, with only $7 million allegedly reaching the governance group Intersect.
In 2021, Charles Hoskinson unilaterally used his genesis keys to REWRITE the Cardano ledger and take control of ₳318m ($619m)By comparison, when the DAO hack happened in 2016, the Ethereum community forked over $60m.One of the largest ledger reorgs in blockchain history: 🧵— masato_alexander May 7, 2025
Hoskinson has denied the allegations, calling them false and affirming that over 99.8% of ICO tokens were redeemed correctly.
ADA price analysis
ADA was trading at $0.73 at press time, down about 0.5% daily and over 7% weekly.

Despite the short-term bearish sentiment, ADA remains above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages (SMA), indicating a generally bullish trend. 
The 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) also stands at 50.45, signaling neutral momentum. Despite a Fear & Greed Index reading 71, market sentiment is also neutral, reflecting greed.
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Shortly after Bitcoin (BTC) entered its rally, pivoting away from mirroring stocks and toward tracing gold, XRP soared on April 23, promising to reclaim highs not seen since January as it surged above $2.20 and headed toward $2.30.
Despite it appearing like the token was aiming ‘for the moon,’ it soon followed BTC and the precious metal into a correction as it hit unsustainable highs just above $2.29.
By April 24, XRP had retraced to its press time of $2.16, and the 5.28% 24-hour drop erased $10.7 million worth of long positions within just one day.
Furthermore, despite the cryptocurrency remaining 2.69% in the green in the weekly chart even after the correction, the value of short positions liquidated within the last 24 hours is comparatively trivial at $1.4 million.
Will the XRP rally resume?
In stark contrast to its trajectory on April 23, XRP appears poised to continue its drop on April 24. On the one hand, its relative strength index (RSI) reached 56.65, indicating the token might be overbought.

On the other hand, with a press time price of $2.16, XRP is below its previous nearest support zone, near $2.18, and threatens to lose the next one, close to $2.14. Simultaneously, even reclaiming the levels keeps it relatively distant from the nearest resistance at $ 2.28.
Still, as long as the token does not plunge below $2.08, consolidation in the $2.12 to $2.29 range is likely, with a greater upside being as likely as a downside.
Could Gold and Bitcoin predict XRP’s next move?
Considering XRP’s performance in recent trading, it stands to reason that it will, indeed, trade sideways. Specifically, a curious correlation has emerged between Gold, Bitcoin, and XRP, with each subsequent asset lagging slightly behind but offering matching performance.
Gold hit a new all-time high (ATH) above $3,500 on April 22, then smashed below $3,300 on April 23. It recovered above $3,360 on April 24 and, at press time, is trading just under $3,330.
Bitcoin soared above $95,000 early on April 23, then dropped below $92,000 later the same day, only to surge above $93,500. By press time on April 24, it had fallen back to approximately $92,725.
Lastly, XRP soared to $2.29 mere hours after BTC hit $95,000, then plunged to $2.12 early on April 24. By press time on the same day, it had recovered to $2.16. If the mirroring persists, investors can expect a new high, possibly near $2.20, followed by a renewed decline to $2.17 or $2.18.
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As trade tensions escalate, new tariffs are triggering shifts in global markets and prompting investors to reassess strategies. Both equities and digital assets now face new challenges in an evolving economic landscape.
Per CNBC, stocks dropped on Tuesday as a brief relief rally faded, and investor concerns grew ahead of President Donald Trump’s upcoming tariff deadline, which will impose a cumulative 104% tariff on Chinese goods.
China was originally set to face a 34% tariff hike, but President Trump raised it to 50% after the country refused to lift its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 320.01 points, or 0.84%, closing at 37,645.59, marking a four-day decline of over 4,500 points due to growing tariff concerns. Apple bore the brunt of the losses, with the tech giant’s costs set to rise sharply as new China tariffs take effect. At one point earlier in the day, the Dow had gained 3.9%.
Crypto markets took a hit from President Trump’s controversial tariffs, with Bitcoin experiencing a notable decline in value.
Despite the controversy surrounding President Trump’s tariffs, officials from his administration defended the move, stating that several countries have expressed interest in discussing trade negotiations.
In a recent interview, President Trump asserted that his administration’s tariff policy has led to $7 trillion in investment commitments for the U.S. “We have a $1 trillion trade deficit with China. Hundreds of billions of dollars a year we lose with China. And unless we solve that problem, I’m not going to make a deal,” President Trump stated. 
Although President Trump’s tariff decisions have received some support, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has voiced a contrasting opinion.
Fink warned that the economy could experience a slowdown as market instability increases due to the new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. He emphasized that the economy is currently “weakening,” citing rising concerns about the impact on market stability.
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Bitcoin fell below the $80,000 mark on Sunday as investor sentiment weakened across global markets. The move came alongside a spike in daily liquidations, which totaled $590 million. 


Heightened anxiety over former President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs and escalating geopolitical tensions weighed heavily on risk assets.
More Traders are Shorting Bitcoin After the Worst Q1 In a Decade
The long-short ratio for Bitcoin dropped to 0.89, with short positions now accounting for nearly 53% of activity. The shift reflects growing skepticism about Bitcoin’s short-term direction.
Traditional markets also suffered sharp losses. The Nasdaq 100, S&P 500, and Dow Jones all entered correction territory last week, posting their worst weekly performance since 2020.
Bitcoin closed the first quarter with a loss of 11.7%, making it the weakest Q1 since 2014. 
The broader crypto market lost 2.45% on Sunday, reducing total market capitalization to $2.59 trillion. Bitcoin remains the dominant asset, holding 62% of the market share. Ethereum follows with 8%.
Sunday’s selloff triggered $252.79 million in crypto derivatives liquidations. Long positions made up the bulk of that figure at $207 million. Ethereum traders accounted for about $72 million in long liquidations alone.
Bitcoin’s price remains closely tied to shifts in global liquidity, often reflecting broader macro trends. With U.S. markets set to open Monday, this weekend’s activity signals continued volatility ahead.
Investors may face more pressure after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned that Trump’s tariff plans could push inflation higher while slowing economic growth.
That combination raises the risk of stagflation, a situation where policy tools become less effective. Efforts to stimulate the economy can worsen inflation, while measures to control prices can limit growth.
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Shiba Inu (SHIB) experienced a massive 15% rally over the past 24 hours, sending the price of its token from $0.00001348 to $0.00001552 at press time. 
With this latest move, SHIB has now rallied by 19.71% on the weekly chart, bringing year-to-date (YTD) losses down to 26.68%.


Notably, in the last 24 hours, the market capitalization of Shiba Inu has increased from $7.94 billion to $8.97 billion on March 26. That’s a $1.03 billion increase in the span of a day.

The most pressing question now is whether or not SHIB can maintain this upward trajectory. 
The reason behind the SHIB price rally
Over the last 30 days, SHIB’s trading volume has seen a 228% increase — indicating both a healthy dose of bullish sentiment as well as significant liquidity. In addition, the token’s trading volume has surged by 130% over the course of March 25.
Another key indicator supporting this new bullish outlook is SHIB’s long-to-short ratio. Data from Coinglass shows that the long-to-short ratio currently stands at 0.96, indicating steady and rapid improvement from a 0.68 low on March 23.

Shiba Inu token dynamics
600% uptick in the token’s burn rate back in late January, and although the rate fluctuates, it has been trending upward ever since. In mid-March, our artificial intelligence (AI) price prediction tool set an average price target of $0.00001568 for SHIB by the end of March. By that point, the burn rate had more than quadrupled compared to late January.
Then, on March 23, more than 1 billion SHIB tokens were burned in a single transaction. Contrary to some reports in the crypto space, the owner of the address in question is still unknown.

In addition, the amount of SHIB on exchanges — the token’s exchange reserve — hit an all-time low on March 21, representing just 14.4% of the cryptocurrency’s circulating supply. Holders redirected a large number of tokens to private wallets, which hints at widespread use of buy-and-hold strategies and further abates selling pressure that could have hampered the current trajectory of SHIB price movements.
Lastly, the project’s developers recently teased Shib Finance, a major DeFi upgrade that could significantly expand functionality.
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Despite much bullish speculation, the legal battle between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Ripple Labs remains, at press time, much like the Korean War: a frozen conflict.
Indeed, both the weeks ahead of the Trump inauguration and more recently, many traders, experts, and analysts have been predicting that the watchdog would be quick to drop the most discussed lawsuit in the cryptocurrency industry. 
The latest credible rumours, shared by the prominent Fox Business journalist Eleanor Terrett, indicate that the fight that started in 2020 ‘is in the process of wrapping up and could be over soon.’ Allegedly, the delay comes from protracted negotiations to alter the previous $125 fine imposed on Ripple.
🚨SCOOP: Two well-placed sources tell me that the @SECGov vs. @Ripple case is in the process of wrapping up and could be over soon.My understanding is that the delay in reaching an agreement is due to Ripple's legal team negotiating more favorable terms regarding the August.— Eleanor Terrett (@EleanorTerrett) March 12, 2025
Despite this, the latest definitive developments are months old and involve an SEC appeal alleging that the previous court decisions were incorrect and that Ripple did break securities laws.
The appeal, however, does not contest the ruling that XRP is not a security, and a lack of direct progress does not mean there have been developments in the regulatory landscape.
SEC initiates a case-dropping spree
Specifically, following Chair Gary Gensler’s exit, there has been a major shift in the SEC’s disposition. In February, the regulator went on something of a case-dropping spree, abandoning multiple filed lawsuits or announcing that initiated investigations would not lead to enforcement actions.
The watchdog also clearly stated that meme coins are not securities and are more akin to collectibles.
The beauty of the SEC’s statement on MemeCoins is its simplicity. The question for the SEC is whether something falls under its jurisdiction—not whether it’s legal or illegal. If fraud occurs, other agencies can act.The guidance sticks to law and precedent, avoiding vague.— Stuart Alderoty (@s_alderoty) February 28, 2025
Some of the most prominent companies that have already benefited from the course change are the cryptocurrency exchanges Coinbase and Kraken and the non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace OpenSea.
XRP remains volatile, but receives major external boon
Elsewhere, Donald Trump’s second administration has not, by press time, proved a positive catalyst for XRP. Despite much volatility, the token remains a mere 2.06% above its January 1 price and is changing hands at $2.17.


Lastly, despite a lack of a clear regulatory resolution or a strong breakout to new highs, developments regarding cryptocurrency are not lacking. As recently as March 11, Franklin Templeton filed for a spot XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF).
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Cryptocurrency wallet MetaMask has announced the expansion of its fiat off-ramp services to support additional blockchain networks. The move aims to enhance the conversion of digital assets into traditional currency.
The integration will add 10 blockchains, a development backed by a partnership with payments provider Transak, MetaMask said in a press statement.
Indeed, the latest upgrades mean users will no longer have to swap cryptocurrencies into Ethereum (ETH) before converting them to fiat currency. This process previously made transactions longer and users incurred more fees.
Some of the 10 new blockchains to be integrated with the wallet include the Arbitrum mainnet, Avalanche C-Chain mainnet, Base, BNB Chain, Celo, Fantom, Moonbeam, Moonriver, Optimism, and Polygon (POL).
The press release indicated that, for a start, only four networks (ETH on Ethereum, ETH on Optimism, BNB, and Polygon) would be supported before the 10 are integrated, all backed by Transak, which operates in over 100 countries.
“By expanding off-ramping capabilities with Transak, MetaMask is removing barriers between crypto and traditional currency, allowing users to convert a broader range of tokens directly to cash,” said Lorenzo Santos, senior product manager at Consensys.
Role of crypto on-ramp
It is worth noting that crypto on-ramps enable users to buy cryptocurrencies using traditional currencies, which come in various forms, including exchanges, ATMs, brokers, and apps. Some familiar payment services used in such purchases include credit cards and bank transfers. 
Transak CEO Sami Start emphasized the need for a seamless fiat off-ramp, as MetaMask is a key entry point for crypto newcomers.
 Its partnership with Transak is part of a broader effort to enhance transaction accessibility. The Transak integration eliminates extra conversion steps in the withdrawal process.
Notably, the collaboration between the two entities seeks to promote one of the cryptocurrency sector’s core elements: providing financial access to underbanked individuals worldwide.
In this case, the off-ramping support will be accessible in countries with strong financial systems, including the UK, Germany, and Japan. At the same time, the integration also benefits regions with limited banking access, such as Brazil, Kenya, and Indonesia.
Transak’s Multi-Level KYC system tailors verification to transaction size and local regulations, ensuring compliance while minimizing friction for users bypassing traditional banking hurdles.
To this end, streamlined on-ramping and off-ramping make the crypto economy more self-sustaining, enabling users to move funds seamlessly without relying on exchanges.
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Solana (SOL) served as something of a herald for the latest cryptocurrency bull market as it enjoyed a particularly sharp rally in late 2023 and early 2024, taking it from about $20 to above $200 – 900% increase in just six months.
The blockchain itself enjoyed much activity and inflows thanks to numerous meme coins – another major staple of the cycle – finding their home on SOL.
Still, more recent trading hasn’t been kind to Solana, and it suffered a 41.17% fall from January 19 highs at $286.81 to its press time price of $168.72. Simultaneously, the 30-day 39.16% drop ensured SOL is at its lowest level in more than three months.

In terms of market capitalization, the price drop ensured Solana wiped approximately $50 billion within a single month.
Solana plummets as crypto market struggles to sustain momentum in 2025
Part of the decline can be attributed to the overall lackluster performance in the cryptocurrency market since 2025 started, and particularly after President Donald Trump reentered the White House as the previous anticipatory hype subsided.
Indeed, other prominent digital assets such as Bitcoin (BTC) have been stagnating as BTC, for example, is up 1.89% year-to-date (YTD).
A massive drop in the volume transferred to the network also accompanied Solana’s price performance  – from $2 billion in November to $26 million by November 17, as the on-chain analyst Ali Martinez reported on X.

Simultaneously with the 98.7% volume drop, short positions rocketed with a ratio compared to the ‘longs’ topping that of all other prominent digital assets, per the data provided by the trading analysis platform Coinalyze on February 18.

At least a part of SOL’s woes can be traced back to the chain’s popularity among meme coins. Specifically, such cryptocurrencies have frequently been used by bad actors in the community for different types of scams.
The most recent example had a shocking twist as the meme coin LIBRA used in the ‘pump and dump’ scheme was shared – and thus ‘pumped’ – by Argentina’s president Javier Millei.
Why Solana could still rally in 2025
However, it is noteworthy that price drops – even if sharp and large – are frequently terminal for major cryptocurrencies, with Bitcoin, for example, returning from its 2021 and 2022 fall from $67,000 to $16,000 and Solana itself recovering from the collapse from $250 to $10 near the same time.
In this case, SOL’s drop could present an opportunity to ‘buy the dip’ as a pattern analyst known as Trader Tardigrade on X estimated on February 18 that as long as the token remains above $162, its next target stands as high as $280.
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Pseudonymous on-chain cryptocurrency analyst ZachXBT is one of the most respected voices in the crypto space — but surprisingly enough, he doesn’t offer investment advice.
Instead, the ‘crypto sleuth’ has taken to unveiling and publicizing the many scams running rampant in the world of digital assets.
The blockchain detective has also exposed several high-profile hacks — most recently, a $112 million XRP breach on January 31 and a $35 million Atomic Wallet hack in June of 2023.
Unfortunately, it appears that ZachXBT won’t be left without work any time soon — as the crypto investigator reported that users have had roughly $65 million stolen from Coinbase over the past couple of months, per a February 3 post made on X.
Safe wallet scam and social engineering lead to millions stolen from Coinbase
In the aforementioned X threat, the investigator revealed that they had collaborated with fellow reacher tanuki42 to review Coinbase withdrawals cross-referenced with data gathered via direct messaging. 
With an admittedly limited dataset, and relying only on high-confidence instances when it comes to direct messages, the duo identified roughly $65 million in digital assets stolen from Coinbase from December 2024 to January 2025.
1/ Over the past few months I imagine you have seen many Coinbase users complain on X about their accounts suddenly being restricted.
This is the result of aggressive risk models and Coinbase’s failure to stop its users losing $300M+ per year to social engineering scams.
— ZachXBT February 3, 2025
Readers should note that, as stated by ZachXBT, the actual amount stolen over this timeframe is likely to be much higher.
So, how did this happen? Apparently, a combination of social engineering attacks was used. Crypto scammers would call victims from spoofed phone numbers and use personal information gathered from private databases to gain their trust. Following this, the cybercriminals would tell Coinbase users that their accounts had multiple unauthorized login attempts.
Once that was done, victims would receive a spoofed email that appeared to be from Coinbase — one that included a fake case ID and instructed users to transfer funds to a specific wallet and whitelist a certain address while support verified the security of their account. In addition, the scammers possess the capability to clone Coinbase’s site to near-perfection — allowing them to send different prompts to their targets.
Per the researcher, the attacks originate from two main groups — skids from the Com and threat actors located in India. Reportedly, both primarily target US customers.
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Shortly before the President-Elect again became the President on January 20, the Trump family on a controversial meme coin offensive with the OFFICIAL TRUMP (TRUMP) and Official Melania Meme (MELANIA) cryptocurrencies drew the bulk of the attention.
As could be expected, the Donald Trump-themed digital asset – either a cynical cash grab or a blockchain equivalent of a commemorative coin or stamp – proved to have the most staying power and attracted the most investor interest.
In fact, by press time on January 23, TRUMP enjoyed a total spot volume of some $38 billion – a daily average of about $7.6 billion
The world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange by volume, Binance, took the lion’s share of the trading at approximately $16 billion, and OKX came in second at about $7 billion.

The Trump meme coin sees rapid growth, shows unexpected staying power
Along with massive volume, OFFICIAL TRUMP enjoyed a remarkable rise almost immediately upon launch. Specifically, the token went from a market capitalization of $0 to $15 billion in less than 24 hours.
The meme coin’s price likewise surged from the initial $7 to highs at about $75 within a handful of hours and despite the buzz of the inauguration being over and leading to a significant drop, it is still trading at $36.86 for a total valuation of $7.24 billion.
Such a situation means that traders who purchased early are still, at least at press time, in the green, while those who got their hands on TRUMP near the initial price have seen their ‘commemorative’ asset appreciate 463.54%.


MELANIA, on the other hand, despite drawing much attention, generating speculation, and seeing its valuation rocket from $0 to highs near $2.14 billion, didn’t have a fraction of TRUMP’s staying power. The First Lady-themed cryptocurrency is, with a press time valuation of $471.77 million, down 65.70% in the all-time price chart.


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Once a relatively fringe asset, Bitcoin (BTC), the premier cryptocurrency, has steadily garnered mainstream support. However, a crucial turning point was reached with the approval of the first Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in early 2024. This new level of institutional support and increased accessibility provided the leading digital asset with a strong level of support
Although still in its early days, the mainstream availability of cryptocurrencies is a critical factor — one which could propel it to become a mainline asset class just like stocks or bonds. 
At present, it seems like 2025 is off to a good start in this regard — on January 13, BlackRock (NYSE: BLK), the world’s largest asset manager, which has roughly $11.5 trillion in AUM (assets under management) launched a new BTC ETF in the crucial Canadian market.


BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin ETF is now trading under the IBIT ticker, with U.S. dollar-denominated units trading under the IBIT.U symbol on the CBOE exchange.
BlackRock gives BTC a vote of confidence in the middle of a downturn
Even accounting for increased institutional adoption, Bitcoin has remained a volatile asset. While more stable than smaller market-cap cryptocurrencies, BTC is still prone to severe price movements — however, it would appear that this factor was not enough to dissuade BlackRock from entering the market.
At press time, a single Bitcoin was changing hands at $92,710, after marking a 9.23% drop on the weekly chart, and at risk of dropping below the crucial $90,000 support level. The sudden drop is attributed to profit-taking and macroeconomic factors unfavorable to speculative assets — although BlackRock’s new fund certainly suggests that institutional investors are bullish in the long run.
The iShares Bitcoin ETF has provided stellar returns thus far
BlackRock’s new ETF will primarily invest in the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (NASDAQ: IBIT). Since the start of 2024, IBIT has provided a 111.93% return — at press time, a single unit of the fund was trading at $52.39. It stands to reason that this new listing will mirror its performance almost completely.

The fund’s price action follows Bitcoin closely — although it experienced a slightly lower drop than the cryptocurrency did in the last 7 days, marking a 7.87% drop compared to BTC’s 9.23%.
Beyond those impressive returns, the fund’s primary draw is ease of use — as it provides access to the leading digital cryptocurrency in a simple, straightforward way.
Although Bitcoin’s recent trajectory has been quite negative, numerous experts are confident that this is simply a temporary setback — one that is to be followed by a renewed rally that would certainly bode well for BlackRock’s new fund.
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Despite not being a full week old at press time, 2025 is already emerging as a strong continuation of the cryptocurrency – and meme coin – bull market.
One digital assets trader turned into a spectacular example of this fact as they managed to, within just 10 hours, turn a $2,000 investment into more than $3 million in profit, per data retrieved from Solscan.
The trader used 10 Solana (SOL) – worth just over $2,000 – to purchase 22 million Hyperfly (HYPER) in the afternoon of January 5. Shortly after minding, they began selling the meme coin, offloading nearly 18 million HYPER for 10,286 SOL (~$2.21 million).
The trade might eventually prove even more profitable as the remaining cryptocurrency is worth another $1 million, meaning that, unless there is a rapid price collapse, the investor could make a total of $3 million – a 1,500x return on investment.
These are the most incredible meme coin trades of 2025
The Hyperfly swap is the latest in the string of spectacular New Year meme coin maneuvers. So far, the most dramatic example came already on January 1 when one trader sold KEKIUS MAXIMUS, which they acquired some 18 days earlier for just $66 for a total of $3 million.
The incredible trade was made possible by a joke made by the billionaire owner of X, Elon Musk. Specifically, Musk decided to get festive by changing his social media name and profile picture to the aforementioned Kekius Maximus, a variant of the popular meme frog Pepe.
Indeed, the billionaire’s decision rendered multiple meme coin trades wildly successful: investor who turned $55,000 into $1 million on December 31 and of a trader who made $970,000 from just $4,300 on the very same day.
American politicians enter the meme coin market
Despite most meme coin trades leading to massive losses – as best exemplified by the ill-fated launch of Hailey Welch’s official cryptocurrency or by the downfall of Andrew Tate’s Daddy Tate (DADDY) – the successes have been substantial enough that one group of savvy investors have become increasingly involved with the action: Congressional Traders.
The most prolific of them, at least based on the publicly available information at press time on January 6, is Representative Mike Collins of Georgia’s 10th congressional district.
While Collins has been buying a wide variety of coins of tokens – including some big names such as Ethereum (ETH) – since late 2023, his most recent trades of a meme coin called Ski Mask Dog (SKI) drew much attention.
The Representative’s profits – estimated at about $60,000 on a $45,000 investment – and the small market capitalization of the cryptocurrency caused much suspicion among observers and copy traders in December and January.
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As Bitcoin (BTC) faces heightened volatility below the $100,000 resistance zone, on-chain data suggests the digital currency may face further declines in the coming days.
Specifically, over 33,000 BTC valued at more than $3.23 billion has been transferred to cryptocurrency exchanges in the past week, according to data from prominent on-chain analyst Ali Martinez on December 27.

A breakdown of the data shows a sharp uptick in Bitcoin exchange reserves, rising from 2.395 million BTC on December 18 to 2.428 million BTC by December 25. This movement coincided with a decline in Bitcoin’s price, which dropped from $105,000 to $98,400 over the same period.
Notably, the rapid increase in exchange reserves could indicate that large holders, or whales, are preparing to liquidate their assets. Historically, such trends have been precursors to significant price corrections, as selling pressure outweighs buying demand.
Bitcoin’s bearish outlook 
In a series of X posts, Martinez doubled down on the possibility of Bitcoin dipping further, noting the asset might plunge to as low as $60,000. He highlighted that the possibility of a drop is validated by Bitcoin breaking below its critical support zone at $97,300.
According to data shared by Martinez, this level served as a stronghold for Bitcoin, with 1.51 million wallets purchasing approximately 1.49 million BTC in this range.

For the bearish scenario to be invalidated, the expert noted that Bitcoin must reclaim the $97,300 level and, more importantly, achieve a close above $100,000. A sustained breakout above this level could pave the way for a significant rally, potentially targeting $168,500.
Similarly, financial educator Tony Vays warned that Bitcoin trading below $95,000 is “very bad” as it accelerates the probability of a correction to around the $73,000 zone. According to the analyst, dropping below $95,000 opens the door for the asset to slide to the $92,000 range, which “opens Pandora’s box” for a massive crash.
@ToneVays believes that #Bitcoin $BTC trading below $95,000 is "very, very bad" because it increases the probability of a correction to $73,000!— Ali (@ali_charts) December 26, 2024
What next for Bitcoin
Generally, Bitcoin has faced a challenging Christmas period, witnessing significant capital outflows, although the general bullish momentum remains for the long term. Notably, analysts believe the asset will likely hit new highs, aligning with post-election optimism that helped Bitcoin reach a record high of approximately $108,000.
Looking ahead to the new year, there is anticipation that Donald Trump’s policies could propel Bitcoin to new heights, potentially doubling its value. For instance, banking giant Standard Chartered predicts Bitcoin could trade at a new high of $200,000 in 2025, driven mainly by institutional interest. 
Author and investor Robert Kiyosaki shares a similar bullish sentiment, seeing a $350,000 target as plausible, while prominent Wall Street analyst Tom Lee projects a $250,000 valuation for the leading cryptocurrency.
Bitcoin price analysis 
Bitcoin was trading at $96,410, reflecting a drop of over 2% in the last 24 hours. On the weekly chart, BTC is down about 4%.

Regarding the technical setup, Bitcoin currently sits above its 50-day simple moving average (SMA) of $93,367 and well above the 200-day SMA at $70,470, indicating strong upward momentum.
The 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 53.53 reflects a neutral stance, suggesting Bitcoin is neither overbought nor oversold.
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With Bitcoin (BTC) surging to a new record high of above $107,000, momentum indicators suggest that the asset’s current run is far from over.
Specifically, the maiden cryptocurrency’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) has yet to reach the 90 mark—a level achieved during the past two bull cycles, according to an analysis by financial data platform Barchart in an X post on December 17.
Indeed, Bitcoin’s cycle tops in 2017 and 2021 coincided with the monthly RSI surpassing 90 and currently reads 77.19, far below previous overbought levels.
“Bitcoin’s Cycle Tops in 2017 and 2021 occurred with a Monthly RSI reading above 90. It’s currently only at 77. This train still has room to run,” the platform noted.

The RSI indicator measures the speed and magnitude of price changes. Readings above 70 typically indicate overbought conditions, but previous Bitcoin bull cycles show that the market can stay overbought for extended periods while prices continue to surge.
Bitcoin’s room for further growth
Regarding the possibility of continued price growth, whale transaction data could offer notable insights into what to expect. 
According to prominent on-chain crypto analyst Ali Martinez in an X post on December 17, wallets between 100 and 1,000 BTC have accumulated over 70,000 BTC in the past 48 hours. This accumulation represents a staggering $7.28 billion in Bitcoin.

The sentiment suggests that the market remains optimistic as such transactions often trigger further price growth. In this scenario, with whales acting as catalysts, retail investors might also capitalize on the momentum.
Adding further optimism to the possibility of Bitcoin surging past its record $107,000 is its historical performance in the year following the U.S. elections, which often aligns with its four-year halving cycle.

For instance, following the 2012 election, Bitcoin climbed from $15 to over $1,000 in 2013. Following 2016, it peaked at nearly $18,000 in 2017. Post-2020, the asset hit an all-time high of $69,000 in 2021.
After the November 2024 elections, Bitcoin’s momentum was inspired by Donald Trump’s election, who is widely expected to spearhead the implementation of crypto-friendly policies. 
Additionally, several entities believe Bitcoin will likely double in value next year. Standard Chartered projects the asset’s current cycle will peak next year, potentially reaching $200,000. According to the banking giant, institutional investors will be central to this rally.
At the same time, investment firm VanEck projected that the current run will extend into 2025, peaking in Q1, with Bitcoin likely reaching $180,000.
However, not everyone is fully bullish on Bitcoin. A trading expert warned investors to prepare for an exit, noting that the asset might be nearing its top and that the current momentum may not last long.
Bitcoin price analysis 
By press time, Bitcoin was trading at $107,133, an increase of 3.5% in the last 24 hours. On the weekly chart, the maiden cryptocurrency had made gains of over 5%.


Although Bitcoin remains at a record high coupled with sustained optimism, caution is warranted. As indicated by the RSI, the overbought conditions can lead to a sharp correction.
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In 2024, XRP finally broke out of the prolonged price consolidation, emerging as one of the biggest winners of the ongoing cryptocurrency market rally.
To put this price breakout into perspective, XRP rallied by over 300% in the past month, elevating the cryptocurrency to third place based on market capitalization, surpassing Solana (SOL) and Tether’s USDT.
Overall, XRP’s price remained relatively stable throughout most of 2024, fluctuating between $0.50 and $0.60. However, in early November, the token took a new turn, and its value tripled by the end of the month to about $1.50.

In recent trading sessions, the asset has surged past the $2 mark to trade at $2.55 as of press time, reflecting a year-to-date spike of 342%. $3 remains a psychological resistance level for the short term.
Despite this newfound momentum, XRP still trades below its record high of $3.40 when some market players have questioned the authenticity of the current gains. 
Drivers of XRP performance 
Like other digital assets, XRP received a boost from the euphoria surrounding Donald Trump’s election and his anticipated implementation of pro-cryptocurrency policies. Indeed, this momentum was led by Bitcoin (BTC), which surged past the historical $100,000 mark.
However, some XRP-specific elements partly contributed to the coin’s meteoric rise. Specifically, renewed optimism emerged after Robinhood (NASDAQ: HOOD) relisted XRP on November 13. 
The platform had delisted XRP in 2020 following the court battle between Ripple and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), where the regulator accused the blockchain firm of selling unregistered securities.
At the same time, Ripple’s partial legal victory in August reignited interest in XRP as the chances of the token being reclassified as a security diminished.
Further momentum emerged after SEC Chair Gary Gensler announced his planned departure in January. Interestingly, for the cryptocurrency community, Gensler’s role at the SEC, particularly in the Ripple case, became the poster child of the regulator’s alleged stifling of the sector. 
With Gensler’s exit, there is speculation that the XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF) might receive approval. This anticipation follows Trump’s nomination of pro-crypto Paul Atkins as the next SEC chair, should lawmakers approve him. Several spot XRP ETFs from entities such as WisdomTree, Bitwise, and 21Shares are already awaiting feedback from the SEC.
Adding fuel to the XRP momentum, Ripple may soon launch its stablecoin, RLUSD, which the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) could approve by the end of the year. The dollar-pegged RLUSD, issued via Ripple’s acquired Standard Custody & Trust Company, has reportedly been beta-tested with mints worth tens of millions.
“I’m still hopeful that we’ll launch by the end of the year.<…> The stablecoin is launched through a New York state trust and regulated by the NYDFS. <…> We are very much looking forward to having the launch headaches behind us, but we will get there,” Ripple CTO David Schwartz said.
What next for XRP
Overall, the highlighted catalysts are likely to help XRP sustain its bullish sentiment as it targets the $3 mark. 
From a technical perspective, prominent cryptocurrency trading analyst Ali Martinez noted on December 8 that the next conservative target for XRP  is at least $8.
Martinez’s analysis indicated that XRP has broken out of a multi-year symmetrical triangle, signaling further upside potential. This continuation pattern, formed by converging trend lines with lower highs and higher lows, typically marks a period of accumulation before a breakout.
The breakout suggests a bullish shift, with the chart indicating two key price targets: a conservative $8.40 and an optimistic $48.12. If XRP reaches the target of nearly $50, its market cap could hit almost $2.8 trillion, potentially making it the top cryptocurrency if Bitcoin sees minimal gains.

However, the continuation of a possible XRP rally could face threats from the impact of being overbought, which might signal a short-term correction or consolidation.
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Bitcoin (BTC) has fallen short of the highly anticipated $100,000 milestone, a psychological barrier closely monitored by market participants. 
The cryptocurrency experienced a modest pullback of 0.73% over the past 24 hours, trading at $93,465 at press time. This minor decline follows a post-election surge that propelled BTC to a record high of $99,609 on November 22.
While renewed investor optimism initially fueled strong upward momentum, Bitcoin now faces formidable technical and market resistance, raising concerns about the sustainability of its current bull run.
Why Bitcoin stalled near $100,000
Bitcoin’s recent 7% decline from its peak over the past four days has caught many off guard. Analysts cite several key factors behind this pullback.
First, the November rally, driven by Donald Trump’s re-election and his pro-crypto stance, has started losing steam as the market adjusts to potential fiscal and regulatory changes, signaling the exhaustion of post-election euphoria.
Additionally, profit-taking by long-term holders has intensified selling pressure, echoing patterns seen during Bitcoin’s unsuccessful attempt to break past $73,500 in March. 
Data shows that long-term holders have offloaded $60 billion worth of Bitcoin in the past 30 days. Notably, 21% of all long-term holder supply moved since the FTX collapse was sold in November, marking the heaviest profit-taking of the current cycle.
Adding to the challenges, miners are offloading approximately 2,500 BTC daily, valued at $231 million, further amplifying supply-side pressure.
Technical analysis: The role of the Fibonacci channel
An analysis by TradingShot highlights the impact of the Fibonacci Channel, a recurring technical pattern that has consistently influenced Bitcoin’s performance across the last three bull cycles. 
This pattern, defined by key Fibonacci retracement levels, has historically served as a roadmap for identifying critical resistance points.
For instance, the 0.236 Fibonacci level rejected price rallies during bull cycles on June 24, 2019, and May 11, 2024. Similarly, Bitcoin’s rejection on November 22 occurred at this same level, earning it the designation of the “1st Real Resistance of the Bull Cycle.”
Historically, Bitcoin’s bull cycles have reached their peak at the 0.0 Fibonacci level, technically the top of the channel. While this cycle has yet to reach that peak, the rejection at 0.236 suggests BTC faces significant hurdles before testing higher levels.
Market dynamics and sentiment
Despite Bitcoin’s recent correction, the broader market narrative remains largely bullish. Institutional investors continue to demonstrate a robust interest in the cryptocurrency. 
MicroStrategy has continued to accumulate Bitcoin, recently adding $5.4 billion worth of BTC to its holdings. Additionally, U.S.-based spot Bitcoin ETFs have seen strong inflows, averaging $670 million daily between November 18 and November 22.
On the derivatives side, market sentiment leans cautiously optimistic. Data from CoinGlass reveals a 16.87% decline in trading volume, while options open interest and volume have registered slight increases, indicating that traders are strategically positioning for potential volatility.

The long/short ratios indicate a modest tilt toward long positions, particularly among top traders. At the same time, liquidation data reflects moderate selling pressure but no signs of widespread capitulation.
These metrics collectively highlight a stable yet cautious market environment. The absence of panic selling and the sustained interest from institutional and retail players alike suggest that the recent correction is more of a temporary pullback than a harbinger of a bearish trend reversal. 
As such, Bitcoin continues to hold a slightly bullish undertone despite short-term resistance at the $100,000 level.
What lies ahead for Bitcoin?
Historical data suggests Bitcoin’s bull cycles last approximately 150 weeks, pointing to a potential peak in late 2025. 
Analysts, including Deutsche Bank strategist Marion Laboure, believe long-term trends such as institutional adoption and regulatory clarity will drive further price gains.
In the short term, resistance at $100,000 remains a critical challenge. Analysts warn that continued profit-taking and leverage-induced corrections could push Bitcoin to retest lower support levels near $85,000. 
However, the broader narrative of increasing adoption, corporate interest, and macroeconomic hedging positions Bitcoin for higher highs in the long run.
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Despite being somewhat overshadowed by Bitcoin (BTC) and meme coins on its own blockchain during the 2024 cryptocurrency bull market, Solana (SOL) has been one of the strongest performers among the major digital assets.
Specifically, the native token has risen 291.61% in the last 12 months and 140.71% year-to-date (YTD). Though SOL, with its press time price of $243.92, is still shy of its 2021 all-time high (ATH) at about $260, Solana reached a record-breaking market capitalization above $117 billion on Monday, November 18.

Beyond the price charts, the token also reached other important milestones. For example, on November 13, its Real Economic Value – a fundamental analysis metric that provides insights into a blockchain’s use and demand – overtook that of the world’s second-biggest cryptocurrency, Ethereum (ETH).
Will Solana continue the November rally to new all-time highs?
Recent performance has led to multiple increasingly bullish price targets for SOL ranging from $400 to above $1,000.
Still, though technical analysis(TA) points toward continued bullish momentum, it also gives cause for investors to temper their expectations. 
For example, Solana’s relative strength index (RSI) recently crossed above 70, propelling the token into overbought territory and hinting that a correction might be imminent. However, the current momentum also indicates traders will not suffer from suspense for a long time.
At its press time price of $243,92, SOL is close to its two nearest resistance levels – $248.01 and $258.58 – meaning the token is likely to either confirm or reject a continued rally fairly quickly.
On the other hand, the generally bullish sentiment and momentum driving Solana ensure that, even in case of a rejection, the cryptocurrency is likely to reenter a rally and retest the crucial levels as long as it does not fall below its nearest support zone just under $220.
Finally, though there is some uncertainty about SOL’s next move, as technical analysis demonstrates that the field is set for both a persistent rally and a correction, the longer-term outlook remains highly bullish.
What will happen to SOL price in 2025?
For example, MetaShackle, a prolific cryptocurrency analyst on TradingView, explained on November 11 that Solana is poised for a major breakout from ‘an absolutely massive cup & handle’ it had been building for approximately four years. It is worth pointing out that the subsequent rally all but confirmed the breakout from the pattern.
Indeed, Solana’s future may be made or broken in the long term as its ongoing rally – much like the rallies of many other stocks and cryptocurrencies – can be linked to Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election.
SOL has, in particular, been affected by the November 15 comments made by the head of digital asset research at VanEck, Matt Sigel, who believes that the incoming administration will be far friendlier toward digital assets.
Further bolstering the bull case, Sigel also opined that there ‘are overwhelmingly high’ odds of approval for a spot Solana exchange-traded fund (ETF) before the end of 2025. 
Such a development would firmly place SOL in the same league as BTC and ETH, bolstering its visibility and legitimacy and providing easier exposure to investors generally wary of cryptocurrency markets.
As always, the positive outlook of late 2025 might not translate into a sustained rally in 2025 as it is largely based on hopes for President-Elect Donald Trump’s policies and campaign promises – ever-shaky ground in politics.

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Shiba Inu (SHIB) is among the standout cryptocurrencies in the ongoing market rally. The meme coin has broken into the top 10 digital assets by market capitalization.
At press time, SHIB was valued at $0.00002778, up almost 7% in the last 24 hours. On the weekly chart, the token has rallied by 62% amid sustained buying pressure, pushing its market cap to $16.80 billion.

What next for SHIB? 
Technical indicators suggest that SHIB will likely sustain the current momentum in both the short and long term. The token’s valuation currently stands above the 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
However, momentum indicators such as the 14-day relative strength index (RSI) signal that SHIB might witness a sell-off or price consolidation, as the figures indicate it has entered the overbought zone.
Analysis shared by pseudonymous trading expert Chris in an X post on November 11 noted that the meme coin appears to be breaking out from a bullish pennant pattern, showing room for further upside.
This potential breakout is supported by increased volume, indicating strong buying interest.

On the other hand, an analysis shared by Crypto Tony on November 11 indicated that SHIB bulls are aiming to hold $0.00002200. Therefore, a successful retest and consolidation around this level could signal bullish positions.

SHIB fundamentals 
At the moment, SHIB is heavily relying on the ongoing cryptocurrency market rally, which is inspired by optimism surrounding Donald Trump’s second stint in the White House. 
The token may also rise, given that it has previously received support from Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk, who is viewed as a key beneficiary of Trump’s re-election. 
Musk’s impact in the meme coin space is evident in the price movement of Dogecoin (DOGE). 
Considering one of Trump’s pledges for the crypto community is to make the United States an innovation hub, the Shiba Inu community is positioning itself for this possibility. 
To this end, Shiba Inu lead developer Shytoshi Kusama proposed creating a “Silicon Valley for crypto.” If successful, this plan seeks to position the U.S. as a global leader in blockchain innovation.
In a bid to reduce SHIB’s supply, the token continues to see a spike in burn activity. Recent data indicates that the burn rate has surged by 1,837% in the past 24 hours, resulting in over 463 million tokens being removed from circulation.

In conclusion, Shiba Inu’s rally, community initiatives, and bullish market support position the token for potential further growth. However, with overbought indicators, investors should be cautious of possible corrections.
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Bitcoin (BTC) is currently consolidating in a low time frame after peaking at $77,230 on Friday night. Now, the same analyst who predicted this price target for the weekend warns of a potential long squeeze for Bitcoin.
CrypNuevo shared an analysis targeting a range between $77,000 and $77,500 for Bitcoin’s weekend. BTC reached the analysts’ target a few hours later, now preparing for a potential corrective long squeeze, he warned.
In a recent thread on X, CrypNuevo explained how Bitcoin longs are “at a risky level,” tracing two possible scenarios. The trader sees a potential bull trap rally again to $77,500, followed by a pullback to $72,100. However, the retracement can happen at any moment, including from the current level, without rallying first.
“Not sure if we’ll revisit the upside box, but I’m feeling pretty confident that we’ll get a (shallow) pullback from around that zone. If we look at the delta liquidations now, longs are at a risky level.”– CrypNuevo

Bitcoin liquidation levels and the long squeeze logic
In particular, CrypNuevo is looking at Bitcoin’s long liquidation levels from Hyblock Capital. According to the trading expert, BTC’s long open interest is currently approaching a “risky level,” historically marked by long squeezes.
“Usually, we see imminent squeezes when it’s between $30B-$35B using this setting. We’re at $27.5B, practically there.”– CrypNuevo

Therefore, Bitcoin could go up to attract more longs, reach the historical long-squeeze threshold, and then liquidate the over-exposed traders.
Bitcoin price analysis and trading plan for the weekend
Interestingly, CrypNuevo published this analysis a day before what he usually does on weekends. As explained, this was due to an impending volatility that may rush things up as long liquidations are accumulating quickly.
Yet, the trader is not planning to open short positions, considering his high time frame (HTF) bullish forecast. The plan here is to wait for the market to play out as expected and embrace the pullback as an opportunity to open new longs at lower prices than the currently trading $76,420.
Furthermore, the smart trader disclosed a special interest in altcoins and said he would favor longing them in a pullback. This is because CrypNuevo and other analysts believe Bitcoin Dominance (BTC.D) will start retracing once it gets between 60% and 62%, triggering an altseason.
Historically, altcoin seasons create opportunities for expressive gains like 30x potential returns against a limited Bitcoin’s growth potential. Still, Bitcoin continues to attract institutional interest, and BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin ETF IBIT registered significant volume this week.
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