Crypto markets turned lower today as two major macro developments hit simultaneously. The Federal Reserve held interest rates unchanged in what marks Jerome Powell’s final policy decision as Fed Chair, while President Trump rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and signalled a fresh wave of military strikes is being prepared. Bitcoin fell …
Crypto pundit SMQKE has shared an important thing that XRP holders have to remember when it comes to the altcoin’s price. He alluded to the token’s historical price appreciation and noted that XRP is better positioned to record more significant gains following Ripple’s recent acquisitions. What To Remember About XRP’s Price In an X post, SMQKE reminded XRP holders that the token delivered nearly 350x returns between 2017 and 2018, while Bitcoin and Ethereum gained 14x and 100x, respectively, during that period. He noted that this means XRP’s price increase was roughly 24x steeper than Bitcoin’s. Related Reading: XRP Ledger Hits New RWA Milestone, But Will This Have Any Impact On The Price? The pundit remarked that this occurred before Ripple completed any of its major institutional acquisitions, with XRP recording those gains simply due to early network momentum. Now, the fundamentals are believed to be more bullish as Ripple has completed strategic acquisitions of over $3 billion since 2017 to build institutional-grade infrastructure. SMQKE stated that these key moves include Ripple’s 2023 acquisition of Metaco for $250 million, which now provides bank-grade custody used by G-SIBs. In 2024, the crypto firm acquired Standard Custody, which is a New York-regulated trust services provider. Most of its acquisitions came last year, which have been bullish for XRP. Ripple acquired Hidden Road, which is now Ripple Prime, for $1.25 billion. SMQKE noted that this is a prime brokerage that clears trillions annually. Ripple also acquired the stablecoin payments platform Rail, the corporate treasury management platform GTreasury, and the wallet and custody provider Palisade last year. The pundit stated that these acquisitions create a much stronger foundation for durable price appreciation in XRP. He also alluded to the potential integration of XRP into SWIFT, FedNow, and DTCC. Based on this, SMQKE remarked that the altcoin’s past returns may have only been a preview of what its future network value could become. Why Price Is Still Low SMQKE alluded to a statement from former Ripple executive Marcus Treacher, who noted that XRP isn’t a speculative currency but rather a long-term play for the future. He highlighted how the altcoin could grow massively in value over the long term as a result of what Ripple is building with XRP. Related Reading: XRP OI Z-Score Just Dropped To Levels Seen Before Its 600% Rally In 2024 Treacher noted that transforming how payments work worldwide is a big deal and that once they achieve this with the XRP Ledger, everything else will start to fall into place. Meanwhile, SMQKE mentioned that news doesn’t move prices and that utility does. As such, he suggested that the focus should be on expanding XRP’s use cases and that the price will rise significantly as the altcoin continues to gain adoption. At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $1.39, up in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com
However, the hedge fund manager did acknowledge concerns surrounding potential cyber warfare and quantum computing risks.
Bitcoin’s technical indicators had just started flashing warning signs when crude oil markets made things worse. The MACD histogram turned red — a signal that buying pressure was fading — right as West Texas Intermediate crude surged past $104 a barrel, rattling risk assets across the board. Related Reading: Bitcoin Bull Run Brewing: ATH In Sight By Late 2026: Analyst Bitcoin Gives Back Recent Gains BTC had clawed its way above $78,000 earlier this week, briefly restoring confidence among buyers. That recovery is now gone. The cryptocurrency slipped below $77,000 on April 28, trading at $76,180 — its lowest level since April 22, when it had just reclaimed that threshold after weeks of struggling beneath it. The $77,000 mark carries weight in Bitcoin’s recent history. The asset first broke below it in early February and spent a prolonged stretch under it. A failed retest on April 17 kept sellers in control. The brief breakout on April 22 looked like a turning point. It wasn’t. For Bitcoin to get back on track, analysts say it needs to retake $77,000 and push through the upper Bollinger Band near $79,850. Until then, the immediate floor sits around $75,490, near the middle Bollinger Band — a level BTC has bounced from before, though holding it is far from guaranteed. Oil Jumps As Iran Talks Hit A Wall The backdrop driving the sell-off is a breakdown in US-Iran negotiations. On April 27, Iran put forward a new proposal through Pakistani intermediaries. The offer included reopening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting a US blockade, while asking to push nuclear discussions to a later stage. US President Donald Trump rejected it. His administration made clear that the terms didn’t go far enough — particularly on nuclear weapons, which Trump said Iran could not be allowed to develop. A planned US delegation trip to Islamabad had already been canceled after earlier Iranian terms were seen as insufficient, with travel security concerns also cited. Indirect back-channel communication continues, but face-to-face talks remain frozen. Oil markets moved fast. WTI crude shot from $98 to a peak of $104 before pulling back slightly to $101. That still left it up 2.50% on the day and more than 4% on the week, following a 12.70% surge the prior week. Related Reading: Trump’s Bitcoin Reserve Could Be Near As White House Signals Major Update Crypto Markets Feel The Pressure Bitcoin retreated 2% on April 28 after sliding 1.64% the previous day. The consecutive losses erased what had looked like a meaningful recovery, leaving the asset more than $3,000 below where it traded just days earlier. Broader market uncertainty tied to Middle East tensions is adding to the pressure. When oil climbs sharply, it typically signals supply fears and geopolitical instability — conditions that tend to push investors away from higher-risk assets like crypto. Featured image from MetaAI, chart from TradingView
Bitcoin's rebound is running straight into one of the few events it can't price in advance. After climbing back toward $80,000 on the back of renewed institutional buying and a nine-day ETF inflow streak, BTC pulled back to around $76,500 on Tuesday before recovering early Wednesday to around $77,800 as the Federal Reserve began its […]
The post Bitcoin heads into Fed decision today at the exact price where its strongest holders may finally sell appeared first on CryptoSlate.
Bitcoin is heading into the Federal Reserve decision today with a stretched rally and weakening momentum, conditions that have historically triggered sharp post-FOMC sell-offs. After climbing more than 20% through April and reclaiming the $75,000–$79,000 range, BTC price action is now stalling just below key resistance near $80,000. This setup has played out repeatedly over …
The Bitcoin price is struggling to maintain its bullish trend after a couple of bearish pullbacks. The rejection from $79,000 pushed the levels to $75,600, but the bull somehow bought the levels back to $77,700. On the other hand, the volume remains consistent during the decline and the current recovery, raising concerns about the sustainability …
According to Arkham, Bhutan is continuing its Bitcoin sell-off, recently moving another 100 BTC worth $7.83 million from its holding wallets. Since the start of 2026, the country has sold nearly $206.98 million in Bitcoin and now holds only $263 million worth of BTC. This matters because Bhutan was known for state-backed Bitcoin mining and …
Bitcoin could fall to around $30,000 before the year is out — at least according to one widely followed chart analyst. That bleak projection, drawn from a pattern tied to US midterm election years, is adding fresh weight to a growing skepticism about whether Bitcoin can reach $250,000 in 2026. Related Reading: Bitcoin Bull Run Brewing: ATH In Sight By Late 2026: Analyst Pattern Tied To Election Years Raises Red Flags Analyst Merlijn The Trader pointed to a recurring tendency for Bitcoin to sell off sharply in May of midterm election years. In 2014, Bitcoin dropped 60%. In 2018, it fell 65%. In 2022, the decline hit 66%. Each of those drops started around May. If 2026 follows the same script, Bitcoin — currently trading near $77,000 — could lose more than 60% of its value, landing somewhere close to $30,000. THREE WORDS. THREE CYCLES. ZERO EXCEPTIONS. Sell. In. May. But only in mid-term election years. 2014: -61%. 2018: -65%. 2022: -66%. 2026: mid-term year. -60.73% is pointing to $30K. May is approaching. The chart doesn’t lie. The calendar doesn’t either. pic.twitter.com/qUshNbIHPN — Merlijn The Trader (@MerlijnTrader) April 27, 2026 Capital Group analysts have noted that midterm elections tend to increase market uncertainty, as campaign activity picks up in the spring and investors pull back from riskier assets. That environment, they say, historically pushes people toward caution. Meanwhile, Bitcoin is already trading roughly 40% below its October 2025 record high of approximately $126,000. Despite that slide, high-profile bulls like billionaire Tim Draper and Fundstrat’s Tom Lee have not walked back their $250,000 year-end target — a price that would require the cryptocurrency to more than triple from where it sits today. Bitcoiners Those of you predicting $250,000 in 2026 need to stop with the mushrooms This is called a channel $BTC While it does not preclude further price gains, it is NOT a bullish bottoming pattern The Factor Report reports on classical chart analysis https://t.co/6nRit1xsVp pic.twitter.com/ApMM46KFla — The Factor Report (@PeterLBrandt) April 27, 2026 Peter Brandt Tells Bulls To Put Down The Mushrooms Veteran futures trader Peter Brandt has been blunter than most. Reacting to the $250,000 predictions, Brandt posted on social media: “Those of you predicting $250,000 in 2026 need to stop with the mushrooms.” He pointed to what he described as a bear flag channel forming on Bitcoin’s daily chart — not a bottoming pattern, he stressed, but a continuation of the existing downtrend. Based on the setup, BTC tested resistance near $79,500 before showing signs of pulling back. A move down to the flag’s lower boundary, around $69,000, is possible in May if selling pressure returns. A more severe breakdown below that line, Brandt warned, could push Bitcoin under $50,000. Halving Cycle Data Suggests The Peak May Already Be In The halving cycle history makes the bear case harder to dismiss. Bitcoin’s price peaks have historically arrived 12 to 18 months after each halving event. After the 2012 halving, the peak came in 12 months. After 2016, it arrived in 17. After 2020, it took 18 months. Related Reading: Trump’s Bitcoin Reserve Could Be Near As White House Signals Major Update The most recent halving happened in April 2024. Bitcoin hit its all-time high of $126,000 in October 2025 — right at the 17 to 18-month mark. Now, more than 24 months past that halving, the price sits around $77,000 and is still declining. That timeline, analysts say, lines up closely with prior cycle peaks, suggesting the top for this cycle may already be behind us. Not everyone is ready to call it a bear market, though. Analysts at Bernstein have pointed to a potential recovery toward the $100,000 to $150,000 range, a more measured view that neither chases the $250,000 target nor surrenders to the most bearish projections. Featured image from MetaAI, chart from TradingView
Bitcoin’s Hash Ribbons indicator has flashed another buy signal, reviving a historically watched miner-capitulation setup. But according to crypto analyst Darkfost, the signal may require more caution this cycle as miner activity becomes increasingly exposed to energy shocks, geopolitical pressure and shrinking block rewards. Hash Ribbons is designed to track stress in Bitcoin mining by comparing the 30-day moving average of hashrate with the 60-day moving average. When shorter-term hashrate falls below longer-term hashrate and later recovers, the model has often been interpreted as a sign that miner capitulation is ending and that conditions are improving for the network’s operators. Bitcoin Buy Signal Returns, But Here’s The Catch Darkfost framed the latest signal as potentially constructive, but not self-explanatory. “Hash Ribbons flashes a buy signal again: but should we trust it?” he wrote, describing the indicator as “a barometer of Bitcoin miners’ activity” that helps identify “genuine stress periods affecting BTC mining operations.” The logic behind the indicator is straightforward. When miners face severe margin pressure, some operators shut down machines or sell BTC reserves to cover costs. That can reduce hashrate, lengthen block intervals and add near-term supply pressure to the market. Eventually, if enough hashrate leaves the network, mining difficulty adjusts lower. If Bitcoin’s price stabilizes or recovers during that same period, miners that remain online can see profitability improve quickly. Related Reading: Bitcoin To $125,000: Arthur Hayes Says The Setup Is Turning Bullish “That is where opportunity often emerges,” Darkfost argued. “Once enough difficulty resets out of the system, mining becomes more attractive again. Machines come back online, forced selling eases, and network conditions normalize.” The signal matters because miner economics have become structurally more demanding. Bitcoin miners now receive 3.125 BTC per block before fees, down sharply from the 50 BTC rewards in the network’s early years. Although the dollar value of block rewards has grown over time, the subsidy continues to decline with each halving, forcing miners to operate with tighter discipline and more efficient infrastructure. Darkfost pointed to several sources of pressure on mining profitability, including rising difficulty, the need for more powerful ASIC machines, volatile energy costs, fixed expenses such as rent and staffing, Bitcoin price swings and even weather-related disruptions. These variables can combine quickly, especially for operators with high electricity costs or less efficient fleets. Related Reading: Bitcoin Could Hit New All-Time High Fast On Quantum Fix, Capriole Founder Says That is also why the analyst warned against treating every Hash Ribbons signal as equal. Earlier this year, he noted, an ice storm in the United States forced many miners to temporarily shut down operations, producing a signal that later looked misleading. Darkfost also cited false signals around the 2021 China mining ban and in June 2022, though he emphasized that the drivers were different in each case. “Hash Ribbons still has a strong long term track record, but the context behind each signal matters more than ever,” he wrote. “These days, mining activity is becoming increasingly sensitive as block rewards shrink over time. Right now, ongoing geopolitical conflict is disrupting parts of the energy market and key shipping routes, both of which can affect miner activity in a way.” That distinction is central to the current setup. A classic miner-capitulation signal can suggest that forced selling is easing and that weaker operators have already been flushed out. But if the hashrate decline was caused by temporary external disruption rather than deep financial stress across the mining sector, the signal may carry less information about market structure. Darkfost’s conclusion was therefore measured rather than outright bullish. Hash Ribbons may again be pointing to improving conditions for Bitcoin miners, but the current macro and energy backdrop complicates the read. At press time, BTC traded at $77,152. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
Bitcoin is bouncing higher as traders position ahead of major U.S. economic events, including today’s FOMC meeting and tomorrow’s GDP data release. Markets often turn volatile before high-impact announcements, but Bitcoin’s strong rebound and formation of higher lows and higher highs on lower timeframes suggest bullish momentum remains intact. The move matters because improving market …
As Bitcoin (BTC) retests a critical support level, analysts have warned that the leading cryptocurrency is facing its most important week in months, which could make or break its recovery rally. Related Reading: Bitcoin Set For $88,000? Analysts Forecast May Breakout After Key Weekly Close Bitcoin Price At A Crossroads On Tuesday, Bitcoin dropped below the $76,000 support for the first time in a week, falling to the $75,666 level before bouncing. The flagship crypto has been trading between $74,000-$80,000 after breaking out of its three-month range earlier this month. Amid its recent performance, analyst Sjuul from AltCryptoGems affirmed that BTC is at a make-or-break moment that might decide its fate, as both the technicals and fundamentals “are at a crossroads.” From a technical perspective, he explained that the cryptocurrency is currently facing “the most relevant resistance on the chart.” Notably, the $80,000 area sits at the top of the rising channel or bear market formation developing on BTC’s chart. It also marks a key horizontal level that has served as a major support zone since the Q4 2024 rally. In addition, there’s a setup around this level that resembles the price action in January. At the time, Bitcoin traded within a bear flag pattern and faced strong resistance around the $97,000 horizontal level. After failing to reclaim this area, the flagship crypto fell to the $60,000 lows. According to the analysis, an initial rejection from this level is normal, but investors should monitor BTC’s reaction below it. “As you can see, the local structure remains bullish, so it will be important for buyers to keep momentum here in order to attempt a breakout once again,” Sjuul detailed. Therefore, the “line in the sand” will be around the $74,000 support, as the structure and former resistance are confluent there. “If bulls manage to hold that level, we truly have a good chance of breaking above $80K and potentially flying to the next resistance level at $86K,” he added. FOMC Meeting To Determine BTC’s Fate? Sjuul warned that this week is probably “one of the most important weeks for BTC in months,” listing Wednesday’s FOMC meeting as the biggest catalyst for the market that could push prices in either direction. He highlighted that it will also be Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Jerome Powell’s last meeting. “Wednesday isn’t just a rate decision; it’s Powell’s final press conference. Every word will carry extra weight.” Analyst Ted Pillows pointed out that the appointment of a new Fed chair has historically put pressure on the markets, with Bitcoin dropping over 50% each time. In January 2014, BTC crashed 84% in the following months after Janet Yellen took over. Related Reading: Bitcoin To $125,000: Arthur Hayes Says The Setup Is Turning Bullish Similarly, the flagship crypto fell 73% and 61% in February 2018 and May 2022 when Powell was confirmed for his first and second terms. If history repeats itself, Bitcoin could see a major correction next month when Kevin Warsh is expected to become the next Fed chair. Ultimately, Sjuul emphasized the importance of the $74,000 support through this week, noting that if this level is lost, “things could get pretty ugly as we would form a very nasty deviation” back in the previous range, which could open the door for a retest of the February lows. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com
Galaxy Digital reported a tough start to the year as crypto prices fell and market values broadly contracted. In its first-quarter (Q1) results, the company reported a net loss of $216 million while the total crypto market capitalization slid by roughly 20% during the same period. Despite that difficult environment, Galaxy CEO Mike Novogratz said in an interview with Bloomberg that Hyperliquid (HYPE) helped the company avoid even worse outcomes. Galaxy Digital Q1 Snapshot In Galaxy’s Q1 2026 reporting, the company attributed the net loss primarily to the depreciation of digital asset prices over the quarter. The firm also posted an adjusted gross loss of $88 million, along with an adjusted EBITDA loss of $188 million. On a per-share basis, Galaxy reported diluted and adjusted EPS of $0.49. Even with the losses, Galaxy Digital ended the quarter with a solid balance sheet, including total equity of $2.8 billion and cash plus stablecoin holdings totaling $2.6 billion as of March 31, 2026. The company said it ended Q1 with approximately $5 billion in assets under management and $3.2 billion in assets under stake. Related Reading: XRP $10 By 2027? Top Expert Flags Two Must-Happen Catalysts For A Bull Run At the same time, the firm reported that its asset management segment generated $69 million in net inflows across the quarter, suggesting demand still existed even as pricing pressure weighed on performance. Novogratz’s comments focused on how Galaxy Digital managed risk and exposure while markets moved against crypto. He said the balance sheet “lost money because crypto prices were down,” but argued Galaxy “way outperformed” what would have happened if it had not taken steps to adjust its positions. Hyperliquid As The ‘Future Of Crypto’? According to Novogratz, the company cut some positions and shifted a significant portion of its level two exposure into Hyperliquid. He described Hyperliquid as one of the tokens he has discussed previously and indicated that the platform’s structure stands out in the sector. In explaining the reasoning behind Galaxy’s support, Novogratz said he backed Hyperliquid “mostly because it’s got an economic model,” contrasting it with other tokens he described as being more “association tokens.” The executive added that Hyperliquid provides a way to look at what the future of crypto could look like, framing it as a more substantive approach compared with projects that function differently. Galaxy Digital’s relationship with Hyperliquid goes beyond investment interest. The company has significant exposure to Hyperliquid’s native token, HYPE, and it also acts as a validator on the network. Bitcoin Over $100,000 Again? Novogratz also addressed Bitcoin’s (BTC) current price action. He noted that if Bitcoin manages to climb back above $100,000, it may still be difficult for the asset to sustain that level depending on broader economic conditions. Related Reading: Solana Prepares For The Quantum Era: Foundation Details Step-By-Step Transition He pointed out that to reach that price “you’re going to need a few things to happen,” and emphasized that easing from central banks would be central to the equation. However, he cautioned that macroeconomic pressures are unlikely to ease quickly, citing inflation concerns tied to current events. Galaxy Digital CEO referenced the war in Iran and said “we’ve got some pretty ugly inflation prints that are going to come through the pipeline,” adding that, in his view, “I don’t think the Fed does anything but sits and watches.” Despite the quarterly loss, Galaxy Digital’s stock (trading under the ticker symbol GLXY) surged around 4% during Tuesday’s trading session, reaching $26 per share. Meanwhile, Hyperliquid’s native token saw a 5% loss and retraced to $39. Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com
On-chain data suggests appetite for risk may be returning in the Bitcoin sector as spot to derivatives flows in the market have surged recently. Bitcoin Inter-Exchange Flow Pulse Has Shot Up As highlighted by CryptoQuant author Axel Adler Jr in an X post, the Bitcoin Inter-Exchange Flow Pulse has witnessed sharp increase since the March lows. The “Inter-Exchange Flow Pulse” (IFP) refers to an indicator that keeps track of the total amount of BTC flowing between spot and derivatives exchanges. Related Reading: Chainlink Exchange Outflows Hit 970,430 LINK, Largest Of 2026 When the value of this metric goes up, it means investors are increasing their derivatives inflow activity. Such a trend suggests that the appetite for speculation is rising in the market. On the other hand, the indicator observing a drawdown implies the investors may be pulling back on risk as they are transferring a lesser amount of the asset to derivatives platforms. Now, here is the chart shared by Adler Jr that shows the trend in the 30-day and 90-day simple moving averages (SMAs) of the Bitcoin IFP over the last few years: From the graph, it’s visible that the Bitcoin Inter-Exchange Flow Pulse saw its SMAs decline during 2025 and the first couple of months of 2026. This implies that investors were taking a risk-off approach to the digital asset. Interestingly, this lack of interest in speculative activity also maintained even through the bull run to the new all-time high (ATH) that took place last year. Recently, however, a reversal of trend has occurred, with the IFP SMAs turning back up. “Bitcoin Inter-Exchange Flow Pulse is up 136% from March lows,” noted the analyst. This surge naturally indicates that derivatives inflows are now rising. “Flow regime is shifting back to risk-on,” said Adler Jr. In the past, new bull cycles have tended to start when the market has leaned into speculative activity, but it only remains to be seen whether this signal in the IFP will hold or if it’s only a temporary deviation. Related Reading: Solana Nears Triangle Apex: Is A 10% Breakout Move Coming? In some other news, the digital asset sector as a whole has seen a flip in capital netflows recently, as analyst Ali Martinez has pointed out in an X post. As displayed in the chart, the combined monthly netflows into Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the stablecoins have surged to a positive value of $3 billion. “This represents the first positive net capital inflow we have seen since December, marking a significant shift in market momentum,” explained Martinez. BTC Price Bitcoin has retraced from its high above $79,000 as its price has dropped to $75,800. Featured image from Dall-E, chart from TradingView.com
Bitwise advisor Jeff Park says Bitcoin’s next all-time high could be driven not by spot ETF flows alone, but by a fast-growing options market around BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust. Speaking at Bitcoin Conference 2026 in Las Vegas on Monday, Park argued that IBIT options are beginning to reshape the structure of Bitcoin volatility and may become the catalyst for the asset’s next major leg higher. Why BlackRock’s Bitcoin Options Could Be Crucial Park said the market has reached a notable inflection point: IBIT options open interest has now overtaken Deribit’s open interest “for the first time in a meaningful way.” For years, Deribit has served as the dominant venue for Bitcoin options, with traders often using its D-Vol index as a proxy for implied volatility across the market. Park argued that this approach is increasingly incomplete. “For a long time people would look at Deribit’s D-Vol to calculate implied volatility but D-Vol is flawed,” Park said. “D-Vol only uses Deribit options. The reality is there’s lots of offshore exchanges, there’s now IBIT options, and we actually need more intelligent ways to quantify the parameterization of implied volatility.” Related Reading: Bitcoin Is Headed For $40,000: Analyst Reveals The Best Time To Buy BTC That shift matters because the US-listed IBIT options market appears to be pricing Bitcoin risk differently from offshore venues. Park pointed to BVIV US, which tracks implied volatility on IBIT, and BVIV, an offshore exchange aggregate correlation implied volatility measure. According to him, the spread between the two now sits around five points, with IBIT volatility trading higher than Deribit and other offshore exchange volatility. The premium, in Park’s view, may reflect a different kind of buyer entering the Bitcoin options market. Unlike much of the offshore options complex, IBIT options can extend more than two years out, giving investors access to longer-tenor upside exposure through a regulated US product. That duration may be drawing demand from retail investors seeking leveraged participation in a potential Bitcoin rally without the same constraints typically associated with offshore venues. Related Reading: Bitcoin To $125,000: Arthur Hayes Says The Setup Is Turning Bullish “Where is that five points spread coming from? My guess is that there’s a lot of retail demand for upside participation in a longer tenor than what is promised usually on Deribit because IBIT options go out two years plus,” Park said. “And so my bold prediction is that we’re going to see a big Bitcoin move up.” Park’s thesis centers on the interaction between options positioning and Bitcoin’s scarcity. If IBIT options continue to gain market share, and if upside call demand forces dealers or other market participants to hedge dynamically, the resulting gamma effects could add momentum to a rising market. In that setup, options activity would not merely reflect bullish sentiment; it could help amplify it. “My prediction is that it is going to be led by IBIT options and the reflexive nature in which the gamma that is possibly created within something like Bitcoin due to its scarcity can really, really lead the next leg up in a meaningful way,” Park said. At press time, BTC traded at $75,937. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
Bitcoin price started a fresh decline below the $78,500 zone. BTC is consolidating and might struggle to stay above the $75,500 support. Bitcoin failed to stay above $77,500 and corrected gains. The price is trading below $77,000 and the 100 hourly simple moving average. There is a connecting bearish trend line forming with resistance at $76,500 on the hourly chart of the BTC/USD pair (data feed from Kraken). The pair might extend losses if it stays below the $76,000 and $75,500 levels. Bitcoin Price Dips Further Bitcoin price failed to stay above the $77,500 support zone. BTC remained in a bearish zone and extended losses below the $77,000 level. There was a move below the $76,500 level. The price even dipped below $76,000. A low was formed at $75,652 and the price is now consolidating losses. There was a minor increase toward the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the downward move from the $79,480 swing high to the $75,652 low. Bitcoin is now trading below $77,000 and the 100 hourly simple moving average. If the price remains stable above $75,500, it could attempt a fresh increase. Immediate resistance is near the $76,500 level. There is also a connecting bearish trend line forming with resistance at $76,500 on the hourly chart of the BTC/USD pair. The first key resistance is near the $77,150 level. A close above the $77,150 resistance might send the price further higher. In the stated case, the price could rise and test the $77,500 resistance and the 50% Fib retracement level of the downward move from the $79,480 swing high to the $75,652 low. Any more gains might send the price toward the $78,000 level. The next barrier for the bulls could be $78,500. Downside Continuation In BTC? If Bitcoin fails to rise above the $77,000 resistance zone, it could start another decline. Immediate support is near the $76,000 level. The first major support is near the $75,800 level. The next support is now near the $75,500 zone. Any more losses might send the price toward the $74,200 support in the near term. The main support now sits at $73,500, below which BTC might struggle to recover in the near term. Technical indicators: Hourly MACD – The MACD is now gaining pace in the bearish zone. Hourly RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The RSI for BTC/USD is now below the 50 level. Major Support Levels – $75,500, followed by $75,000. Major Resistance Levels – $76,500 and $77,150.
Bitcoin’s valuation against gold has dropped to one of its lowest levels on record — a signal that, historically, has shown up near major market bottoms. Related Reading: Trump’s Bitcoin Reserve Could Be Near As White House Signals Major Update A Pattern Worth Watching That’s one of the key observations from crypto analyst Michael van de Poppe, who believes Bitcoin is building toward new all-time highs before the year is out. Van de Poppe points to the relationship between Bitcoin and gold as a telling sign. When gold rallies hard, Bitcoin often lags. But once gold peaks, Bitcoin has tended to catch up — and then some. That rotation, he argues, may already be in motion. His broader case rests on more than just one metric. The Sharpe ratio — a measure of return relative to risk — is currently sitting at levels that mirror past bear market floors: 2015, 2018, and 2022. Each of those periods was followed by significant price recoveries. Based on that pattern, van de Poppe believes Bitcoin is undervalued right now and offers a strong risk-reward setup for long-term investors. Short-term dips, he said, remain possible. But the overall structure of the market, in his view, points higher. Key Price Levels To Watch Bitcoin recently hit a 12-week high before pulling back. It is now working to hold above the $77,000 mark. According to van de Poppe, $79,000 is the critical resistance line. A clean break above it would open the door to a move between $86,000 and $95,000. From there, $110,000 becomes the next target over a six-month window. On the downside, $73,500 is the level to watch. If that support holds, the uptrend stays intact. If it breaks, a deeper retest could come before any renewed push higher. Data shows that Bitcoin dropped close to $60,000 back in February before snapping back sharply — a move that caught many traders off guard. That kind of recovery against bearish sentiment is not unusual in past cycles, reports note. Related Reading: Trump Memecoin Gala Leaves Crypto Battling Fresh Credibility Crisis A Big Target For Year’s End The long-range call is the one drawing the most attention. Van de Poppe sees Bitcoin reaching between $150,000 and $160,000 by late 2026 — a level that would represent new all-time high territory. He bases that projection on historical cycle behavior, which has shown 30% to 50% gains within three months of a confirmed low. Whether that bottom is already in remains an open question. But for van de Poppe, the signals are stacking up in one direction. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
Lightspark, the Bitcoin (BTC) remittance infrastructure provider led by former PayPal President David Marcus, has announced Grid Global Accounts. Its mission is to facilitate global remittances in Bitcoin, stablecoins, and dollars with AI support. In partnership with Visa, the API-based product will enable instant payments to 175 million merchants across 14,000+ banks and 65+ countries. …
Bitmine’s aggressive accumulation of Ethereum isn’t just another headline; it’s a signal that a new corporate strategy may be taking shape in the digital asset space. At a time when most firms are still cautiously exploring digital assets, Bitmine is moving with conviction, building one of the largest ETH positions and signaling a shift in how companies may think about balance sheets, capital allocation, and long-term positioning. How Ethereum Is Becoming More Than A Passive Treasury Asset Bitmine Immersion Technologies, Inc. (BMNR) had just become one of the largest Ethereum holders in the industry. Even though the company is down $6 billion on the position, it is still buying. The co-founder of GlydeGG, Jeremy, has revealed on X that Bitmine has invested $17.34 billion in ETH, with 100% allocation, and is sitting on an unrealized loss of roughly $6.35 billion. Related Reading: Bitmine’s Ethereum Holdings Reach Record 5 Million Tokens–CEO’s Bullish Outlook Despite that, the company didn’t sell a single coin and instead added another 101,627 ETH last week alone, marking its largest weekly accumulation of 2026. According to Jeremy, Bitmine has stated that the company’s goal is to own 5% of all ETH issued, and they are already at 4.12%, which places them among the largest holders in the ecosystem. However, 73% of their holding are staked, generating an estimated $264 million in annualized revenue. There’s precedent for this kind of strategy. MicroStrategy, now widely known as Strategy, made a similar aggressive move with Bitcoin, transforming its corporate treasury playbook into a leveraged bet on a single digital asset. Furthermore, Bitmine appears to be applying the same logic to ETH, and the firm is already down $6 billion and still buying. What ETH’s Lowest Exchange Supply Ratio Since 2016 Signals Ethereum is flashing one of its strongest structural signals in years. A crypto investor known as Milk Road on X highlighted that the ETH Exchange Supply Ratio (ESR) has dropped to 0.122, the lowest level since 2016. Related Reading: Ethereum Gains Institutional Spotlight – Here’s What The CEO Of Etherealize Has To Say Amid the drop, the Ethereum Foundation has been actively selling and recently offloaded 10,000 ETH for $23.8 million on April 24, and then unstaked another $48.9 million. Simultaneously, they have been routing sales Over-the-Counter (OTC), not through exchanges. ETH exchange supply has been falling. Despite buyers absorbing every offer, the exchange supply ratio hasn’t moved upward. At the same time, the ETH supply is being systematically removed from circulation, and roughly 39.2 million ETH, which is about 31.5% of the total supply, is now staked. Milk Road noted that more than 3 million ETH are queued for staking entry over the next 52 days, indicating that supply is getting locked away faster than sellers can move it. The decline in exchange availability and rising staking participation show a price that hasn’t caught on yet. Featured image from iStock, chart from Tradingview.com
Following a bullish weekly close, the crypto markets were believed to break above the bearish influence. Meanwhile, the fresh sell-offs restricted the rally, initiating a notable correction with the Bitcoin price struggling to hold above $75,000. Besides, Ethereum price slides below $2,300 and is currently trading around $2,270 vehicle XRP price plunges from $1.44 to …
RailsX launches with bitcoin-stablecoin pairs USDT-L and USDC-L from Speed Wallet, with users retaining full control of their keys.
Tether said it is developing new modular bitcoin mining systems with Canaan and ACME Swisstech in a deeper pusher into infrastructure.
Bitcoin and Ethereum have spent the past few weeks moving like assets caught between two powerful forces. On one side, institutional demand has returned through Spot ETFs, treasury purchases, and dip-buying from larger investors. On the other side, profit-taking and heavy derivatives positioning keep turning rallies into sudden pullbacks. ETF Demand Is Slowly Lifting Bitcoin And Ethereum The crypto market has not been moving in a clean straight line. Bitcoin has pushed close to the $80,000 level more than once in the past week, only to lose momentum around $79,000. Ethereum has been following these moves, but with its own ETF flow and positioning pressure. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Wave Down To $40,000 Shows When The Bottom Will Begin The strongest reason Bitcoin and Ethereum have been rising is the return of institutional inflows. Spot Bitcoin ETFs have been on a strong inflow streak in April, with data indicating more than $2.2 billion in net inflows between April 14 and April 24. Spot Bitcoin ETFs pulled in $823.7 million from April 20 to April 24, while Ethereum ETFs attracted about $155 million over the same week. That helps explain why Bitcoin was able to rebound strongly from its earlier March range in the mid-$60,000s and move back near $78,000 to $80,000. Bitcoin recently came close to $80,000, reaching around $79,475 over the weekend before reversing, showing that sellers are still active. A War That Crypto Cannot Ignore The single biggest driver of crypto volatility in 2026 has been a conflict thousands of miles from any blockchain. The US-Iran conflict has been the biggest factor in how the cryptocurrency market has been facing mounting pressure. Related Reading: Analyst Says Ethereum Just Confirmed A ‘Turtle Soup’, Here’s What It Means The sudden onset of military conflict in February delivered an immediate and severe shock that pushed cryptocurrencies to their lows. However, earlier in April, Bitcoin jumped to an 11-week high in light of easing US-Iran tensions and talks of reopening the Strait of Hormuz. As it stands, US President Donald Trump’s national security team is reviewing an Iranian peace plan to halt the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran has offered to end its chokehold on the strait if the US lifts its blockade and sanctions on the country. Bitcoin and Ethereum price fluctuations have largely tracked these ups and downs and worries over rising oil prices. An ongoing US naval blockade and Iran continuing to seize ships suggest, however, that a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is still far off. The third force behind the sharp swings is leverage, as crypto markets are heavily influenced by derivatives. For instance, the recent Bitcoin rally to $79,000 caught many traders off-guard, and over $200 million worth of short positions were liquidated. Buying pressure on the Bitcoin derivatives side has yet to simmer down, as on-chain data shows BTC net taker volume recently surged to around $145 million. Ethereum has also seen aggressive derivatives activity. Recent data showed ETH futures open interest jumping 26% to about $25.4 billion. Ethereum buyers are also at their most aggressive buying spree phase since early 2023. Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com
A bill to lock in the US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve is being renamed the American Reserves Modernization Act — and that’s just one sign that the policy is moving faster than many expected. Related Reading: XRP Signals Imminent Breakout — Is A 10% Rally Coming? Congress And The White House Move In Parallel Patrick Witt, executive director of the President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, told attendees at the Bitcoin 2026 conference in Las Vegas on Monday that a major update on the reserve is coming within weeks. He said the executive branch has spent months working through the legal and operational questions needed to properly secure bitcoin already sitting on the government’s balance sheet. “We believe we’re going to be able to take a big step forward from the executive branch side in the next few weeks,” Witt said. The announcement, whatever form it takes, is expected to cover how the reserve will be run and how existing law supports it. An open question remains: will it say anything about buying more bitcoin? Right now, the reserve holds only seized assets — bitcoin collected through criminal and civil forfeitures. No new purchases have been authorized. US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March 2025 establishing the reserve. That order directed the government to hold its existing bitcoin rather than sell it, and created a separate stockpile for other digital assets. But executive orders can be reversed by the next administration, which is exactly why lawmakers want a law to back it up. The Push To Codify The Reserve Sen. Cynthia Lummis and Rep. Nick Begich have been working on legislation to do that. Their bill — formerly called the Bitcoin Act — proposes acquiring up to 1 million BTC over five years through budget-neutral strategies. On Monday, Begich announced the bill is being rebranded as the American Reserves Modernization Act, or ARMA. The changes in the reintroduced version have not been fully disclosed yet. Witt was clear that legislation must follow any executive action. The White House can move first, but Congress needs to act to make the policy stick. Market Skepticism Remains Not everyone is convinced this will move quickly. Polymarket data shows only a 23% chance of the US formally establishing the reserve before 2027. The Clarity Act, a broader crypto market structure bill that was seen as a stepping stone for the reserve, is still facing delays in the Senate. Related Reading: Trump Memecoin Gala Leaves Crypto Battling Fresh Credibility Crisis Ethics concerns are also hanging over the broader crypto agenda. Democrats have pushed for provisions that would bar executive branch officials — including the president — from promoting or issuing digital assets, with critics arguing Trump family involvement in crypto ventures creates a conflict of interest. The coming weeks will show whether the White House’s expected announcement delivers something concrete or simply sets the stage for a longer legislative process still ahead. Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView
BlackRock is expanding deeper into crypto markets by bringing its $2.5 billion tokenized money market fund, BUIDL, to crypto exchange OKX. Under the partnership, Standard Chartered will securely custody the underlying assets, while traders on OKX can use BUIDL as collateral for trading. In a recent post, OKX confirmed that users can now use BlackRock’s …
Young workers between 18 and 45 are the target audience for a new Bitcoin investment product quietly launched last month by Porvenir, the largest pension fund administrator in Colombia. Related Reading: XRP Signals Imminent Breakout — Is A 10% Rally Coming? The fund says it designed the offering specifically for people who want to diversify their retirement savings but have never had a regulated, simple way to do it. A Low Bar To Entry The minimum investment is COP100,000 — roughly $25. That figure alone separates this product from most institutional crypto offerings, which typically carry thresholds that exclude lower-income workers. Porvenir manages about 25% of Colombia’s total pension assets, and the country’s pension system covers around 60% of its working population, according to World Bank data. The numbers suggest the product’s reach could be significant over time. The fund does not buy Bitcoin directly. Instead, it routes investor money into BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust, known as IBIT, which tracks Bitcoin’s price and manages more than $50 billion in assets. That structure means account holders gain price exposure without needing to set up a crypto wallet, remember a private key, or worry about their holdings being hacked. Porvenir has been open about what the product does not do. It does not shield investors from price swings. If Bitcoin falls, so does the portfolio. Before anyone can put money in, a risk assessment must be completed to confirm they understand what they’re getting into. Not The Only Fund Moving This Way Porvenir is not the first Colombian pension manager to go this route. Protección and Skandia have already released similar products. Juan David Correa, president of Protección, said access to Bitcoin should be part of a long-term diversification approach rather than a way to chase short-term gains. The products at both firms are limited to voluntary pension plans — mandatory retirement savings are kept separate. The product was officially announced at the Asofondos Annual Congress in Cartagena in April 2026. Porvenir operates as the pension arm of Grupo Aval. Related Reading: Trump Memecoin Gala Leaves Crypto Battling Fresh Credibility Crisis Voluntary Accounts Only The Crypto Porvenir Portfolio sits within voluntary pension accounts, not mandatory ones. That distinction matters. Workers are not automatically enrolled or exposed to Bitcoin through their required contributions. Participation is a deliberate choice, subject to a screening process. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
Arthur Hayes says Bitcoin’s macro setup is turning bullish again, arguing that wartime spending, US fiscal deficits and bank-led credit creation could outweigh fears of a smaller Federal Reserve balance sheet. Speaking at the Bitcoin 2026 conference in Las Vegas, the BitMEX co-founder said Bitcoin is increasingly trading as a response to “wartime inflation,” not just the artificial intelligence cycle. Hayes framed the recent shift around a simple premise: governments are openly preparing to spend more on defense, and that spending ultimately has to be financed. In his view, that puts Bitcoin back in familiar territory as a liquidity-sensitive asset with a hard-money narrative. “Since the war has started, Bitcoin has outperformed,” Hayes said. “It outperformed NASDAQ and outperformed the SaaS stocks. And basically, I think that Bitcoin is now focusing on wartime inflation.” Related Reading: Bitcoin Fear & Greed Turns Neutral For First Time Since January The core of Hayes’ argument was not that the Fed will suddenly return to explicit quantitative easing. Instead, he focused on what he described as a likely balance-sheet reshuffling between the Fed and the commercial banking system, one that could allow officials to claim the Fed is shrinking while leaving the broader dollar liquidity picture largely intact. Bitcoin Vs. The Hawkish Fed Narrative Hayes addressed market concerns around Kevin Warsh, whom he said investors have viewed as a potentially hawkish Fed chair because of his criticism of the central bank’s large balance sheet. Hayes said those fears miss the practical constraints facing monetary officials when the US government is still issuing massive amounts of debt. “If the market believes that there’s going to be less dollar liquidity floating around the system because of what Warsh will do with the Fed, then they’ll be bearish on Bitcoin and other risk assets,” Hayes said. “This is what we’ve seen in the media talking about sort of this hawkish Fed that’s going to come into place after May when Warsh takes over. Now, I don’t believe that’s the case.” According to Hayes, Warsh would be constrained by the Treasury’s need to keep the bond market functioning. He argued that the Fed cannot pursue balance-sheet reduction in a vacuum when the US government must continue funding large deficits. “At the end of the day, when you’ve issued $38 trillion of debt and you need to fund the government, the Federal Reserve will do what it’s asked to do, which is make sure the market is orderly so that people can buy this debt,” Hayes said. The Bank Balance Sheet Trade Hayes’ central mechanism is a swap: commercial banks reduce their holdings of Fed reserves and replace them with Treasuries and repos. In that scenario, the Fed’s balance sheet can become smaller on paper, while the banking system absorbs more government debt. “The point of all this is that the net effect on dollar liquidity is neutral,” Hayes said. “There’s nothing being sold, there’s nothing being bought. It’s just a swap. It’s purely regulatory fiction in terms of who is allowed to hold what.” That distinction matters for Bitcoin because Hayes says investors should care less about the stated size of the Fed’s balance sheet and more about whether the overall system is creating or destroying dollar liquidity. If debt simply migrates from the Fed to regulated bank balance sheets, the impact may be far less restrictive than markets fear. Related Reading: Bitcoin Could Hit New All-Time High Fast On Quantum Fix, Capriole Founder Says Hayes linked that transition to US banking deregulation and specifically cited changes to the Enhanced Supplementary Leverage Ratio, which he said went live on April 1. In his telling, the rule change allows large banks such as JPMorgan and Citibank to absorb more Treasuries and repos, while smaller banks can expand construction and industrial lending. He also cited an S&P Global estimate that the ESLR balance-sheet reduction could generate $1.3 trillion of new loans. Wartime Spending Becomes The Demand Engine Hayes argued that the demand side of the lending cycle is already visible. Defense spending, critical resource production and AI infrastructure are all becoming national-security priorities, he said, creating borrowers with government-backed demand and therefore more attractive credit profiles for banks. “Why will banks have demand for loans? One of the criticisms about this analysis from some of my other macro-fans is that they claim the banking system is not creating enough loans or there’s not enough demand,” Hayes said. “Well, we have a great source of demand that is the US Department of War.” He said banks would lend to defense suppliers, resource miners and hyperscalers as AI capital expenditure becomes part of the national-security framework. Hayes described bank lending as especially important because, in his view, it carries a higher multiplier than central bank lending, estimating that around $4 trillion in credit could ultimately be created. That is the basis for his renewed bullishness. Hayes said his liquidity chart bottomed in November of last year, roughly around the same time as Bitcoin, and argued that after a period of war-driven uncertainty, the market may now be ready to move higher. “I think we’ve had a bit of a chop. We’ve had a bit of a war. Now it’s time to break out,” Hayes said. “And that’s why I believe Bitcoin is going higher. I think my end of year choice target is like $125,000, whatever, it doesn’t fucking matter, I’m wrong anyways.” At press time, Bitcoin traded at $76,628. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
Jack Dorsey's Block Inc. disclosed that it held a total of 28,355 BTC, including customer assets, as of March 2026.
As the end of April approaches, some market observers suggest that Bitcoin (BTC) could be preparing to reclaim a crucial level in the coming days, potentially opening the door to another recovery rally next month. Related Reading: Why The 42% Crash From ATH Is Actually Good For Bitcoin And The Crypto Market Bitcoin Sees First Weekly Close Above Key Levels Bitcoin has closed above a crucial level for the first time since January, setting the stage for a potential rally toward higher levels even though it failed to break through another resistance level. Notably, the flagship crypto ended the week above $78,000, a level that was lost after the late January-early February market crash. Amid this close, BTC reclaimed the 21-week Exponential Moving Average (EMA) in the weekly timeframe, one of the key barriers after the recent price jump. Last week, analyst Rekt Capital affirmed that if Bitcoin closed the week above this level, it could prevent a retest of the $73,000 area and “would be worth watching for whether the EMA can be reclaimed as support,” as it tends to act as resistance during bear markets. Now that the cryptocurrency has closed above this level, confirmation of the 21-week EMA as support could lead to a move toward the $81,000-$82,500 area. Similarly, Ali Martinez said that the price could rebound toward the $81,500 area if the $77,000 continues to hold. According to the analyst, BTC is consolidating within a rising channel on the 4-hour chart, with the lower boundary currently located around $77,000. As he noted, “If this floor holds, it could serve as a strategic rebound zone to send BTC back toward the channel mid-range near $81,500, with a secondary target at the channel top of roughly $84,500.” BTC Eyes May Breakout From ‘New Cage’ Analyst Sjuul from AltCryptoGems asserted that Bitcoin appears to have “found a new cage to be trapped in.” After breaking out of the $66,000-$74,000 consolidation range earlier this month, BTC has since traded between $74,000 and $80,000. To the market watcher, this would not be a bad sign for bulls, “as long as it consolidates above $74K and doesn’t break down below.” Michaël van de Poppe noted that the markets are “shaping up for more upside” while Bitcoin holds crucial levels, but warned that there are key levels to consider despite the bullish momentum. According to the post, a decisive reclaim of $79,000 open the gates toward the next key resistance area between $85,000-$88,000, which could lead to a retest of the $100,000 phycological barrier over time. Related Reading: Bitcoin Could Hit New All-Time High Fast On Quantum Fix, Capriole Founder Says Meanwhile, no clear breakout would lead to a consolidation period before another retest of the key resistance. In that case, holding $73,500 would be crucial, he noted, as losing this area would set the stage for a retest of the lows. Nonetheless, he suggested that Bitcoin will likely retest the $85,000-$88,000 area in May and correct or consolidate from there. It’s worth noting that this resistance area was lost in early January and has not been tested since. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com
The United States may be weeks away from a major Bitcoin policy announcement. Fresh signals out of the Bitcoin 2026 Conference are hinting that the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve is moving closer to becoming reality, while Senator Cynthia Lummis confirmed the Clarity Act is heading toward a May markup and could be on the president’s desk …