Analyst Soothes Market Worries, Highlights Bitcoin's Superior Performance Over Gold Since 2022
Despite recent market volatility, Bitcoin has outperformed traditional assets since 2022, according to ETF analyst Eric Balchunas. Balchunas notes that Bitcoin has grown 429% since 2022, outstripping silver, gold, and the Nasdaq-100. He attributes this strong performance to the period surrounding BlackRock's filing for a Bitcoin ETF in 2023 which spurred market anticipation. Meanwhile, Bitcoin's chart may seem unsteady in the short term, but its long-term trajectory paints a more positive picture. Despite struggles to break resistance of $94,000 - $98,000 and a recent dip below $90,000, Bitcoin remains a strong asset in the long term, with its dominance hovering around 57%. Current market weakness is attributed to broader risk-off conditions like uncertainty around US monetary policy and large liquidations in derivatives markets.
Former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao defended his buy-and-hold advocacy after accusations of misleading retail traders and promoting damaging market behavior. The disagreement was sparked by Zhao's comments that few trading strategies outperform buy-and-hold, which critics argued overlooked the high failure rate of crypto projects. Zhao clarified his stance, stating that the strategy does not apply to all coins and urging investors to research before investing. He also refuted claims that exchanges should only list likely successful assets. The debate led to the revival of past accusations against Zhao, including market manipulation and compliance failures. However, other users came to his defense, highlighting his contributions to the crypto community. This controversy underscores the ongoing tension in crypto between open listing practices and calls for stricter quality checks to prevent potential scams.
Alert: Past Bitcoin Crossover Patterns Reappear as Potential Red Flags
Bitcoin (BTC), currently trading near $89,200, is showing a concerning technical pattern. The 21-week exponential moving average (EMA) has crossed below the 50-week EMA, a pattern that in previous market cycles has often led to periods of price decline. This crossover, which occurred in both 2018 and 2022 before a significant dip, is happening again in 2026. Though Bitcoin remains above $89,000, this pattern has historically signaled slower growth or deeper corrections. Analysts are eyeing the $70,000-$75,000 range as a potential safety net, with some suggesting Bitcoin could drop to $58,000-$62,000. Market pressure may also increase due to the upcoming US crude oil inventory data and Federal Reserve interest rate decision, both of which have historically affected Bitcoin's performance.
Hyperliquid's HYPE Soars to a Two-Month Peak, Bitcoin (BTC) Touches $89K: Market Overview
Bitcoin's price has been gradually recovering, reaching $89,500 before facing resistance and settling around $89,000. Meanwhile, Hyperliquid's HYPE token outperformed most larger-cap altcoins, skyrocketing 25% to reach a multi-month high. After a significant drop last week due to geopolitical tension, Bitcoin tried to regain some of its losses, but it fluctuated around $89,000 for most of the weekend. However, the past 24 hours reflected a slight positivity as the asset bounced back from $87,500 to $89,500, marking a four-day high. Despite this, Bitcoin's market dominance over altcoins dropped to 57.3%. Amid this, HYPE saw its price doubling and hitting over $34 for the first time in nearly two months. As a result, the total crypto market cap added over $50 billion daily, reclaiming the $3.1 trillion level.
Ethereum Value Makes a Swift Comeback to $3K, Backed by Robust Fundamentals
Ethereum (ETH) has experienced a swift recovery, almost fully recovering last week's losses against Bitcoin, according to Michaël van de Poppe, MN Fund founder and crypto YouTuber. ETH prices gained 2.6% to reach $3,028 and appear to be heading towards the next resistance zone at $3,100. Analysts suggest that Ethereum's strong fundamentals, including its record number of "non-empty wallets," which has exceeded 175 million, and the growing interest in staking ETH, are driving this turnaround. The demand to become a validator and stake ETH continues to be robust, with staking withdrawals decreasing and the deposit queue increasing significantly. Last quarter, companies bought more than 1 million ETH worth $3.5 billion, suggesting growing institutional interest in the cryptocurrency.
Co-Founder of Ethereum Layer 2 Base Denies Involvement in Covert Price Manipulation
Jesse Pollak, Co-founder of Base, has assured the public that the team will not manipulate asset prices or favor particular assets. Pollak emphasized the importance of free and open markets in his response to community concerns, stating that his team's focus is on increasing the distribution and visibility of quality assets and apps. The team is also dedicated to attracting more capital and attention to the ecosystem. These comments came after concerns were raised about Base's lack of support for projects with potential for high market caps. Despite these concerns, Base dominated Ethereum’s Layer 2 fee landscape on January 14, generating about $147,000 in daily revenue, accounting for nearly 70% of the day's total Ethereum Layer 2 fee revenue.
Cryptocurrency Funds Witness a Massive $1.73B Withdrawal – The Largest Since November 2025
Cryptocurrency funds have experienced a significant withdrawal of $1.73 billion, the largest since November 2025, indicating a growing bearish sentiment in the market. The bulk of the outflows were from Bitcoin funds, which lost $1.09 billion, along with Ethereum and XRP losing $630 million and $18.2 million, respectively. However, Solana managed to gain $17.1 million. Regionally, the US saw the most significant outflow of $1.79 billion, while Canada, Switzerland, and Germany recorded strong inflows. The bearish sentiment is attributed to weak price action and the disappointment that cryptocurrency hasn't acted as a hedge against debasement. The markets are in a "risk-off" mode as investors move into traditional safe-haven assets such as gold and silver amid rising geopolitical risks.
Is a Ripple Turnaround Imminent? XRP Confronts Significant Challenge
Ripple's native token XRP is currently trading near a crucial zone that may determine its next move. After retreating from its early January peak of $2.40, it is now retesting a vital resistance area around $1.97. Market analysts are closely observing whether XRP will push past this or continue its decline. The price trends and momentum signals suggest a potential shift in the market, suggesting fading selling pressure and early bullish momentum. However, XRP witnessed significant activity in January, with a massive volume of tokens transferred to exchanges, indicating a return of liquidity to the market. Trading data also reflects a growing anticipation about XRP's future direction, with a 17% drop in trading volume but a near 3% increase in open interest to $3.38 billion.
Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Forecasts a Crucial 3-Year Period for Crypto if the Clarity Act Does Not Pass
The Clarity Act, approved by the US House in July 2025, is still under review in the Senate as of January 2026. Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan warns of a critical three-year "show me" period for the US crypto market if the Act does not pass. He suggests that the industry's future growth would rely more on real-world adoption rather than policy expectations and compares this situation to the early years of Uber and Airbnb. Without the Act, the industry would need to demonstrate large-scale adoption of use cases such as stablecoins, tokenized securities, and blockchain-based financial infrastructure. Meanwhile, Coinbase's decision to withdraw support for the Act has caused friction within the industry, with allegations that CEO Brian Armstrong is protecting Coinbase's stablecoin yield business from increased competition.
Is a Cardano Price Surge Imminent? 450 Million ADA Acquired in Two Months
Cardano (ADA) has seen a significant downtrend recently, with prices falling around 45% over the last three months to trade at approximately $0.35. However, the recent buying spree by large investors or 'whales' suggests a potential short-term rebound. Data from Santiment reveals that 'whales' have acquired over 454 million ADA, worth around $160 million, in the past two months. Simultaneously, small investors, known as 'shrimps', have offloaded about 22,000 ADA in the last three weeks. This trend could indicate a bullish sentiment for Cardano's token, as 'whales' typically accumulate tokens in anticipation of a valuation-boosting event. Additionally, the selling by 'shrimps' could lead to a more stable holder base, strengthening the ecosystem. Various analysts have predicted a potential uptrend for ADA, with targets ranging from $0.44 to $3.
Big Wednesday: Could Federal Reserve and Crude Oil Information Cause Significant Bitcoin Fluctuation?
Bitcoin is poised for a significant test of its sensitivity to traditional finance as two key macro events — U.S. crude oil inventory data and the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision — unfold on Wednesday, January 28, 2026. These events have the potential to alter market expectations about inflation, liquidity, and risk, which could subsequently influence the trajectory of Bitcoin. The cryptocurrency has demonstrated a negative correlation with crude oil over the past week, with energy markets serving as an indicator for inflation expectations that influence Bitcoin and other risk assets. As market participants await clarity on Federal Reserve guidance and inflation signals tied to energy prices, both crypto and traditional markets are more focused on assimilating the policy tone rather than pursuing short-term moves.
Cryptocurrency Investors Flock to Silver Before its 15% Price Drop
Silver prices saw a significant reversal on Monday, reaching a high of over $117 before dropping by more than 15% within hours, erasing approximately $900 billion in market value. This shift is indicative of retail traders, including those from the cryptocurrency sector, turning their attention to traditional assets like precious metals during volatile periods. The increase in silver prices was accompanied by a surge in retail discussion. Despite this, the market witnessed a rapid fall to about $103, erasing most of the day's gains. This episode demonstrates the speed at which speculative money can move and how quickly crowd attention can shift, leading to highly volatile trades.
Bitcoin's Computing Power Drops as Ice Storm Closes Texas Mining Operations
The Bitcoin network hashrate, or computing power, has significantly dropped in recent days due to severe ice storms in the United States. The weather conditions have forced Bitcoin mining operations, particularly in Texas, to temporarily shut down. This has led to a decrease in the hashrate from 1.133 ZH/s to 690 EH/s, causing disruptions to the power grid and increasing electricity costs. The extreme weather is also expected to lead to an approximate 4.5% reduction in mining difficulty. The drop in hashrate, which mirrors price action, is preventing any recovery for Bitcoin, which remains down 4.5% from the previous week. The ongoing situation may also lead to selling pressure on miners if they are forced to sell Bitcoin to cover costs.
Latest Updates to the Pi Network and How They Benefit Pioneers
The Pi Network team recently issued their second update of the year, integrating a simple Pi payment feature into the Pi App Studio. This allows creators to add in-app payments to their applications without any coding or technical skills. However, this feature is only available for Test-Pi and within the Pi App Studio, not in the Pi Desktop App. Despite these updates aimed at improving the Pi Network ecosystem, the project's native token value has seen a significant drop, hitting an all-time low recently. Despite trading between $0.20 and $0.22 for over a month, the token value dropped sharply, falling to a new low of $0.1687 and losing over 94% of its value since its highest point 11 months ago.
Vitalik Buterin Revises His 2017 Perspective on Comprehensive Blockchain Validation
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has revised his 2017 stance on full blockchain validation being unrealistic for average users. Advances in cryptographic technology and a focus on user sovereignty have led to this change. In 2017, Buterin argued that requiring users to validate every transaction was impractical, making users dependent on third-party providers. However, advancements in zero-knowledge proofs, particularly ZK-SNARKs, have altered this. Users can now verify a chain's correctness without replaying the complete transaction history, maintaining independent verification while reducing computational load. Buterin sees this as a safety net when systems or intermediaries fail, adding pressure on third parties to provide fairer, more reliable services. This change aligns with Buterin's recent emphasis on simplicity, self-sovereignty, and decentralized privacy tools, suggesting a shift from trading independence for convenience to making personal verification feasible once more.
Is Ripple's XRP Poised for a Significant Surge after Testing Its 13-Month Support?
Ripple's XRP token has faced a slight decline over the past week, currently trading around $1.89. It had previously reached $2.40 earlier this month, before experiencing a significant retraction. The key focus is the $1.80 level, which has consistently held over the past 13 months. ChartNerd, a market analyst, suggests that if the price defends the $1.80 level and clears the descending resistance, a shift back to $2.70 could occur. Additionally, Egrag Crypto identified a triple bottom formation, indicating potential targets if resistance breaks, such as $2.7, $9, $15, and $32. However, XRP ETFs witnessed $40.6 million in outflows over the past week, the first since their inception. Binance's XRP reserves reportedly increased to 2.74 billion tokens, hinting at a return of liquidity.
RIVER Rises 40% Amid BTC's Recovery From its Lowest in Five Weeks: Market Analysis
BTC's value has been affected by new tariff threats and the possibility of a US government shutdown, resulting in a drop to a five-week low of $86,000. Despite these developments, BTC recovered slightly to around $88,000. Meanwhile, most altcoins experienced a decline, with Ethereum losing the $3,000 support, and BNB, XRP, SOL, ADA, and XMR also seeing significant decreases. However, RIVER has continued to defy these trends, with an impressive 40% daily increase, a 230% weekly increase, and a staggering 2,100% monthly increase. Despite RIVER's strong performance, the total cryptocurrency market cap has dropped to $3.050 trillion after losing another $30 billion.