Crypto World
Market Metrics Suggest the AI Bubble Has Not Reached Peak Stage
TLDR:
- Search trends show persistent fear around the AI bubble, which historically appears during early expansion phases.
- Nasdaq returns and valuations remain far below dot-com extremes, signaling a cycle that has not reached mania.
- Rising margin debt indicates leverage growth, a pattern seen before peaks rather than during collapses.
- Market gains remain concentrated in mega-cap stocks, not broad participation typical of bubble finales.
The debate over an AI bubble has intensified as technology stocks continue to dominate market performance. New research shared by Bull Theory argues that current conditions do not match historical patterns seen at major market peaks.
Instead, indicators point to an expansion phase rather than an imminent collapse. The analysis draws on valuation metrics, liquidity trends, and long-term bubble cycles.
AI Bubble Signals Show Fear and Concentration, Not Euphoria
Bull Theory reports that search activity for the phrase “AI bubble” remains elevated on Google Trends. High search interest reflects widespread concern rather than widespread confidence.
Historical market cycles show that bubbles tend to peak when public attention fades and belief becomes absolute. Current search behavior suggests the opposite phase, where fear and skepticism remain dominant.
Nasdaq performance also differs from past mania periods. Over the last five years, the index has risen about 88 percent, far below the twelvefold surge recorded during the dot-com era.
Valuation data supports this comparison. Dot-com Nasdaq price-to-earnings ratios reached roughly 60, while today’s Nasdaq trades near 26, according to market datasets cited by Bull Theory.
Market breadth further weakens the bubble argument. The S&P 500 equal-weight index has gained only about 10 percent over the past year, showing that gains concentrate in a small group of mega-cap firms.
Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon account for most of the rally. Previous bubble peaks required broad participation across sectors and stocks.
Volatility indicators also signal caution. VIX spikes accompany most market pullbacks, and options data shows consistent demand for downside protection.
These patterns reflect defensive positioning rather than the low-volatility environment typical of late-stage speculative peaks.
Liquidity and Leverage Data Point to Ongoing Expansion Phase
Margin debt has climbed to about $1.1 trillion, the highest level on record. Bull Theory notes that past bubbles burst only after leverage began to contract sharply.
At present, leverage continues to rise alongside market funding activity. This trend aligns with earlier phases of historical bubbles rather than final stages.
Macro liquidity conditions also remain supportive. Central bank actions in the United States, Japan, and China have injected capital into global markets, sustaining risk appetite.
U.S. fiscal projections show federal debt rising toward $50 trillion by the end of the decade. Large-scale spending typically increases liquidity across financial systems.
Sentiment indicators show division rather than certainty. Retail traders respond to every correction with increased put option activity, while institutional investors remain cautious.
Bull Theory links this environment to the period between early warnings and the eventual peak seen in prior cycles. During the dot-com era, warnings surfaced in 1997, while the market topped in 2000.
A similar pattern appeared before the housing crash, with alerts years ahead of the final breakdown. The firm places current AI-related warnings in a comparable timeline window.
Corporate earnings also support the present valuation structure. Revenue growth from firms like Nvidia and Microsoft continues to justify capital inflows tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Data from Nasdaq, Google Trends, and margin accounts collectively show a market still building momentum. The research concludes that present conditions reflect acceleration rather than exhaustion.
Bitcoin could revisit $87,000 during consolidation, but only as a chance to add shorts, and not confirmation of a trend.
Bitcoin (BTC) staged a modest recovery of almost 2% on Monday’s Asian trading hours after briefly dipping below $70,000 during the weekend. But prominent market commentators believe that the carnage is not yet over.
Doctor Profit, for one, believes that the asset is entering an extended sideways phase that is not a bullish consolidation but is a preparation for a deeper decline in the months ahead.
Sideways, Then Down
According to the analyst’s findings, Bitcoin is forming a new trading “box” between roughly $57,000 and $87,000, which represents a wide 33% range. He expects the price action to remain largely range-bound within these levels for weeks or even months.
Doctor Profit stated that this sideways behavior should not be interpreted as strength, but instead as a structural phase that typically precedes a breakdown in a broader bear market. Drawing a parallel to 2024, the analyst said BTC spent an entire year consolidating between $58,000 and $74,000 before breaking out above $100,000, and he repeatedly warned at the time that this range would later serve as a reference level during the next bear market.
That scenario is now playing out: Bitcoin is once again trading in the same price zone, but this time in a bearish context, where former consolidation areas act as structure rather than durable support. He expects that once the current sideways phase is complete, the crypto asset will break down below the box and end up targeting the $44,000-$50,000 region in the coming weeks or months.
Doctor Profit said that he is buying spot Bitcoin between $57,000 and $60,000, which he considers the local bottom of the current range, but not the final macro bottom of the bear market. He added that this area is likely to be tested multiple times during the sideways phase, which makes it suitable for range trades, while upside during this period could extend as high as $87,000, depending on market strength.
However, the analyst made it clear that $87,000 is not a guaranteed target and merely represents the upper boundary of what he expects during the consolidation. If price does approach that level, he said he would consider adding to existing short positions opened between $115,000 and $125,000, which he continues to hold in full.
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Meanwhile, there is no immediate major downside while the market remains range-bound, as per Doctor Profit’s analysis. He described the coming period as “long and boring” while adding that the most aggressive long-term buying will only occur much lower, between the low $50,000s and the low $40,000s, where he believes Bitcoin will ultimately bottom, potentially around September or October.
“We are in a bear market. The bounces are temporary and exist to build liquidity for further downside.”
No Relief for BTC Bulls
Another pseudonymous analyst, Filbfilb, posted a Bitcoin chart on X wherein he compared the current market setup with the 2022 bear market, offering little encouragement for bulls.
His findings reveal that BTC is trading below the 50-week exponential moving average near $95,300, a level, according to the analyst, that is an important trend marker. Filbfilb suggested that losing this level leaves the crypto asset vulnerable, as recent price action resembles bear-market conditions rather than a recovery.
Market commentator BitBull also shared a similar forecast, saying that BTC’s “final capitulation hasn’t happened yet,” and that “a real bottom will form below the $50,000 level, where most of the ETF buyers will be underwater.”
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An analysis by Coinglass comparing perpetual decentralized exchange (perp DEX) data has sparked fierce debate and, in the process, highlighted rifts within the crypto derivatives sector.
The study exposed marked discrepancies in trading volumes, open interest, and liquidations across Hyperliquid, Aster, and Lighter. Users are left asking what qualifies as genuine trading activity on these platforms.
Coinglass Data Sparks Debate Over Authentic Trading on Perpetual DEXs
Coinglass is facing backlash after publishing a comparison of perp DEXs, questioning whether reported trading volumes across parts of the sector reflect genuine market activity.
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A 24-hour snapshot comparing Hyperliquid, Aster, and Lighter shows that:
- Hyperliquid recorded approximately $3.76 billion in trading volume, $4.05 billion in open interest, and $122.96 million in liquidations.
- Aster posted $2.76 billion in volume, $927 million in open interest, and $7.2 million in liquidations
- Lighter reported $1.81 billion in volume, $731 million in open interest, and $3.34 million in liquidations.
According to Coinglass, such discrepancies can matter. In perpetual futures markets, high trading volume driven by leveraged positions typically correlates with open-interest dynamics and liquidation activity during price moves.
The firm suggested that, rather than organic hedging demand, the combination of high reported volume and relatively low liquidations may indicate:
- Incentive-driven trading
- Market-maker looping, or
- Points farming.
Based on this, Coinglass concludes that Hyperliquid showed stronger internal consistency across key metrics.
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Meanwhile, the volume quality of some competitors warrants further validation using indicators such as funding rates, fees, order-book depth, and active trader counts.
“Conclusion…Hyperliquid shows much stronger consistency between volume, OI, and liquidations — a better signal of real activity. Meanwhile, Aster/Lighter’s volume quality needs further validation (vs fees, funding, orderbook depth, and active traders),” the analytics platform indicated.
Critics Push Back, but Coinglass Defends Its Position
However, critics argue that conclusions drawn from a single-day snapshot could be misleading. Specifically, they suggest alternative explanations for the data, including whale positioning, algorithmic differences between platforms, and variations in market structure that could influence liquidation patterns without implying inflated volume.
Others questioned whether liquidation totals alone are a reliable indicator of market health, noting that higher liquidations can also reflect aggressive leverage or volatile trading conditions.
Meanwhile, Coinglass rejects accusations that its analysis amounted to speculation or fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD), emphasizing that its conclusions were based on publicly available data.
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“Coinglass simply highlighted a few discrepancies based on publicly available data. We didn’t expect that a neutral, data-driven observation would trigger such hostile reactions,” the firm wrote, adding that open discussion and tolerance for criticism are essential for the industry to improve.
In another response, Coinglass stressed that disagreements should be addressed with stronger evidence rather than accusations.
The firm also argued that higher leverage ceilings on some platforms could make them structurally more prone to forced liquidations. This outlook shifts the debate away from raw numbers toward exchange design and risk management.
A Pattern of Backlash in the Perp DEX Sector: What Counts as “Real” Activity?
The controversy comes amid a broader wave of disputes surrounding Hyperliquid and the perpetual DEX market.
Earlier, Kyle Samani, co-founder of Multicoin Capital, publicly criticized Hyperliquid, raising concerns about transparency, governance, and its closed-source elements.
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His remarks triggered strong reactions from traders and supporters of the platform, many of whom dismissed the criticism and questioned his motives.
BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes further escalated the feud by proposing a $100,000 charity bet, challenging Samani to select any major altcoin with a market cap above $1 billion to compete against Hyperliquid’s HYPE token in performance over several months.
The dispute highlights a deeper issue facing crypto derivatives markets: the lack of standardized metrics for evaluating activity across DEXes.
Trading volume has long served as a headline indicator of success. However, the rise of incentive programs, airdrop campaigns, and liquidity-mining strategies has complicated the interpretation of those figures.
As new perp DEX platforms launch and competition intensifies, metrics such as open interest, liquidation patterns, leverage levels, and order-book depth are becoming central to assessing market integrity.
This Coinglass incident mirrors how data itself has become a battleground amid a sector driven by both numbers and narratives. Therefore, the debate over what those numbers truly mean is likely to intensify as the perpetual futures market continues to grow.
South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) said it will step up scrutiny of suspected cryptocurrency price manipulation in 2026, outlining a slate of planned investigations that target high-risk trading tactics, including “whale” activity and schemes that exploit disruptions at local exchanges, local outlet Yonhap reported Monday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, FSS Governor Lee Chang-jin said that the agency will target high-risk trading practices that undermine market order, including coordinated manipulation and schemes exploiting disruptions in exchange infrastructure.
The FSS said the probes will focus on tactics that involve large-scale trading by whales, artificial price swings during exchange deposit or withdrawal suspensions and coordinated trading mechanisms using APIs or social media to spread false information.
Under the plan, the regulator said it intends to strengthen automated detection by analyzing abnormal price movements at very short intervals and developing tools that can flag suspected manipulation “sections” and related account groups, alongside text analysis that can help identify coordinated misinformation.
Planned probes target crypto manipulation tactics
The FSS said it will investigate practices that distort price discovery, including schemes that take advantage of exchange deposit or withdrawal suspensions, a practice referred to in South Korea as “gating.”
These situations can trap supply on a platform, creating artificial movements disconnected from the broader digital asset markets.
The financial watchdog also mentioned that it will track manipulation using market-order APIs and coordinated activity aimed at amplifying false narratives on social media.
On Feb. 2, the FSS expanded its use of artificial intelligence-powered surveillance tools to monitor crypto markets, reducing reliance on manual identification of potential manipulation.
In parallel, the watchdog established a task force to prepare for the introduction of the Digital Asset Basic Act, the second phase of the country’s crypto regulatory framework.
The unit will support the implementation planning rather than enforcement, including work on disclosures, exchange oversight and licensing standards.
Related: South Korea tightens crypto licensing rules for exchanges and shareholders
Exchange incidents add urgency to oversight push
The tougher tone arrives after a series of exchange-related incidents put operational risk back in the spotlight.
On Sunday, crypto exchange Bithumb said it recovered 99.7% of excess Bitcoin (BTC) mistakenly credited to users during a promotional error.
While the exchange said no customer assets were lost, the episode briefly triggered sharp price swings and prompted compensation measures for affected users.
The incident triggered a response from regulators. According to the Asia Business Daily, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) held an emergency inspection meeting on Sunday with the FSS and the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (KoFIU), where officials reportedly ordered a comprehensive review of internal controls across all domestic crypto exchanges.
On Feb. 3, the FSS said it was reviewing sharp price movements in the ZKsync token during a system maintenance window on Upbit. The regulator said it was analyzing the data and could escalate the review into a formal investigation depending on the findings.
Upbit operator Dunamu previously told Cointelegraph that it has internal systems that also flag suspicious activities and a process that involves cooperating with regulators.
“When regulators request information, we can provide the relevant trading data without delay,” the spokesperson told Cointelegraph.
Magazine: South Korea gets rich from crypto… North Korea gets weapons
Digital asset investment products showed early signs of stabilisation last week as crypto outflows slowed sharply to $187 million, according to the latest CoinShares weekly report, despite continued pressure on crypto prices.
Summary
- Crypto fund outflows slowed sharply to $187 million, signaling a deceleration in selling pressure despite ongoing price weakness.
- Bitcoin led weekly outflows with $264 million, while several altcoins, including XRP, Solana, and Ethereum, attracted fresh inflows.
- Elevated trading volumes and selective regional inflows, particularly in Europe, point to early signs of market stabilisation.
While fund flows often move in tandem with price action, CoinShares noted that changes in the pace of flows have historically been more telling, frequently signalling potential inflection points in investor sentiment.
The recent deceleration suggests the market may be approaching a near-term bottom.
Bitcoin sees outflows as altcoins attract interest
At the asset level, Bitcoin (BTC) remained the main source of negative sentiment, with weekly outflows of $264.4 million, extending its year-to-date outflows to $984 million. Short Bitcoin products also recorded outflows of $11.6 million, suggesting reduced demand for bearish positioning.
In contrast, several altcoins attracted fresh inflows. XRP led the pack with $63.1 million in weekly inflows, bringing its year-to-date total to $109 million. This makes the Ripple token (XRP) the strongest-performing asset on a flows basis so far this year.
Solana (SOL) and Ethereum (ETH) also saw inflows of $8.2 million and $5.3 million, respectively, while multi-asset products added $9.3 million.
Flows remained geographically uneven. European markets showed pockets of strength, with inflows into Germany ($87.1 million) and Switzerland ($30.1 million), while Canada ($21.4 million) and Brazil ($16.7 million) also recorded gains.
CoinShares said the combination of slowing outflows, elevated trading volumes, and selective inflows into altcoins and European products points to a market that may be stabilising, even as price uncertainty persists.
Assets under management fall, trading activity surges
Total assets under management (AuM) across digital asset investment products declined to $129.8 billion, the lowest level since March 2025, following the latest market correction. That period also coincided with a local low in crypto prices.
Despite the drawdown in AuM, trading activity surged. ETP trading volumes hit a record $63.1 billion for the week, surpassing the previous high of $56.4 billion recorded in October, pointing to elevated investor engagement amid market volatility.
Tether, the crypto firm behind the world’s most popular stablecoin , continued its gold hoarding over the past month, ranking within the top 30 global owners of the metal and surpassing several sovereign nations, according to a Sunday report from Wall Street investment bank Jefferies.
The stablecoin issuer’s gold reserves rose to an estimated 148 tonnes by Jan. 31, valued at roughly $23 billion, after buying about 26 tonnes in the last quarter of 2025 and adding another 6 tonnes in January, Jefferies analysts said.
Jefferies estimates show Tether’s quarterly gold buying exceeded that of most individual central banks, trailing only Poland and Brazil during that period.
At current levels, Tether’s holdings exceed those of countries such as Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Korea and Greece, placing the crypto firm among the top 30 holders of bullion worldwide and one of the largest non-sovereign buyers, the analysts said.
The 148 tonnes of bullion is held as reserves backing both its U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin USDT and its gold-backed token XAUT. But the company may hold more gold than disclosed, the report added.
Because Tether is privately held, the figures represent a minimum estimate of its total gold exposure, with undisclosed additional purchases likely made on the company’s balance sheet.
According to the USDT’s fourth quarter attestation, some $17 billion of gold was in the reserves, amounting to 126 tonnes as of year-end gold prices.
XAUT’s supply grew to 712,000 tokens worth $3.2 billion by the end of January, an increase of 6 tonnes of gold backing the tokens. CEO Paolo Ardoino told CoinDesk in an October interview that the gold-back enjoyed strong retail demand mainly from emerging markets.
The accumulation coincided with a record-breaking rally in gold, topping $5,000 per ounces last month and advancing nearly 50% since September. The driving forces behind the move is central bank demand, rising long-term government bond yields and efforts by some investors to reduce reliance on the U.S. dollar.
The company’s buying spree may continue, Jefferies noted. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said the company plans to allocate 10%-15% of its investment portfolio to physical gold, formalizing a strategy that has already played out over several years.
Tether’s investment portfolio was valued at $20 billion as of the end of last year, CoinDesk reported.
Read more: Tether is buying up to $1 billion of gold per month and storing it in a ‘James Bond’ bunker
Crypto market sentiment collapses as CoinMarketCap’s Fear and Greed Index crashes to 9, signaling deep anxiety despite Bitcoin and majors stabilizing.
Summary
- CoinMarketCap’s Crypto Fear and Greed Index has dropped to 9, near its yearly low of 5 on Feb. 6, marking sustained “Extreme Fear” across the market.
- The index blends price momentum, BTC/ETH volatility, options positioning, stablecoin supply, and social data to frame whether sentiment is overly fearful or greedy.
- Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana prices have stabilized off recent lows even as sentiment stays depressed, turning the index into a context tool rather than a direct trading signal.
Crypto’s mood has flipped to panic, and CoinMarketCap’s own gauge is flashing red to prove it. The platform’s CMC Crypto Fear and Greed Index currently sits at just 9, firmly in “Extreme Fear,” down from 15 a week ago and well below the “Neutral” reading of 41 seen last month. Yesterday’s score was 8, while the yearly low hit 5 on Feb. 6, underscoring how aggressively sentiment has reset despite a still‑elevated market cap backdrop.
CoinMarket Cap’s Fear and Greed Index lowers to -9
CoinMarketCap describes the tool as “a powerful tool that analyzes market sentiment to help you make informed crypto investment decisions,” framing it as the most “trusted measure of overall crypto market sentiment” and “the number one, most cited and most trusted index of its kind” among mainstream financial outlets. The index runs on a 0–100 scale, where a lower value indicates extreme fear and a higher value “extreme greed,” effectively quantifying what many traders only feel anecdotally in price action. As the launch note put it, “this innovative index provides a wide‑ranging and quantifiable assessment of fear and greed for the entire cryptocurrency industry.”
Methodologically, the indicator pulls from five pillars: price momentum across the top 10 non‑stablecoin assets, forward‑looking volatility via BVIV and EVIV for Bitcoin and Ethereum, options put/call ratios, market composition through the stablecoin supply ratio, and CMC’s own social‑trend and engagement data. The Academy explainer stresses that “extreme fear likely indicates undervalued asset prices, while extreme greed likely indicates frothy valuations and overvalued asset prices,” echoing Warren Buffett’s maxim to “be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.”
In spot markets, Bitcoin (BTC) trades near $70,505 with roughly $42.8b in 24‑hour volume. Ethereum (ETH) changes hands close to $2,096, on about $20.9b in turnover. Solana (SOL) is around $87.6, after a 24‑hour range between roughly $86.2 and $88.6. That pricing backdrop lines up with a broader rebound in digital assets, with Bitcoin recently reclaiming the $71,000 area after last week’s washout and total crypto market capitalization moving back above $2.4t.
For traders, the sub‑10 print is less a trading signal than a context marker. CoinMarketCap is explicit that the Fear and Greed Index “is not a perfect indicator in itself but can provide a useful measure of the market’s sentiment,” best used alongside technicals, flows and macro drivers. In other words: quantify the fear, then decide whether you’re trading with the herd or against it.
Ethereum remains under heavy bearish pressure, with recent price action confirming a continuation of the broader downtrend. The market is currently reacting to a major sell-side expansion, and both technical structure and on-chain liquidity dynamics suggest that the asset is still navigating a critical phase where downside targets remain relevant, even if short-term relief bounces occur.
Ethereum Price Analysis: The Daily Chart
On the daily timeframe, ETH is clearly trading within a well-defined descending channel, with the price recently accelerating toward the lower boundary of this structure. The most important observation on the chart is the clean breakdown below multiple prior support levels, followed by a sharp impulsive leg to the downside. This move confirms strong bearish acceptance rather than a simple liquidity sweep.
The asset has now reached a major higher-timeframe demand zone, located around the $1.8K region, which previously acted as a base during earlier accumulation phases. The reaction off this zone has produced a modest bounce, but so far this move lacks structural strength and remains corrective in nature.
Nevertheless, the market is likely to enter a consolidation-correction phase above this crucial support until a decisive breakout occurs. The main supply zone during this consolidation range is the channel’s middle line, located at the $2.3K threshold. A break above this resistance will open the door for an extended bullish retracement toward the $2.5K significant resistance.
ETH/USDT 4-Hour Chart
Zooming into the 4-hour timeframe, the bearish structure becomes even clearer. The most recent price action shows a sharp sell-off into demand, followed by a shallow bounce that lacks impulsive follow-through.
Crucially, the rebound appears corrective and technically opens the door for a pullback toward the most recent supply zones and Fibonacci levels, located around the $2.3K to $2.6K region. These areas align with prior breakdown levels and correspond to zones where sellers previously intervened aggressively. If the price retraces into these levels without strong volume or momentum, they are likely to act as rejection zones rather than breakout points.
Until Ethereum can reclaim and hold above these supply areas, the 4-hour structure continues to favour continuation to the downside or extended consolidation within the lower range, rather than a trend reversal.
Sentiment Analysis
The ETH liquidation heatmap over the last 6 months provides critical confirmation of the bearish technical structure. A significant concentration of liquidity has been built around and just below the $2K level, which has recently acted as a strong magnet for price. The sharp sell-off into this area confirms that downside liquidity was actively targeted, resulting in a large flush of leveraged long positions.
Despite this liquidation event, the heatmap still reveals residual liquidity pockets extending slightly below current price levels, indicating that the market may not have fully exhausted its downside objectives yet. These remaining clusters continue to exert gravitational pull on price, especially if spot demand remains weak and derivatives positioning rebuilds on the long side too quickly.
That said, the intensity of liquidations around the $2K zone suggests that a meaningful portion of forced selling has already occurred. This reduces immediate liquidation pressure and explains the short-term stabilization seen after the drop. However, from an on-chain perspective, this behavior supports consolidation or corrective rebounds, not a confirmed trend reversal, unless liquidity interest decisively shifts back above current levels.
In summary, on-chain data aligns closely with the technical picture: Ethereum is still operating in a bearish liquidity-driven environment, with downside risks remaining active as long as price fails to reclaim key supply zones and attract sustained spot demand.
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Ripple’s XRP is no longer trading within a corrective or range-bound environment. The recent price action reflects a clear liquidity-driven unwind, where prior reaction zones have failed to hold, and the asset is now probing deeper demand with limited structural support overhead.
Ripple Price Analysis: The Daily Chart
On the daily timeframe, XRP has breached its most recent major swing low of $1.2, confirming a structural breakdown rather than a temporary deviation. The sell-off following this breach has been sharp and impulsive, indicating forced participation rather than controlled distribution.
The price has sliced through multiple previously respected demand areas with minimal response, which signals that resting buy-side liquidity at those levels has already been consumed. The current interaction with the broader demand zone near the channel’s lower boundary of $1.00 is therefore critical. This zone represents one of the last visible higher-timeframe areas where untested demand may still exist.
However, the lack of meaningful absorption so far suggests that sellers remain in control, and any stabilization here would need to be confirmed through time rather than a single reaction.
From a daily perspective, XRP remains vulnerable as long as the price trades below the former reaction zones overhead, which are now structurally acting as supply.
XRP/USDT 4-Hour Chart
Zooming into the 4-hour timeframe, the influx of sellers is more evident, with the price aggressively reaching the $1.00 threshold. Yet, the most recent impulsive leg lower was followed by a corrective bounce, which has pushed the asset toward an internal supply zone around the $1.5 area.
The highlighted supply zones on the chart align with previous consolidation and breakdown areas. These zones now represent regions where any short-term pullback is likely to be met with renewed sell-side interest. As long as the price remains below these levels, upside moves should be treated as corrective rather than the start of a reversal.
Structurally, the market is still prioritizing downside liquidity, and without a clear break in this lower-high sequence, the 4-hour trend remains decisively bearish.
The post Ripple Price Analysis: What’s Next for XRP After a Brutal 31% Monthly Drop? appeared first on CryptoPotato.
United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wants the Senate Banking Committee to move ahead with the confirmation hearings for Federal Reserve chair nominee Kevin Warsh, even as a Department of Justice investigation into current Fed chair Jerome Powell remains unresolved.
Summary
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged the Senate Banking Committee to proceed with Kevin Warsh’s confirmation hearings.
- Republican Senator Thom Tillis has threatened to block all Federal Reserve nominations until the investigation into Powell’s congressional testimony over a $2.5 billion renovation is resolved.
- Bitcoin has tanked over 20% since Warsh was nominated.
During a Fox News interview, Bessent pushed back on Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who has threatened to delay the confirmation process until the Department of Justice investigation into the current Fed chair is concluded.
“Senator Tillis has come out and said he thinks that Kevin Warsh is an extreme candidate, So I would say, why don’t we get the hearings underway and see where Jeanine Pirro’s investigation goes?” Bessent said.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, opened a probe on Jan. 9 tied to Powell’s congressional testimony, which addressed cost overruns linked to a $2.5 billion renovation of the Fed’s headquarters and nearby buildings. Prosecutors are investigating whether Powell misled lawmakers about the scope and expense of the renovation project.
Powell has denied any wrongdoing and said the investigation is being used as a political pretext following his resistance to Donald Trump’s demands for faster interest rate cuts.
As previously reported by crypto.news, Senator Tillis has said he would block all Fed nominations until the Justice Department concludes its probe into Powell, even though he considers Warsh a “qualified” and “strong” candidate for the position.
“I’d be one of the first people to introduce Mr. Warsh if we’re behind this and support him, but not before this matter is settled,” Tillis said in a recent interview appearance.
Warsh was nominated by Trump on Jan. 30 and now awaits a Senate Banking Committee review hearing, following which the panel will vote on whether to advance his nomination to the full Senate. If the full Senate confirms the nominee, he will be officially appointed as the next Federal Reserve chair.
Warsh’s nomination as the next Fed chair has had an immediate impact on the price of Bitcoin (BTC) and the broader crypto market, as he is viewed as a hawkish policymaker by the vast majority of analysts. Right after his nomination, the price of Bitcoin fell below $82,000 after weeks of trading above that level, while the total crypto market capitalization dropped to $2.8 trillion.
The trading sessions that followed saw more than $2.5 billion in liquidations of leveraged long positions, which subsequently pushed the flagship crypto below several key support levels and intensified downside volatility.
As of press time, Bitcoin has dropped over 20% since Warsh’s nomination.
Bitcoin (BTC) begins its second week of February, licking its wounds as traders remain bearish on BTC.
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Market forecasts agree that Bitcoin price action has not yet put in a reliable long-term bottom.
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CPI week comes as markets lose faith in Fed rate cuts in March.
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US dollar strength begins to fade as analysts eye a potential rerun of 2021 for Bitcoin-dollar correlation.
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Japan’s election turns heads, with analysis seeing a weaker yen and crypto headwinds to come.
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Bitcoin miners send large amounts to exchanges as the dust settles on the snap downside.
BTC price expected to attempt $60,000 retest
Bitcoin continues to trade above $70,000 as the week gets underway, but traders are anything but bullish on the short-term BTC price outlook.
Data from TradingView shows a lack of volatility around the weekly close, with BTC/USD staying around 20% higher versus its 15-month lows from last week.
In an X thread covering lower time frames, trader CrypNuevo warned that the current relief may end up as a manipulative move to liquidate late short positions.
“The intention to push price up first would be to hit the short liquidations that exist between $72k-$77k mainly. But this move is just a guess,” he wrote.
“What we’re really anticipating here is the long wick getting filled at least 50% of it in the next weekly candles.”
CrypNuevo implied that the lows could see at least a partial retest in the short term.
“It could be an immediate wick-fill. But in the case of having a move up first, then it could probably take around 5-8 weekly candles to get filled,” he forecast.
At the weekend, Cointelegraph reported on a broad consensus that price would make new macro lows in the future — and that these could take BTC/USD to $50,000 or lower.
Guys this isn’t the bottom. It’s just a bounce.
Historically $BTC drops 80% during its bear market.
That puts us near 40k
— Roman (@Roman_Trading) February 6, 2026
Trader Daan Crypto Trades meanwhile considered less exciting BTC price action to come next.
“After such a volatile few weeks, price will attempt to start ranging at some point. With this recent spike in volatility and big retrace yesterday, there’s a good chance we are hitting that point about now,” he told X followers Sunday.
“Would expect volatility to slowly come off a bit again, a range to be formed and from there on out we can reassess and look for opportunities.”
CPI due as Fed policy nerves emerge
The macro focus is back on US inflation data this week as wild gyrations in precious metals settle.
The January print of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), due Friday, forms the highlight and will follow various US employment data releases.
“Earnings season is also in full swing and macroeconomic uncertainty is elevated,” trading resource The Kobeissi Letter added on the week’s outlook.
Since announcing the new Chair of the Federal Reserve, President Donald Trump has failed to calm market nerves about future financial policy. His pick, Kevin Warsh, is thought to be notionally opposed to easing financial conditions — something that has already weighed on risk-asset performance.
Markets thus have little faith in interest rates going lower at the Fed’s next meeting in mid-March — even if Warsh is only due to take over in May.
Data from CME Group’s FedWatch Tool currently gives 82% odds of rates staying at current levels.
Commenting, analytics resource Mosaic Asset Company pointed to “stubborn” US inflation statistics as a reason for a more hawkish Fed — and associated market nerves.
“The combination of stronger economic growth and stubbornly high core inflation might starting casting a doubt on the interest rate outlook across the yield curve,” it wrote in the latest edition of its regular newsletter, “The Market Mosaic.”
Mosaic said that difficult conditions for the Fed were a “major catalyst behind the selloff in growth and AI stocks this year.”
“Rising rates makes the present value of future corporate profits worth less in today’s terms, while higher rates presents competition for investor capital as well,” it added.
As the week began, meanwhile, gold returned to the $5,000 mark, while US stocks futures joined Bitcoin in a relief bounce off Friday’s lows.
US dollar at a ten-year crossroads
For both Bitcoin and the broader risk-asset market, US dollar strength is becoming an increasingly important potential volatility catalyst.
The US dollar index (DXY), which enjoyed a relief rally following a trip to multiyear lows near 95.5 in late January, is failing to reclaim levels above 98.
A strong dollar tends to result in pressure for Bitcoin, and while the correlation has undergone many changes in recent years, the long-term trend may provide bulls with a more reliable tailwind.
“Still holding that support. But really critical level for the long-term trend,” analyst Aksel Kibar wrote in recent dollar commentary.
“$DXY can offer a great trade setup soon. Long or short. irrespective of direction.”
Kibar eyed DXY possibly now breaking out of a ten-year trading channel to the downside, but said that more data would be necessary before this was confirmed.
An alternative perspective comes from Henrik Zeberg, chief macro economist at crypto market insight company Swissblock.
In an X post last week, Zeberg likened the current relationship between BTC and DXY to early 2021 — around ten months before BTC/USD saw the blow-off top in its last bull market.
Far from breaking down, DXY could in fact be at the start of its next bull run.
“Strong DXY is BEARISH for BTC – just not in the initial phase of the Bull. Likely because ROTATION into US Assets,” he wrote.
“In 2021 – we had 12 weeks of BTC rally into the new DXY Bull. The rally gained 130% into the TOP for BTC. I see same development again! +100% gain in BTC – into its FINAL TOP.”
An accompanying chart suggested a target for that “final top” at $146,000.
Yen weakness stays on the radar
For the short term, however, Bitcoin faces another macro hurdle: a new fiscal policy era in Japan.
After the reelection of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Japanese stocks surged to record highs — and analysis now sees negative impacts for US investment vehicles and crypto.
“The landslide victory of Sanae Takaichi marks Japan’s shift toward aggressive fiscal stimulus and tolerance for currency depreciation,” analyst XWIN Research Japan wrote in a blog post published on onchain analytics platform CryptoQuant.
“The ‘Takaichi Trade’ has lifted the Nikkei to record highs while reshaping global capital flows.”
XWIN referenced findings warning of “slowing inflows” into US equity exchange-traded funds (ETFs), thanks to a weaker yen increasing the attractiveness of Japanese bonds.
“Against this backdrop, Bitcoin faces short-term downside risk,” it continued.
“In risk-off phases, BTC tends to correlate with U.S. equities, allowing equity-led de-risking to spill into crypto markets. This pressure does not reflect deterioration in Bitcoin’s on-chain fundamentals, but cross-asset risk management.”
As Cointelegraph reported, crypto markets remain highly sensitive to Japan-related news, with one theory even attributing the yen carry trade to last week’s BTC price crash.
Analyzing the yen situation ahead of the election, Robin Brooks, a senior research fellow at Brookings, described its weakness as a “political liability.”
“With the election out of the way, especially if Takaichi does well, the optics of Yen depreciation won’t matter nearly as much,” he predicted.
“So the election is conceivably a catalyst for the next round of Yen weakening.”
Bitcoin miners see “exceptional” exchange inflows
Bitcoin miners are busy adjusting to current reality after Bitcoin’s 15-month lows — but research warns that a sell-off risk remains.
Related: Bitcoin difficulty plunges, Buterin sells off Ethereum: Hodler’s Digest, Feb. 1 – 7
Miner inflows to exchanges reached their highest levels since 2024 in recent days, with Feb. 5 alone seeing total deposits of 24,000 BTC.
Describing that tally as “exceptional,” CryptoQuant contributor Arab Chain said that the market is undergoing a “redistribution phase.”
“Notably, this rise in miner activity comes within a market environment characterized by clear volatility and reduced risk appetite among segments of traders, which could add an extra layer of short-term selling pressure,” a blog post explained.
“However, these inflows do not necessarily indicate the start of a prolonged downtrend, but rather may represent a natural redistribution phase within the market cycle.”
The classic Hash Ribbons indicator, which measures periods of miner stress, likewise continues its reaction to Bitcoin’s flash crash.
The indicator’s two moving averages of hash rate show no sign of forming a classic bullish cross, firmly invalidating its latest “buy” signal from early January.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.
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