#MarketPullback
The crypto market is currently recovering from the losses of the past 48 hours, with the market capitalization adding 1.34% gains in 24 hours to reach an impressive $3.4 trillion. Trading volumes also increased by 10.25% to $291.27 billion, signaling renewed optimism among investors. This has been evident with the Fear and Greed Index signaling a ‘Greed’ score of 62.
Bitcoin Shows Resilience as Dominance Remains Strong

#BTCNextMove
The cryptocurrency market’s stance on its numbers has worsened further compared to the previous day. The drop led to a 5.04% reduction in market cap to $3.34 trillion. As a result, trading volume dropped marginally by 0.54% to $264.08 billion. Subsequently, the Fear & Greed Index is currently at 62, highlighting “Greed” despite the recent pullback.
Bitcoin ETF Outflows Peak as BTC Price Drops Below $97K
Bitcoin has been struggling to maintain its momentum on the daily charts, following the FED’s announcement on rate cuts. After hitting its 24-hour low of $95,587.68, BTC’s price is currently changing hands at $93,819.67. The reddish numbers and short-term uncertainty resulted in the 24-hour trading volume dropping by 3.52% to $93.85 billion. The impact was also seen with ETFs, on December 19, Bitcoin witnessed outflows totaling $671 million.

NEAR Protocol is forecast to experience steady growth in 2024, trading within a range of $5.72 to $6.20. Analysts predict an average price of $6.03 for the year, suggesting a potential return on investment of 12.34% compared to current levels. By this month, NEAR could see a price increase of 9.16%, assuming the token reaches its projected average price. For investors, this outlook offers a modest but steady opportunity, especially considering the expected growth later in the year.

The percentage of Ethereum validators signaling support for increasing the network's gas limit rose to 10% as the community mobilized to increase the maximum amount of gas allowed to be spent on transactions to be included in a single Ethereum block.
On December 19, the number of validators signaling a gas limit exceeding 30 million increased to 10% of the network. Prior to December, the percentage of validators signaling an increase in gas limit was just over 1%.

#MarketCorrectionBuyOrHODL
XRP News Now: Amid the ongoing crypto correction, intensified by monetary policy changes in the United States, Ripple Labs-backed XRP has retreated more than 5% in the past 24 hours to trade at around $2.36 on Thursday during the early European session. The large-cap altcoin, with a fully diluted valuation of around $235 billion and a 24-hour trading volume of around $20 billion, has been stuck in a consolidation mode for the past two weeks.

Bitcoin and the broader cryptocurrency market sold off as the Fed announced a 25 basis point cut in its benchmark interest rate and signaled that fewer rate cuts than initially planned could occur in 2025.
Following Fed Chairman Jerome Powell's press conference following the rate cut, the price of Bitcoin (BTC) fell 4.6% to $101,300, while Ether (ETH) fell 5.96% to $3,600.
While market participants had anticipated a 0.25% rate cut, which ticks a box for most traders with bullish price expectations, Powell’s indication that only two more rate cuts would occur in 2025 raised eyebrows. Adding to what some traders see as a hawkish outlook, the Fed committee also raised its inflation outlook for 2025 to 2.5% from 2.1%.

Despite the ongoing price consolidation in Shiba Inu (SHIB), the popular second-largest meme cryptocurrency by market cap has gained significant attention from crypto giants, as reported by on-chain analytics firm IntoTheBlock. Today, December 18, 2024, IntoTheBlock revealed that SHIB’s massive transaction volume has spiked by 238.58% in the past 24 hours.
Source: IntoTheBlock Shiba Inu (SHIB) Bearish Outlook
This notable volume appeared as SHIB began to experience selling pressure and the formation of a bearish price action pattern near a resistance level. However, the meme coin's bearish outlook came during a period when major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and XRP witnessed notable rallies.

Lido to End Services at Polygon
Lido Finance has announced the discontinuation of its operations on the Polygon network, citing limited user adoption, evolving DeFi dynamics, and a strategic shift to its primary focus on Ethereum.
In a blog post on December 16, the Lido team confirmed that the decision was made after extensive discussions within the Lido DAO, a community vote, and overwhelming support from LDO token holders, with 99% in favor of the proposal.

#CryptoUsersHit18M
Ethereum whale dominance is at an all-time high, and it’s hard to ignore what this could mean for the future. It’s the highest it’s ever been so far. While smaller investors hold less than ever, whales are quietly accumulating more ETH. Is this a sign of another bull run or something else entirely?
The whales are in control
As of now, 104 wallets hold more than 100,000 ETH each. This is 57.35% of the total Ethereum supply, the highest level ever recorded. While these massive wallets are growing in power, mid-sized investors (those holding between 100 and 100,000 ETH) now control just 33.46%, the lowest share in history.

Major cryptocurrencies are capturing attention as they approach significant milestones. In a changing market, assets like Solana and XRP are exhibiting trends that hint at potential breakthroughs. Investors and enthusiasts are watching closely, anticipating which digital currencies could lead the next wave of growth.
Amidst these developments, XYZVerse emerges as a pioneering memecoin, uniting sports fans from diverse disciplines within its unique ecosystem.

#MarketNewHype
The post Bitcoin Soars Amid Fed Rate Cut Expectations and Trump’s Crypto Reserve Plans appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
Bitcoin surges amid Fed rate cut expectations, Trump’s crypto reserve plans
Bitcoin hit a new all-time high on Monday as investors awaited an expected interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve later this week. Additionally, President-elect Donald Trump has indicated plans to create a strategic bitcoin reserve in the U.S. similar to its strategic oil reserve, sparking excitement in the crypto community.

Altcoin season is in full swing as crypto markets inspire new investor confidence. Cardano (ADA) is among the standout performers, having breached the $1 barrier for the first time in two years. A leading blockchain innovator, ADA’s comeback has sparked debate over its market leadership. But amid the buzz, experts believe a rising star valued at just $0.15 — Rexas Finance (RXS) — is a challenger to ADA’s market valuation.

Ethena (ENA) has been attracting attention in the cryptocurrency market with its grand promises and innovative structure. But when it comes to its backers, there are more questions than answers. Are we facing a new financial powerhouse or just another case of inflated hype? Let's take a closer look.
Big Name Marketing
Since its launch, Ethena has announced the support of major investors and renowned institutions to validate its credibility. The list includes well-known investment funds and even individual names of importance in the financial world.

For over a decade, Bitcoin has dominated the blockchain narrative, serving as the gateway to the world of decentralized finance and digital assets. But as the crypto market matures, new projects are entering the scene, offering innovative solutions to long-standing challenges. This December, the blockchain world is abuzz with speculation about a “next big thing” poised to disrupt the industry and shake up the status quo.
Lightchain AI Protocol Presale

Blockchain ecosystem Cronos has completed a major upgrade that promises to make it one of the fastest decentralized networks on the market, capable of processing up to 60,000 transactions per second, its developers say.
The Cronos EVM v1.4.0 Pallene upgrade is a major milestone for Cronos, which was built by Crypto.com to support its ambitions of developing an ecosystem of decentralized financial services and other types of dApps around its exchange platform.