In this video, we’ll explore the key economic events and market trends, shaping the financial landscape. Get ready for insights into financial markets to help you navigate the week ahead. Let’s dive in!

In this episode of Market Insights, Gary Thomson breaks down what moved the markets over the past few days and unpacks the strategic implications of the most critical events driving global markets.

👉 Key topics covered in this episode:

✔️ What Happened in the Markets Over the Past Few Days
US-Iran tensions are fueling market uncertainty, with shifting headlines, mixed negotiation signals, and no clear resolution. Oil remains volatile, and equities reflect fragile sentiment rather than a trend. Will markets find direction, or will uncertainty keep prices unstable?

✔️ US Retail Sales
US Retail Sales data on 1 April could signal shifts in consumer demand, following weak growth in recent months and a decline in January. The US dollar may react sharply if the new figures diverge from expectations. Will retail sales show a rebound, or continue the trend of weakening consumer demand?

✔️ US Nonfarm Payrolls and Unemployment Rate
US Nonfarm Payrolls and the Unemployment Rate on 3 April could reveal whether the labour market is weakening or stabilising, after February’s 92,000-job loss and a rise in unemployment to 4.4%. Will the data show further deterioration, or a surprising rebound in US employment?

In summary, next week markets face a balance between elevated volatility from geopolitical risks and potential direction from upcoming macroeconomic data.

Gain insights to strengthen your trading knowledge.

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This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.

Pi Network price is stalling near $0.18 as bearish models flag a possible drop toward $0.14, even as mainnet upgrades, a DEX launch and a Consensus 2026 push aim to anchor real‑world Web3 use.

Pi Network’s PI (PI) token, the native asset of the mobile‑first smart contract and payments ecosystem, is trading at about $0.1795 today after losing 4.68% in the last 24 hours, extending a pullback from this month’s high near $0.2850.

CoinCodex data shows PI underperformed the broader crypto market, which declined 3.56% over the same period, while PI also dropped 2.65% against BTC and 2.01% versus ETH, reflecting relative weakness across pairs. According to CoinLore, the first recorded exchange rate for PI on its platform was $0.7821, with a cycle low at $0.1317 in February 2026 and a historic high above $3.00, placing the current price roughly 77% below that initial print but still 36% above the February low. Functionally, PI is positioned as a layer‑1 smart contract and payments token aimed at bringing everyday users into Web3 via mobile mining, app‑layer utility and, increasingly, real‑world financial integration.

Pi Network price tests $0.18 support as March upgrades meet bearish models

From a technical perspective, short‑term signals are leaning defensive. CoinCodex’s March 26 update expects PI to fall to $0.138387 by April 1, 2026, implying a 23.23% decline from today’s levels and summarizing the current outlook as bearish. The same dashboard shows PI trading at $0.179471 with a 14‑day RSI of 51.09, a neutral reading that suggests neither deep oversold conditions nor overbought exhaustion, while most short‑term moving averages—from the 3‑day MA at $0.1973 to the 50‑day MA at $0.1826—are flashing sell signals. Structurally, PI remains above the 200‑day simple moving average at $0.269050, which CoinCodex interprets as a longer‑term bullish trendline despite the near‑term bearish bias in the next‑five‑days forecast.

The project’s fundamentals are evolving in parallel with the price chop. AInvest’s March 1 analysis notes that Pi Network is entering a critical phase in 2026, moving from experimental development to real‑world utility with infrastructure upgrades and ecosystem expansion explicitly designed to support financial integration and practical applications. CoinMarketCap’s latest Pi update details several key milestones: completion of the mainnet Protocol 20.2 upgrade on March 18, 2026, which lays the foundation for smart contract functionality; a major node upgrade roadmap targeting version 23.0 by May; and a sponsorship at Consensus 2026 in Miami, including a 20‑minute main‑stage session that will spotlight Pi and artificial intelligence alongside sponsors such as Grayscale and Google Cloud. Separately, MEXC’s February 17 report frames March 12, 2026—the activation date for Pi DEX and related liquidity infrastructure—as a “decisive” turning point for the ecosystem, emphasizing that successful execution will be treated as a confidence event by users and developers monitoring throughput, stability and engagement.

These network‑level developments highlight a familiar tension between narrative and tape. On one hand, Pi Network is signaling a shift toward concrete utility—through protocol upgrades, DEX activation and high‑profile conference exposure—just as the broader market increasingly rewards projects with real‑world use cases over pure speculative hype. On the other hand, CoinCodex’s bearish near‑term projection and the dense cluster of “sell” signals across key moving averages underline the risk that, absent clear evidence of adoption and on‑chain liquidity growth, PI’s price could retest lower support closer to the $0.14 area before any durable repricing can take hold.

Quick Overview

• Umbra introduces encrypted wallet for confidential Solana transactions
• Platform supports private swaps and shielded blockchain operations
• Privacy solution targets mainstream users seeking encrypted onchain finance
• Wallet incorporates compliance features alongside privacy protections
• Solution powered by Arcium’s secure execution infrastructure

Umbra has introduced a privacy-oriented wallet for Solana, broadening availability of encrypted blockchain transactions. The launch brings confidential transfers, private swaps, and built-in compliance mechanisms to users. In doing so, Umbra establishes itself as a functional privacy solution for regular blockchain operations.

Umbra Delivers Confidential Transaction Features on Solana Network

Umbra allows users to transfer digital assets while concealing sender identity, recipient information, and transaction amounts. Additionally, the platform facilitates encrypted token swaps that mask trade volume and execution strategy. Thus, Umbra eliminates public exposure from standard onchain financial operations.

The solution is built upon Arcium’s infrastructure, which enables encrypted execution across blockchain transactions. This architecture permits computation on encrypted information without revealing sensitive transaction details. Consequently, Umbra preserves confidentiality across the complete transaction process.

Previous access was restricted during Arcium’s mainnet alpha phase launched in February. Now, Umbra extends its privacy capabilities to traders, institutional participants, and commercial entities worldwide. This expanded availability addresses rising interest in confidential blockchain technologies.

Secure Execution Technology Sets New Privacy Benchmarks

Umbra utilizes encrypted execution rather than conventional obfuscation techniques or intermediary-dependent privacy approaches. Transaction data remains inaccessible to all participants throughout processing. This framework enhances privacy while preserving trustless onchain verification.

The wallet incorporates compliance mechanisms including viewing keys, risk assessment tools, and geographic restrictions. These capabilities enable controlled transparency while meeting regulatory obligations. Umbra achieves equilibrium between privacy protection and compliance adherence.

Umbra emphasizes accessibility through an intuitive interface designed for everyday transactions. The system prioritizes straightforward usability without sacrificing encryption strength. Umbra accommodates both sophisticated users and mainstream ecosystem adoption.

Development Tools and Growing Market Traction

Umbra has additionally unveiled a software development kit to facilitate encrypted application development on Solana. This resource empowers developers to create privacy-centric services utilizing zero-knowledge technologies. Consequently, Umbra reinforces its standing within the expanding privacy infrastructure sector.

Multiple integrations are anticipated in upcoming weeks as developers implement the framework. These implementations may broaden encrypted finance applications across decentralized platforms. Umbra advances overall ecosystem maturation on Solana.

The initiative previously raised over $150 million via MetaDAO, drawing participation from more than 10,000 contributors. This capital injection demonstrates substantial early enthusiasm for privacy-enabled financial instruments. Umbra therefore enters the marketplace with significant financial support and increasing appetite for encrypted blockchain capabilities.

Bitcoin (BTC) dropped toward $67,000 during the European trading session on Friday despite an increase in long-term buying. Exchange withdrawals also increased to 16-month highs, suggesting reduced “immediate selling pressure,” a new analysis said.

Key takeaways:

• Bitcoin withdrawals from exchanges increases, reducing BTC available for sale.

• Long-term holders accelerate accumulation, adding 155,450 BTC over the past 30 days.

• Bitcoin analysts view $65,000–$66,000 as a potential support zone for a bounce.

Bitcoin supply tightens as long-term buying accelerates

CryptoQuant’s exchange flow data highlighted “renewed signs of supply tightening,” as large Bitcoin withdrawals continue across major exchanges. 

The chart below shows that investors withdrew nearly $1.6 billion of BTC from Bitfinex on March 16, as shown by the orange bar in the chart below.

Related: Bitcoin floor ‘near $70K’ as TradFi returns: Will war, inflation break their belief?

Since then, the trend has expanded across other major exchanges, with a $678 million withdrawal from OKX on Sunday, a $728 million withdrawal from Kraken on Monday, and another $400 million in BTC leaving Binance on Wednesday.

“This pattern suggests that the latest wave of withdrawals is no longer isolated to one platform,” CryptoQuant analyst Amr Taha said in his latest QuickTake analysis. 

The figures support the latest data showing Bitcoin whales and sharks have been accumulating over the last two months, a pattern that could trigger an eventual breakout from the range. 

Other data also reflects an accumulation phase, as long-term holders (LTHs), investors who have held Bitcoin for more than 155 days, ramped up buying.

The LTH net position change has been positive since March 5, as about 155,450 BTC has been bought over the past 30 days.

In other words, holders are buying more on the dips, including the latest one below $68,000.

When Bitcoin leaves exchanges while LTHs expand their positions, it “usually signals lower immediate sell pressure and stronger conviction from investors with a longer time horizon,” Amr Taha said.

If this trend continues, the market could be entering another phase where tightening sell-side liquidity and stronger LTH demand “create a more supportive backdrop for price,” the analyst added.

Bitcoin price to revisit $65,000 before bounce

As Cointelegraph reported, $70,000 remains the key for the Bitcoin bulls and that losing it could trigger the next leg down.

The BTC/USD pair was trading below $67,000 at the time of writing, below the 50-day simple moving average (SMA) and the 200-week exponential moving average (EMA).

Bears will attempt to push the price toward the $65,000-$63,300 demand zone, with a deeper focus on the range low below $60,000, reached on Feb. 6.

“It’s quite clear that there’s not enough strength for the markets to move higher after that rejection at $75K,” MN Capital founder Michael van de Poppe said in a recent X post.

An accompanying chart suggested that the price was seeking to print a higher low within the $65,000 to $66,000 range, failing which “we’ll start to see an acceleration downwards,” van de Poppe said, adding:

“I would be looking at longs in the lower-$60K range.”

The Glassnode liquidity heatmap highlighted “stronger” whale bid orders near $65,000, suggesting that the BTC price could retest this area before a bounce.

As Cointelegraph reported, a break and close below the ascending trend line at $68,000 could result in Bitcoin price dropping toward $60,000, where it could consolidate next.