Anthony Scaramucci says a friendlier US policy mix: rate cuts, looser financial conditions, and a renewed push for crypto legislation could set up 2026 as a better tape for “quality” altcoins, even after what he described as an unexpectedly bruising 2025 for the sector. In a Dec. 31 interview with Altcoin Daily, the SkyBridge Capital founder framed 2025 as a year where positioning and sentiment broke down under selling pressure he said he didn’t anticipate. “There’s probably $4.6 billion of whale selling this year into the ETF demand,” Scaramucci said, arguing that the deleveraging event around Oct. 10 amplified the move. “There was a massive amount of deleveraging. It impacted some of the market makers. It forced a liquidity crisis,” he added, describing a 30% drop as “garden variety” for bitcoin, but still a surprise for traders leaning bullish. Scaramucci said he now sees the setup improving precisely because sentiment turned so negative. “We were tilted to the bulls, we’re now decidedly very bearish,” he said, claiming his internal “bull meter” sits around 13 or 14 out of 100. The flip side, he argued, is that incremental good news, less large-holder selling, steadier ETF inflows, or regulatory progress, could matter more than usual. Related Reading: Crypto Hacks Swipe Nearly $3 Billion In 2025 Despite Fewer Attacks – Report A central part of Scaramucci’s thesis was that the market still expects US market-structure legislation to pass, and that the timeline matters. “I do think it is detrimental because I do think there is still a market expectation that it’s going to pass. I do think you need that clarity,” he said of the Clarity Act. Without it, he argued, serious tokenization efforts remain constrained by legal uncertainty: “Who’s going to spend the kind of money that you need to switch over the financial system if you’re not guaranteed that you’re going to be able to use it.” He also tied the policy fight to a broader economic claim: “There’s between, depending on how you measure it, there’s three and a half to $4 trillion dollars worth of transaction verification expenses in the global economy per year… If you could get that down, let’s say you cut it in half, you could unleash a $2 trillion capital spend in other areas of the economy or just better wages for people.” Related Reading: RWA Tops Crypto Narratives In 2025: CoinGecko Reports 185% Growth Pressed on odds of passage before the midterms, Scaramucci said it should be “north of 50%,” arguing Democrats have learned there is “no anti-crypto voter,” while crypto-aligned spending can be decisive in tight races. Scaramucci’s Top-3 Altcoins And Bitcoin Prediction Asked for his current top-three altcoins, Scaramucci named Solana first, followed by Avalanche and Telegram-linked TON. “My three top coins then would be Solana, it would be Avalanche and believe it or not… it would be the Telegram token known as Ton,” he said, while acknowledging he has been early or wrong on timing. He said he first bought TON at $7.50, averaging near $4.00, while saying it was trading around $1.50 at the time of the interview, but still sees it as a token that could be used across Telegram’s network as it grows. On why Solana sits at No. 1, Scaramucci kept it simple and comparative: “Cheap, low cost, very fast, easy to use, easy to develop on,” he said, adding he’s “not an Ethereum negative person” and expects “a multicoin world.” Macro is the other pillar. Scaramucci expects “two to four interest rate cuts” next year and argued a president facing midterms will want growth optics. “He’s going to flood the zone with capital. He’s going to drop interest rates. He’s going to try to perk up the economy,” Scaramucci said. “That bodes well for the stock market… for the altcoin market… and… for crypto.” For bitcoin, he stuck with his $150,000 call—“I’m off by a year, I think”—and said he recently “bought more Bitcoin” for his family, betting that ETF flows and easier policy can overpower the hangover from 2025’s whale-driven selling. At press time, the total crypto market cap stood at $2.94 trillion. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. (Nasdaq: DJT) has announced plans to distribute a digital asset in 2026. The operator of the social media platform Truth Social, which is backed by former President Donald Trump, announced that its shareholders will be rewarded with a new digital asset in a 1:1 ratio. Trump Media Partners With …
Ethereum and Solana may be setting up for their next big breakout, but one thing could decide everything: regulation. According to Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan, both blockchains could hit new all-time highs if the U.S. passes the long-discussed Clarity Act, a bill designed to clearly define how crypto assets are regulated. Ethereum has …
Most people enter crypto when prices are already flying. By then, the biggest gains are often gone. The real opportunities usually appear much earlier, when projects are still small, ignored, and quietly building in the background. Recently, a crypto analyst shared a list of underrated micro-cap altcoins worth watching for 2026. Bitcoin Still Controls the …
The crypto market today is closing 2025 on a cautious note, with Bitcoin price action stuck in consolidation and XRP price struggling to regain momentum after last year’s sharp rally. Despite regulatory optimism and political shifts, markets failed to deliver the breakout many investors expected. Bitcoin, XRP, and Altcoins Struggle as Broader Crypto Market Loses …
Bitwise Asset Management filed for 11 new cryptocurrency strategy ETFs with the U.S. SEC on December 30, 2025, targeting altcoins like AAVE, UNI, ZEC, ENA, Hyperliquid, NEAR, STRK, SUI, TAO, TRX, and CC. Each fund allocates 60% to direct crypto holdings and 40% to ETPs or derivatives for liquidity and compliance. If approved, they launch …
Pakistan is moving faster on crypto adoption than many expect. Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) says the country is laying strong foundations to become a major crypto hub by 2030, citing rapid policy action and execution throughout 2025. While several governments remain cautious, Pakistan’s approach points to long-term planning rather than trial-and-error experimentation. Bitcoin …
Bitcoin (BTC) has seen a slight recovery, edging back above the $89,000 mark as it attempts to break through the $90,000 resistance level. Nonetheless, concerns loom over further downward moves, raising worries about the risks this trend poses to firms like Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy). Analysts at the Bull Theory have posed a critical question regarding the potential financial vulnerabilities of Michael Saylor’s Strategy should Bitcoin drop to the critical $74,000 price threshold. This narrative suggests that a drop to this key price point could place Strategy in financial jeopardy or force the company to sell its Bitcoin assets. However, the analysts assert that these dire predictions do not align with the real financial situation of the company. Debunking Insolvency Fears Currently, Strategy boasts a major 672,497 BTC stockpile valued at approximately $58.7 billion on its balance sheet. In contrast, its total debt stands at about $8.24 billion. The Analysts emphasize that even if Bitcoin were to decline to $74,000, the total value of its Bitcoin holdings would still be around $49.76 billion—well above its liabilities. Thus, they assert that there is no feasible scenario where a decline from $87,000 to $74,000 would lead to insolvency. Related Reading: Bitcoin And Ethereum Influx: Strategy Grabs 1,200 BTC, Bitmine Immersion Ups ETH by 44,000 A crucial point of distinction is that Strategy does not operate like a hedge fund dealing with margin loans; it has no collateral-backed Bitcoin debt, which means there are no liquidations triggered by price drops. As the analysts explain, the concerns surrounding forced selling stem from applying trading logic to a corporate balance sheet. The Bitcoin that Strategy holds is neither pledged as collateral nor subjected to margin calls. Instead, the firm’s borrowings come from unsecured convertible notes, thus lenders do not have the right to demand Bitcoin simply due to falling prices. External Pressures Impacting Strategy Liquidity remains another concern for some investors who fear that Strategy might be forced to liquidate its Bitcoin to manage its obligations. However, the company has set aside a reserve of $2.188 billion in USD, enough to cover approximately 32 months of its dividend payments, which range between $750 million and $800 million annually. So, what accounts for the recent decline in Strategy’s stock price if the company’s fundamentals are sound? The analysts highlighted that since October, several external factors have generated fear around Strategy, not due to concerns about insolvency but because of shifting market conditions and institutional positioning. Beginning on October 10, the MSCI index proposed new regulations that could potentially remove companies with over 50% of their assets in Bitcoin from their indexes. This created apprehension about forced index selling, even though a final decision is yet to be made on January 15, 2026. Additionally, analysts at JPMorgan raised margin requirements for trading Strategy’s stock from 50% to 95%, leading some investors to reduce their exposure, which in turn resulted in selling pressure. Dilution Dangers But while Strategy’s balance sheet appears robust, certain risks merit vigilance. One significant risk highlighted by Bull Theory analysts is dilution. The company has frequently relied on issuing new shares to enhance its Bitcoin holdings. Related Reading: US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve: Key Catalyst For Potential Surge Toward $150,000 Next Year While many investors view this strategy positively, concerns arise that continuous share issuance during a downtrend may heighten dilution, ultimately weakening existing shareholder value. Additionally, there are concerns that excessive dilution could drive Strategy’s net asset value (NAV) ratio below 1, an important threshold that would limit the company’s ability to raise new capital through share issuance. At the time of writing, Bitcoin was trading at $89,200, having recorded slight gains of 1.5% over the previous 24 hours. Strategy’s stock (MSTR) is trading at $157 per share, mirroring BTC’s surge with gains of 1.25% in the same time frame. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com
The institutional demand for Bittensor (TAO) is on the rise in tandem with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). On Tuesday, Grayscale Investments and Bitwise filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to offer spot TAO exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Bittensor ETF in 2026 Amid AI Boom According to the preliminary prospectus, Bitwise …
Michael Novogratz, founder and chief executive of Galaxy Digital, says crypto companies remain tightly tied to Bitcoin’s price and are unlikely to fully break that link for another three to four years. Speaking about Galaxy’s business model, Novogratz said that even diversified crypto firms cannot escape market cycles yet, because most of their revenues are …
XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs) ended the final full week of 2025 with strong investor demand, even as the token’s price continued to lag. According to weekly data, XRP spot ETFs recorded $64 million in net inflows, the highest among major crypto ETFs during the period. By comparison, Ethereum spot ETFs saw $102 million in net …
Despite a mixed performance throughout 2025, XRP has emerged as one of the standout performers in the cryptocurrency market. Currently trading slightly below $1.90, the fifth-largest cryptocurrency has retraced nearly 50% from its all-time highs achieved in July. Nevertheless, Standard Chartered is optimistic about XRP’s future, forecasting a significant upward trend driven by anticipated inflows into spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and increased regulatory clarity. Spot XRP ETFs Could Drive $4-$8 Billion In Inflows The bank predicts that the launch of spot XRP ETFs could bring in between $4 billion and $8 billion into XRP throughout 2026. Should these inflows materialize, the resulting demand—coupled with XRP’s relatively limited supply—could catalyze a sharp increase in the coin’s price. Related Reading: US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve: Key Catalyst For Potential Surge Toward $150,000 Next Year Analyst Geoffrey Kendrick has laid out an ambitious roadmap for XRP’s future, anticipating prices of $8.00 in 2026, and potentially reaching $12.50 by 2028. To put this into perspective, XRP’s current circulating supply is approximately 57 billion coins. Even modest inflows of a few billion dollars could create a meaningful supply shock in the market. So far, XRP ETFs have gathered around $1.25 billion. To reach the $8 target, it would require annual flows to hit the range of $5 billion to $10 billion, similar to the initial enthusiasm surrounding Bitcoin ETFs. Regulatory Resolution As Key Catalyst A parallel factor influencing XRP’s potential rise is the resolution of regulatory uncertainty surrounding the cryptocurrency. The US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) long-standing lawsuit against Ripple Labs has significantly impacted XRP’s narrative. Yet, in August 2025, the SEC withdrew its appeal, resulting in Ripple agreeing to a $125 million settlement and affirming that XRP sales on secondary markets are not classified as securities transactions. Related Reading: Bitcoin And Ethereum Influx: Strategy Grabs 1,200 BTC, Bitmine Immersion Ups ETH by 44,000 This resolution eliminates a substantial legal burden and is seen by Standard Chartered as a catalyst for increased adoption. With legal uncertainties removed, capital that had been sidelined could finally enter the market. However, for XRP to achieve a price of $8 by 2026, favorable economic conditions, including low interest rates and a risk-on attitude among investors, would be critical. Should macroeconomic challenges escalate, investors may shy away from altcoins. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com
As gold and silver surge to multi-year highs, some crypto analysts say the rally in precious metals may not be bad news for digital assets. In fact, history suggests it could be the opposite. According to analysts, crypto assets like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP have often performed well after gold and silver finish strong rallies. …
Cypherpunk Technologies Inc. has expanded its corporate treasury with another large purchase of Zcash, continuing a strategy it has been following for several months. The company disclosed that it recently acquired 56,418.09 ZEC for approximately $29 million, paying an average price of $514.02 per token. With this latest purchase, Cypherpunk’s total Zcash holdings now stand …
Iran’s economic pressure reached a breaking point in December 2025 as the rial slid to a historic low of nearly 1.4 million per US dollar. The collapse, which marks a 40% drop since June, has pushed the country into renewed unrest and reopened discussions around alternative stores of value, including Bitcoin. The scale of the …
The U.S. Federal Reserve is set to release the minutes from its December 10 FOMC meeting today, a macro event that could shape market direction well into early 2026. With Bitcoin tightly linked to macro signals, traders across crypto, gold, and equities are bracing for heightened volatility once the report goes live. Historically, FOMC outcomes …
The Russian Ministry of Justice has introduced a draft amendment to the Criminal Code to punish illegal cryptocurrency mining, reflecting stricter oversight of unlicensed digital asset activities. Under the proposal, people mining without registration could face fines of up to 1.5 million rubles or up to two years of compulsory labor. New Article 171.6 would also …
Crypto’s 2025 will be remembered as a year when confidence slowly collapsed under the weight of hacks, scams, and insider abuse. What began with hype, political tokens, and renewed optimism quickly turned into a long stretch of security failures that exposed deep structural weaknesses across the industry. By year’s end, total losses had crossed $3.5 …
Lighter, widely seen as one of Hyperliquid’s strongest rivals in decentralized derivatives trading, has officially announced the launch of its native token, LIT. The move comes after weeks of intense speculation, rising trader interest, and growing activity around the platform ahead of its expected airdrop and token generation event. How LIT Token Is Designed to …
Investors who bought MicroStrategy ($MSTR) at 2.5x mNAV in June 2021 are now structurally outperforming Bitcoin. The company’s Bitcoin holdings have surged to 672,497 BTC, giving each share significantly more digital asset exposure than at purchase. Today, 1x NAV per share is $170, well above the 2021 entry price, while the balance sheet is stronger …
Metaplanet Inc. has successfully completed the issuance of 23.61 million Class B Preferred Shares (“MERCURY”) via a third-party allotment, raising ¥21.25 billion. Major investors include Nautical Funding Ltd., SMALLCAP World Fund, and select Anson and Ghisallo funds. Each share was issued at ¥900, boosting capital stock and reserves by ¥10.62 billion each. Following the allotment, …
With Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) prices facing significant corrections, the two largest publicly traded holders of these cryptocurrencies, Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) and Bitmine Immersion, have made substantial moves to bolster their portfolios over the past week. Strategy Resumes Bitcoin Acquisitions On Monday, Strategy announced that, between 22 and 28 December, it had acquired 1,129 Bitcoin at an average price of around $88,568 each, totaling approximately $108.8 million. This latest purchase increased Strategy’s Bitcoin portfolio to 672,497 tokens, originally acquired for roughly $74,997 per token, making the total investment approximately $50.44 billion. Related Reading: Bitcoin Nears Red Yearly Close: Galaxy Digital Explains The Setup Alongside these acquisitions, the company sold $108.8 million in Class A common stock under its at-the-market equity offering, leaving a major $11.7 billion still available for future issuance and sale. This follows the week after 24 November, during which the company did not make any new crypto acquisitions or issue any securities. Notably, Strategy also paused its purchasing activities between 15 and 21 December, ending a three-week streak of acquisitions. During this time, it sold common stock amounting to $747.8 million. Bitmine Stashes 4,110,525 Ethereum On the other side, Bitmine Immersion has disclosed a significant increase in its Ethereum holdings, adding 44,463 ETH in just the past week. This move brings its total stash to 4,110,525 ETH, which constitutes about 3.41% of the entire Ethereum supply. Out of this cache, Bitmine has staked 408,627 ETH. Tom Lee, the Chairman of Fundstrat and a key figure at Bitmine, commented on the market’s seasonal activity, noting that trading tends to slow as the year draws to a close. He stated, “Bitmine added 44,463 ETH in the past week, as we continue to be the largest ‘fresh money’ buyer of ETH in the world.” Lee attributed the downward pressure on cryptocurrency and related equities to year-end tax-loss selling, which typically peaks between December 26 and December 30. Emphasizing Bitmine’s strategic focus, Lee remarked that the company remains dedicated to enhancing shareholder value. This commitment involves accretively acquiring ETH per share, optimizing yields, and income on its Ethereum holdings. Crypto Market Woes Despite these acquisitions, both cryptocurrencies have failed to regain their key levels, with BTC consolidating below $90,000 at around $87,400 and ETH trading just above $2,920. On a year-to-date basis, both ETH and BTC are set to close 2025 with losses of 12% and 6%, respectively. Related Reading: Ethereum’s Quiet Bounce Faces A Bigger Test Above $3,550 Strategy’s stock, which trades under the ticker name MSTR, is currently priced at around $156 per share. This represents a substantial 71% decline from the all-time high of $540 reached in November 2024. At the time of writing, Bitmine’s BMNR stock was trading at $28.40, having recorded an even greater loss than Strategy when compared to its all-time high price of $161. This equates to an 82% loss for the company’s stock since July of this year. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com
As Bitcoin (BTC) maintains a consolidated trading range between $86,000 and $90,000 after experiencing a 30% correction from its all-time high in October, market expectations for the cryptocurrency’s future remain optimistic. Market analyst Dominic Basulto from The Motley Fool believes that despite the persistent challenges seen in the fourth quarter of the year, Bitcoin could soar to $150,000 by 2026, fueled by the newly established US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. Is $150,000 Possible For Bitcoin? Historical context supports Basulto’s prediction; Bitcoin’s performance over the years has shown significant recovery potential, with 2015 marking its worst bull market year at just a 36% gain. Significantly, in seven of its years, Bitcoin has achieved triple-digit percentage returns. The analyst suggests that 2026 may resemble 2019, a year when Bitcoin appreciated by 95% following the dismal performance in 2018, when it plummeted by 74%. Related Reading: XRP Supply Shock Incoming? Expert Reveals The Truth In 2019, several catalysts, such as heightened global economic uncertainty and a surge in institutional interest, propelled Bitcoin upwards—situations that appear similar to current conditions. Institutional investors are increasingly adding BTC to their portfolios, driven by spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Meanwhile, concerns over global tariffs and macroeconomic instability in the US continue to resonate among investors, setting the stage for potential bullish movement. However, Basulto emphasizes that Bitcoin can only reach the $150,000 milestone if it is perceived as a long-term store of value. If investors view it merely as another high-risk asset, they may choose to favor physical gold over digital gold, which has seen a record-breaking year. The crux of his argument centers on one pivotal factor that could significantly impact Bitcoin’s price: a notable increase in purchases by the US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. What Happens If Nations Stockpile BTC? Basulto claims that if the US government were to start buying substantial quantities of Bitcoin, it could trigger a global arms race among other countries keen to create their own strategic BTC reserves. According to the analyst, such purchases from national reserves could dramatically inflate Bitcoin’s price, likely surpassing the impact of corporate treasury companies that have already amassed close to 5% of the world’s circulating BTC supply. Related Reading: Investment Firm CEO Drops Utility Bomb On XRP, Is Community Hype A Detriment? Although reaching the $150,000 mark may seem ambitious given Bitcoin’s recent performance, more aggressive predictions exist for 2026. For instance, JPMorgan Chase has forecasted a potential price of $170,000, while Wall Street strategist Tom Lee from Fundstrat has suggested that BTC might even hit $250,000 next year. While a variety of factors must align for BTC to reclaim its status as digital gold, the possibility of elevated prices hinges on strategic actions by both the US government and institutional investors. Basulto concluded that if the leading cryptocurrency can consolidate its position and the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve gains traction, the predicted price of $150,000 could be achieved by next year. At the time of writing, BTC’s price retraced towards $87,330 following an early Monday move above $90,500. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com
Silver prices saw a sudden and sharp sell-off, falling nearly 13% in a single day from around $83 to $73 per ounce. The drop erased an estimated $550 billion from silver’s total market value and marked one of the most dramatic moves in the metal this year. The decline followed a powerful rally earlier in …
For many crypto investors, the past year has been painful. Altcoins have struggled badly, with many tokens falling nearly 90% from their highs. In fact, some analysts like Michael Van De Poppe say this has been worse than the 2022 bear market. This has sparked a big question across crypto markets: are altcoins finished, or …
XRP is once again in focus after crypto analyst Santiago R Santos shared a bullish long-term view on Ripple and its native token. In a recent discussion, Santos said he believes XRP has a higher probability of returning to its all-time high than Ethereum, especially if markets face another broad downturn. When asked whether XRP …
Japan is moving closer to fixing one of crypto’s biggest pain points in the country – taxes. But the details show the change won’t apply to everyone. Under its 2026 tax reform blueprint, Japan plans to cut crypto capital gains tax from as high as 55% to a flat 20%. The move would put certain …
Japan is preparing a major shift in how cryptocurrency gains are taxed, signaling a more welcoming stance toward digital assets after years of criticism over high tax burdens. Under the government’s 2026 tax reform plan, profits from certain crypto investments could soon be taxed at a flat 20%, a sharp drop from the current rates …
After years of sharp ups and downs, many crypto investors are still waiting for the kind of bull run that feels truly explosive. According to macro researcher Jesse Eckel, that moment may not arrive in 2025 — but in 2026. Instead of focusing on short-term price charts, Eckel looks at big economic signals like liquidity, …
China’s central bank announced a major overhaul of its digital yuan, allowing commercial banks to pay interest on e‑CNY balances starting Jan. 1, 2026. The new framework upgrades the currency from simple digital cash to “digital deposit money,” aligning it closer to traditional bank deposits and expanding its monetary functions. Deputy Governor Lu Lei emphasized that the …