Matt Hougan, Bitwise’s chief investment officer, has noticed a significant change in Bitcoin’s previously consistent four-year pattern. The old drivers such as supply cuts, rate fluctuations, and crash threats are no longer the dominant factors. The dynamics are now being shaped by new elements.

Halving’s Diminishing Importance Over Time

Hougan explains that while Bitcoin halving continues to slash new coin production by 50%, its relevance is waning. In the past, this event led to exponential price surges. However, as Bitcoin’s market cap grows into the hundreds of billions, the same supply cut grows less impactful every four years. For instance, halving events in 2016 and 2020 saw price increases of over 150%. In recent times, such events have led to less than 50% price jumps.

Hougan’s analysis from Bitwise shows a friendlier interest rate environment this time. In 2018 and 2022, the US Federal Reserve’s tightening led to severe crypto drops, with Bitcoin plunging 72% and 69% from its peak. Now, as rates are easing or on hold, cryptocurrencies are more likely to trade upwards.

Emergence of Institutional Trends Outpacing Old Cycles

Hougan identifies ETFs as the new crypto growth driver with a 5-10 year timeline. Spot Bitcoin ETFs launched in 2024 have attracted over $10 billion in net inflows. This consistent inflow can’t be attributed to a single four-year cycle.

Big investors such as pensions and endowments are also preparing to enter the fray. Many of them only started considering crypto last year, and the process to overcome internal barriers can take months or even years. However, their entry could significantly reshape markets.

Regulatory Clarity On the Rise

Hougan notes that regulatory clarity has improved since January 2025 with new custody rules, tax guidelines, and licensing regimes. This progress reduces systemic risk and allows banks and asset managers to offer crypto services.

Moreover, the recent Genius Act has unlocked opportunities for prime-broker platforms, allowing trading desks, clearing houses, and research teams to invest billions in a short time. This expansion might take time, but it’s here to stay.

The Unpredictable Role of Treasury Firms

However, Hougan points out a new cyclical risk: the rise of Treasury firms providing short-term lending and yield products. If these firms grow too rapidly without adequate controls, they could still trigger a market crash, introducing a new potential hazard that didn’t exist in previous cycles.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingViewCryptoNewsBTC

The post Decoding Bitcoin’s New Era: Wall Street’s Hand in Shifting Crypto Cycles, Explains Expert appeared first on Crypto Market Insights: Dive In with CryptoUpdate.io.

Circle, based in New York, saw its share price increase by 4% in early trading following its market debut at $69 per share. This was the first significant IPO by a stablecoin issuer and marked the largest crypto listing since Coinbase in 2021. The company initially priced its IPO at $31 per share.

The offering was led by J.P. Morgan, Citigroup, and Goldman Sachs. As the quiet period mandated by the industry ended, Barclays, Bernstein, Canaccord Genuity, and Needham initiated coverage, giving ‘buy’ ratings and price targets above $200. These analysts are banking on the swift worldwide adoption of stablecoins, as they continue to gain momentum and take on a pivotal role in the traditional financial landscape.

However, J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs expressed concerns about Circle’s high valuation, considering the stock’s swift ascent post-IPO. Goldman started with a ‘neutral’ rating and an $83 price target, and J.P. Morgan gave an ‘underweight’ rating with a $80 price target, implying a 56% downside from the stock’s last close of $180.43.

“While we see potential for strong long-term industry adoption of stablecoins, the range of outcomes are very wide and likely to create substantial volatility in earnings revisions and the share price for at least the near-to-intermediate term,” added analysts at Deutsche Bank.

Overall, the consensus on Circle’s future remains divided among Wall Street’s top analysts.

The post Mixed Opinions from Wall Street Analysts on Circle’s Skyrocketing IPO appeared first on Crypto Market Insights: Dive In with CryptoUpdate.io.

Since its establishment in 2023, Solana Labs has been a hub for potential partners and investors to engage directly with Solana’s developers. This strategy has proven successful, with numerous companies adopting a ‘Bitcoin reserve’ approach with $SOL.

Solana is not merely a blockchain for finance, but also a fertile ground for top crypto presales, who utilize the Solana chain’s unique blend of memes and finance. Major firms such as Upexi, Inc ($UPXI) are applying Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin reserve strategy to Solana, contributing to its soaring success.

Upexi’s purchase of 77,879 $SOL, taking their total to 679,677 $SOL valued at $121M, has resulted in a gain of approximately $24.5M from token appreciation. This success has prompted other firms to follow suit:

• SkyBridge Capital, under Anthony Scaramucci’s leadership, invested $50M in a Solana Staking ETF in Canada.
• Apollo and Securitize launched tokenized credit funds on Solana and other blockchains.
• SOL Strategies committed a $500M investment to facilitate SOL token acquisitions and partnerships.
• Classover, an education company, plans to issue up to $500M in convertible notes to build a SOL treasury.

Despite this financial focus, Solana hasn’t abandoned its meme coin roots. The anticipated launch of the pump.fun token, along with other new crypto projects, exemplifies Solana’s dual role.

With the onslaught of new tokens, the challenge is to identify those with potential for 100x growth. This is where the Snorter Token ($SNORT) and its accompanying Snorter Bot come in. They help traders navigate through Solana’s meme coins and identify promising ones.

The Snorter Bot, powered by the $SNORT token, has features like honeypot detection and rugpull alerts to safeguard investments, while automated sniping and copy trading facilitate the identification and capture of opportunities. This utility has attracted over $400K investment into $SNORT.

The presale phase presents an optimal time to buy and stake $SNORT tokens for an estimated 735% dynamic APY. A quarter of the token supply is reserved for product development, further securing $SNORT’s future in Solana’s meme coin ecosystem.

With the influx of investment into Solana and the $SOL token as a strategic reserve, there seems to be room for a token like $SNORT that combines Solana’s meme-coin origins with its financial ambitions.

It’s always crucial to do your own research, but given Solana’s trajectory, $SNORT could be perfectly positioned. Don’t miss out!

The post Wall Street Embraces Solana, Boosting Meme Coins like Snorter to Unprecedented Levels appeared first on Crypto Market Insights: Dive In with CryptoUpdate.io.

Bitcoin BTCUSD experienced another decline at the Wall Street opening on May 13, disregarding the positive US inflation data. Despite the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) for April being below expectations, which should generally favor risk assets, BTCUSD didn’t manage to regain $104,000 as support.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) confirmed a 2.3 percent increase for all items index for the 12 months ending in April, which is the smallest 12-month rise since February 2021. This came after a 2.4 percent increase for the 12 months ending in March.

US stocks started strong, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite Index rising 0.7% and 1.4%, respectively. The Kobeissi Letter, a trading resource, noted that the S&P 500 has now delivered net upside year-to-date. Meanwhile, BTCUSD has been riding close to the spot price order book liquidity.

Daan Crypto Trades, a popular trader, suggests that the stage is set for new volatility. He forecasted a retest of $102,000 based on liquidity clusters, which subsequently happened. Crypto analyst Michaël van de Poppe adds, “Even if it goes back to $97.5-98K, we’ll still be in an uptrend and building up for new ATHs.”

QCP Capital, a trading firm, discussed the possibility of a short-term sideways trend for BTC. It stated, “BTC remains caught in a tug-of-war between its identity as ‘digital gold’ and its function as a risk-on proxy.” However, Richard Teng, CEO of Binance, remains optimistic. He states, “With double-digit gains following key global events, BTC is reinforcing its position as a resilient alternative asset—outperforming gold, the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq year-to-date. The momentum is undeniable.”

The post Bitcoin Unfazed by US CPI Dip: Binance CEO Acknowledges BTC’s Dominance appeared first on Crypto Market Insights: Dive In with CryptoUpdate.io.

Simultaneously, Bitcoin’s 30-day price volatility against the US dollar has been gradually decreasing. Data from BitBo and TheBlock reveal that BTC volatility has been on a steady decline since 2011, and particularly since 2021.

Low volatility can be interpreted as bearish for cryptocurrencies and stocks as prices tend to fluctuate more during bull markets and correct more abruptly. As a consequence, low volatility might be seen as a sell or wait signal by some traders. However, this record low in volatility coincides with a robust BTC rally backed by Wall Street funds and crypto exchanges, making it challenging to label it as a bearish indicator.

Instead, the diminished BTC volatility might be a reflection of Bitcoin’s massive market cap, approaching the $2 trillion mark at the start of May, leading to smoother liquidity. The impact of large-scale participants, or whales, on the overall market has significantly diminished.

This is a positive development for Bitcoin, indicating the network’s rapid capitalization growth, transforming it from a small, volatile boat in the ocean to a large, steady, and dignified vessel.

A 2024 study by Fidelity Digital Assets highlighted some intriguing facts about Bitcoin’s price volatility. It stated, “Bitcoin is volatile, but less so than many popular mega-cap stocks.” The Boston-based investment giant also noted, “Bitcoin is currently less volatile than 33 S&P 500 stocks, and as recently as late 2023, there were 92 S&P 500 stocks more volatile than bitcoin.”

The report accurately predicted, “Bitcoin’s volatility has declined and is expected to continue doing so.” Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s price has been on an upward trajectory since hitting a low of under $75,000 in early April, now teetering on the brink of $100,000.

The post Witnessing a Quiet Giant: Bitcoin’s 563-Day Low Volatility Streak appeared first on Crypto Market Insights: Dive In with CryptoUpdate.io.

The El Dorado Task Force, established in 1992, primarily investigates “transnational money laundering” and financial crimes committed by organizations. Thus, the reported investigation into Anchorage could indicate international financial operations. Anchorage was co-founded by Portuguese-American businessman Diogo Mónica and Nathan McCauley. Apart from its US operations, Anchorage also operates in Singapore and Portugal, with investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Goldman Sachs, and Visa.

As the only federally chartered crypto bank in the United States, Anchorage Digital secured its national trust bank charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) in January 2021. Despite its solid regulatory standing, the company has faced regulatory hurdles in the US. In April 2022, the OCC issued a consent order against the bank for inadequacies in its Bank Secrecy Act and Anti-Money Laundering compliance programs. Anchorage Digital was then directed to form a committee to address these alleged issues under OCC oversight.

Since its inception in 2017, Anchorage has been augmenting its cryptocurrency offerings, providing services for institutional clients. Anchorage is one of the custodians of BlackRock’s Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), along with Coinbase and BitGo. BlackRock’s BTC funds have seen more than $35.5 billion in total inflows since their January 2024 launch. Anchorage also serves Cantor Fitzgerald, providing custody and collateral management for the company’s Bitcoin holdings since March 2025. The company reported more than $50 billion in assets under management in 2024.

Competing with Anchorage in the digital asset custody space are companies like Ripple, Kraken, Taurus, and Fireblocks. Nevertheless, traditional financial institutions such as HSBC, Citi, and BNY Mellon are also entering the crypto space. A 2025 EY survey revealed that 59% of institutional investors plan to dedicate over 5% of their assets under management to cryptocurrencies, signaling increasing demand for institutional-grade custody services.

The post US Homeland Security Investigates Wall Street-backed Crypto Firm Anchorage Digital appeared first on Crypto Market Insights: Dive In with CryptoUpdate.io.

Despite the downward trend, Best Buy (BBY) has seen a rise of 3.81%, suggesting a mixed atmosphere in the market. This comes after a government official hinted at possible leniency in U.S. tariff policies, leading to some indexes trading off their session lows.

However, chip stocks have gone downhill as investor sentiment was dampened by Marvell’s less than impressive forecast. The landscape of the market continues to change, with the crypto sector also playing a role in these dynamics.

© Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025. For any restrictions, visit https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html. You can login or create a free account to access more details about this news.

The post Crypto Impact on Wall Street Amid U.S. Tariff Stance Speculation appeared first on Crypto Market Insights: Dive In with CryptoUpdate.io.

According to estimates from FactSet, the revenue for the fourth quarter is projected to be $1.8 billion, a considerable increase from $1.26 billion posted in Q3. Earnings per share are anticipated to have ascended to $1.99 from $0.41.

A significant factor contributing to this boost is the large crypto rally following the presidential election of Donald Trump. Analysts predict that the exchange volume could have escalated to $195.9 billion in the last quarter, up from $185.3 billion in Q3. This would be the strongest quarterly outcome since Q4 of 2021.

Analysts from Citi bank maintain a positive outlook on Coinbase, noting that the company is well-positioned to benefit as crypto potentially transitions into a new era. Despite their bullish stance, the Citi team projects Q4 revenue to be $1.7 billion, slightly below the consensus estimate of $1.8 billion.

While crypto and Coinbase experienced numerous triggers in the final part of 2024, predictions for 2025 remain uncertain due to the typically slow effect of policy changes, according to some Wall Street analysts.

Coinbase has been focusing on diversifying its revenue stream, with 50% still coming from trading fees. However, retail traders, who pay the highest trading fee, have not returned to 2021 levels, as per Kaiko’s research. As a result, transaction revenue continues to be affected.

Citi suggests that Coinbase could address this issue in 2025 by further embracing tokenization of assets, smart contract applications, and Web3, among other strategies. This evolution will be crucial for Coinbase’s growth trajectory, the bank’s analysts noted.

The post Anticipated Coinbase Q4 Results to Reflect Highest Volume Since Last Year appeared first on Crypto Market Insights: Dive In with CryptoUpdate.io.

Despite reporting a net loss of $670.8 million in Q4 of 2024, largely due to a $1 billion adjustment on its Bitcoin holdings, the company recorded total revenues of $120.7 million. Strategy’s BTC Yield, a metric used to evaluate the success of its Bitcoin approach, reached an impressive 74.3% YTD, surpassing its previous high of 47.3% in 2021.

Strategy also increased its 2025 Bitcoin yield goal from 6-10% to 15% or more. The last quarter saw its largest increase in quarterly Bitcoin holdings yet, accumulating 218,887 BTC for $20.5 billion. Currently, Strategy holds 471,107 Bitcoin, valued at approximately $45 billion.

The company has also set a “BTC gain” target of $10 billion, a measure of the annual value generation of Strategy’s Bitcoin treasury operations. Mizuho Securities analyst Dan Dolev noted that this target “is very large and could prove to be a competitive advantage” in comparison to other companies considering similar Bitcoin strategies.

Looking to the future, Strategy’s potential inclusion in the S&P 500 index could be on the horizon, following its adoption of updated accounting standards. This change would allow Strategy to recognize unrealized gains on Bitcoin for the first time, leading to a positive adjustment of $12.75 billion to its opening balance of retained earnings.

Analysts are excited about the potential of Bitcoin-based applications, with Strategy potentially playing a significant role in the development of this ecosystem. Strategy’s investment in Bitcoin shows no signs of slowing down, and with its “BTC Gain” metric, investors can measure the company’s non-dilutive Bitcoin acquisition.

Strategy has so far generated a 2025 BTC $ Gain of $1.3 billion, translating to a BTC Yield of 2.9%. To reach its $10 billion goal, the company would need to raise about $19 billion, a goal seen as feasible given the current regulatory environment and market trends.

Strategy’s stock price has remained stable since the release of these figures, currently trading around $338 per share. However, analysts predict further growth, with Canaccord Genuity maintaining a “buy” rating and a price target of $409, and others offering even higher price projections.

The post Wall Street Bullish on Strategy as Bitcoin Reserves Approach Half a Million Mark appeared first on Crypto Market Insights: Dive In with CryptoUpdate.io.

Chase Herro, a co-founder of World Liberty Financial, which is tied to the Trump family, reportedly revealed at the summit that the crypto platform will establish a “strategic reserve” using the tokens it has, including the Ondo (ONDO) token.

The development of Ondo Chain will be guided by Ondo’s current members such as BlackRock, PayPal, and Morgan Stanley, and new members including Franklin Templeton, WisdomTree, Google Cloud, ABN Amro, Aon, and McKinsey.

The primary objective of Ondo’s layer-1 is to facilitate numerous institutional use cases, including prime brokerage with a cross-collateralized margin for RWAs, staking tokenized RWAs, and wealth management. However, the exact launch date for layer-1 hasn’t been disclosed.

Ondo Finance mentioned that Ondo Chain validators could stake RWAs to safeguard the network. However, it will operate on a permissioned model to avoid MEV and front-running. This strategy will enhance investor protections and make Ondo Chain suitable for institutions seeking best execution guarantees. However, the platform will be open for anyone to issue tokens, develop apps, and participate.

The announcement comes as World Liberty Financial plans to create a strategic reserve with the tokens it owns. This reserve is likely to include the $470,000 worth of ONDO tokens it purchased recently, according to data from Arkham Intelligence. The platform bought $270,000 worth of ONDO tokens on Dec. 15 during a flurry of token purchases amounting to nearly $45 million, which also included Ether (ETH) and Coinbase Wrapped BTC (cbBTC). Currently, the crypto platform of the Trump family holds $35.4 million worth of different cryptocurrencies.

The post Ondo Finance Announces Layer-1 Blockchain for Institutional Real World Asset Tokenization appeared first on Crypto Market Insights: Dive In with CryptoUpdate.io.