Bitcoin futures open interest (OI) is showing signs of recovery in January, rising nearly 13% from the start of the year, suggesting a cautious return of risk appetite among traders. This follows a sharp deleveraging phase in Q4, when Bitcoin derivatives exposure fell alongside a 36% market correction from early October, as traders reduced leveraged positions to manage risk. Data shows futures OI increased from an eight-month low of $54 billion on January 1 to over $61 billion by January 19, briefly reaching $66 billion on January 15. Analysts note that while the rebound is modest, it may support bullish…
Author: Blockto Team
U.S. spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded $1.42 billion in weekly net inflows last week, marking their largest weekly total since early October and signaling renewed institutional interest in the cryptocurrency. BlackRock’s IBIT led the inflows, contributing $1.03 billion for the week ended January 16. The surge in ETF inflows coincided with Bitcoin’s short-term price rally to around $97,000, up from approximately $90,500 at the start of the week. Despite the gains, BTC pulled back to about $92,618 late Sunday amid headlines of U.S.-EU trade tensions over Greenland, reflecting ongoing market volatility. Analysts note that inflows point to continued accumulation…
Bitcoin prices declined sharply as global markets reacted to renewed trade war threats between the United States and Europe, triggering a shift toward traditional safe-haven assets. The largest cryptocurrency fell nearly 3.6% within hours, dropping from around $95,450 to below $92,000, before stabilizing slightly above $92,500. The sudden move sparked heavy liquidations, with more than $750 million in long positions wiped out in just four hours and total daily liquidations exceeding $860 million. The price drop reflects a broader risk-off sentiment, as investors reassessed exposure to volatile assets amid rising geopolitical uncertainty.\ In contrast, gold futures surged to record highs,…
The Bitcoin network is showing signs of strain as hashrate falls to its lowest level in four months, highlighting growing competition between bitcoin mining and artificial intelligence workloads for electricity and infrastructure. Recent data shows the seven-day moving average hashrate has slipped to around 993 EH/s falling below the 1 zetahash per second threshold for the first time since mid-September. This marks a nearly 15% decline from thhe October peak near 1,157 EH/s, even as conditions for miners have modestly improved. Mining difficulty has eased several times since November, reducing the computational effort required to mine blocks, while hashprice has…
XRP fell sharply below the $2.00 level, pressured by a liquidation-driven selloff that accelerated once $2.05 support failed. Price slid from around $2.06 to an intraday low near $1.906, marking a decisive breakdown from its prior holding range. The move was driven primarily by forced liquidations in leveraged positions, rather than sustained spot selling. Once $2.05 gave way, stop-loss orders and margin calls compounded downside momentum. This type of rapid decline typically reflects positioning stress rather than long-term conviction selling. Current XRP Support and Resistance Levels After the flush XRP rebounded modestly and stabilized between $1.93 and $1.94 where short…
Binance Australia has officially reintroduced direct bank transfers and PayID deposits and withdrawals, two years after the exchange was effectively cut off from the Australian banking system. The move restores seamless fiat access for users who, since mid-2023, could only deposit or withdraw funds via debit or credit cards. The phased rollout, which began with a small group of users last year, now extends to the exchange’s hundreds of thousands of Australian clients, removing a major barrier that had limited participation in the digital asset ecosystem. Binance Australia and New Zealand management highlighted that direct fiat integration boosts user confidence,…
Strategy is once again drawing market attention after signaling a potential additional Bitcoin acquisition, following a $1.25 billion purchase completed last week. The move reinforces the company’s aggressive approach to expanding its digital asset reserves in early 2026. Since the beginning of the year, Strategy has acquired 14,910 BTC, starting with 1,283 bitcoins in early January, followed days later by a significantly larger purchase of 13,627 BTC. As a result, the firm now holds more than 687,000 bitcoins, making it one of the largest corporate holders of BTC globally. The average acquisition cost stands near $75,350 per cooin well below…
Ethereum is experiencing a rare combination of record-breaking network activity and historically low transaction costs, signaling a major shift in how the blockchain is being used. Recent data shows that the seven-day moving average of daily Ethereum transactions is approaching 2.5 million, nearly double the level seen one year ago, marking a new all-time high. At the same time, average gas fees have fallen to around $0.15 per transaction, with some common operations costing even less. This represents the lowest fee environment in Ethereum’s modern history, easing long-standing concerns over high and unpredictable transaction costs. A key driver behind this…
The proposed ban on yield-bearing stablecoins in the US CLARITY Act is drawing sharp criticism from financial and crypto industry leaders, who argue it could undermine the global position of the US dollar. Among the most vocal critics is Anthony Scaramucci, founder of SkyBridge Capital, who says the restriction risks ceding ground to foreign digital currencies. Stablecoin Yield and Global Currency Competition Scaramucci argues that prohibiting yield on US dollar-backed stablecoins makes them less attractive compared to alternatives such as China’s Digital Yuan, which now allows interest-bearing deposits. He warns that global users, particularly in emerging markets, will naturally favor…
The decision by US lawmakers to pause progress on the CLARITY crypto market structure bill is being viewed by some analysts as a constructive outcome for the digital asset industry. Rather than creating uncertainty, the delay may prevent regulatory overreach that could have restricted innovation across crypto markets and decentralized finance. Why the CLARITY Act Stalled Market analysts point to the recent withdrawal of support from a major US-based crypto exchange as a turning point. Concerns were raised over provisions that critics described as a de facto ban on tokenized equities, expanded government access to user data on DeFi platforms,…