Author: Blockto Team

Manufacturing Activity Slips Further While Services Sector Extends Growth Momentum Fresh Flash PMI data released today offered a nuanced snapshot of economic conditions, revealing a slight cooling in the manufacturing sector while services activity exceeded expectations. The figures—closely watched by investors, policymakers, and currency traders—suggest an economy balancing between slowing industrial output and persistent strength in consumer-driven services. Flash Manufacturing PMI Weakens The Flash Manufacturing PMI came in at 51.9, narrowly missing the 52.0 forecast and marking a decline from the previous reading of 52.5. Although the index remains above the 50 threshold—indicating expansion—the slowdown highlights growing pressure on factory…

Crypto community questions Sybil cluster claims amid rising demand for transparency Web3 startup aPriori is facing growing scrutiny after a mysterious entity captured nearly 60% of its APR airdrop across 14,000 wallets, raising concerns of a large-scale Sybil attack. While aPriori strongly denies any insider role, the lack of clarity surrounding the wallet cluster has left investors demanding a full explanation. aPriori Rejects Insider Accusations In a statement released Friday, aPriori said it found “no evidence that anyone on the contributing team or from the foundation has claimed the airdrop,” stressing that the suspicious activity was not connected to its…

Executive warns exclusion of digital asset treasuries could force index-tracking funds to sell, affecting top crypto-heavy companies. Digital asset treasury (DAT) companies may face significant market pressure if the MSCI Index decides to exclude firms holding over 50% of their assets in crypto. The index, which tracks major equities for institutional investors, began consulting the investment community in October to determine whether companies with crypto-heavy balance sheets remain suitable for inclusion. Potential Exclusion and Market Implications Charlie Sherry, Head of Finance at Australian crypto exchange BTC Markets, commented that the odds of exclusion are high, noting that MSCI typically consults…

Growing concerns over artificial intelligence push major crypto figures toward privacy-focused assets As artificial intelligence rapidly advances, concerns around digital privacy are becoming impossible to ignore. This shift has created a new wave of interest in privacy-preserving cryptocurrencies—led most notably by the Winklevoss twins, who have made a substantial bet on Zcash (ZEC). Their new digital asset treasury company, Cypherpunk, has raised $100 million with the goal of accumulating up to 5% of Zcash’s circulating supply, marking one of the largest institutional pushes into privacy-based crypto this year. AI Acceleration Drives Demand for Privacy Assets In interviews surrounding their new…

Comments from a Federal Reserve official spark a brief uptick in lower-timeframe charts after a sharp intraday sell-off Bitcoin showed its first signs of stabilization on the lower time frames on Thursday after fresh remarks from a Federal Reserve official triggered a modest but noticeable rebound. The move came shortly after the asset slid toward the $81,000–$82,000 liquidity pocket, a region highlighted in market structure charts as a weak low where buyers often begin to reappear. Traders monitoring the rapid downside extension noted that the speech created a momentary shift in sentiment, lifting price off the session’s lows. FOMC Comments…

AI chatbot fan-girling its creator underscores risks of centralized control, bias, and misinformation in widely used systems. A recent incident involving Grok, Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, has renewed discussions on why AI must be decentralized. Following the 4.1 update this week, Grok began producing exaggerated and factually incorrect statements praising Musk, including claims that he could beat Mike Tyson in a fight and was fitter than LeBron James. While some responses have been removed, the event has highlighted the dangers of centralized AI governance. Centralized AI Risks Exposed Experts warn that when powerful AI models are owned, trained, and controlled…

Speculative Tokens and NFTs Sink to Multi-Month Lows Amid Sharp Crypto Market Retreat The memecoin sector suffered one of its steepest single-day declines of the year on Friday, with over $5 billion in value erased within 24 hours. The combined market capitalization of leading memecoins fell to $39.4 billion, its lowest level of 2025, according to new data. The drop reflects a broader collapse in speculative appetite across digital assets as market volatility accelerates. Memecoins Tumble as Traders Flee Risk The sector’s market cap slid from $44 billion to $39.4 billion, even as trading volume surged by 40% — a…

Teng Points to Risk-Off Deleveraging as Crypto Follows Global Asset Trends Bitcoin’s sharp retreat has raised alarm across markets, but Binance CEO Richard Teng is pushing back on the idea that crypto is behaving differently from traditional assets. Speaking at a media roundtable in Sydney, Teng argued that Bitcoin’s latest downturn reflects a broader risk-off environment affecting global asset classes, not an isolated crypto meltdown. Bitcoin’s Decline Driven by Deleveraging, Not Structural Weakness Teng said all markets go through cycles of stress, adding that this month’s sell-off is being amplified by investors unwinding leverage. “What you’re seeing is not only…

XRP technical analysis highlights key support retest amid market-wide drawdown XRP slipped nearly 6% in the past 24 hours, extending a multi-day correction as the broader digital asset market faced heavy selling pressure. The decline pulled the token toward a long-watched support region visible on the latest daily structure, where price has returned after a sequence of lower highs and successive breaks of market structure. Traders are now assessing whether the asset can stabilize or if a deeper move is forming. Market Context The latest selloff across major cryptocurrencies has impacted mid-cap assets heavily, and XRP is no exception. The…

Plume CEO Chris Yin forecasts explosive growth in tokenized real-world assets, driven by new asset classes, regulatory clarity and major institutional partnerships. The market for real-world asset (RWA) tokenization is entering a new phase of expansion, with projections of significant growth over the next two years. According to Plume CEO Chris Yin, RWAs are rapidly moving beyond crypto-native audiences and attracting broader institutional interest. Yin believes the sector could grow three to five times by 2026, fueled by rising demand and advancing onchain infrastructure. RWA Market Positioned for Exponential Growth Yin explains that RWA adoption has surged throughout the year,…