Following the usual recent pattern, crypto markets fell sharply as U.S. stocks opened for trade Tuesday, but recovered most of those losses in a similarly quick fashion.

In mid-morning trade, bitcoin BTC$69,519.36 was at $69,200, down marginally from 24 hours ago. Ether ETH$2,030.55 underperformed, down 1.8%, with similar declines in XRP XRP$1.4171 and Solana SOL$84.59.

While bitcoin’s current drawdown is the most significant since the 2024 halving, trading volume stayed low during the decline, suggesting retail investors stepped back rather than rushed to sell, according to Kaiko.

The “market [is now] approaching critical technical support levels that will determine whether the four-year cycle framework remains intact,” Kaiko research analyst Laurens Fraussen wrote in a report Tuesday.

Trading firm Wintermute expects bitcoin to remain in the current range as it’s still in price discovery.

Recent bitcoin moves have been driven by leveraged derivatives rather than spot demand, the firm said, with light spot volumes leaving prices sensitive to crowded positions. Wintermute pointed to last Friday’s rebound as a short squeeze in perpetual futures and said the return of volatility caught investors off guard after a period of complacency.

January jobs report on tap

Originally scheduled for last Friday, the government’s January Nonfarm Payrolls Report is now coming out on Wednesday morning due to the brief federal shutdown last month.

Economist forecasts are for 70,000 jobs to have been added, up from 50,000 in December. The unemployment rate is expected to remain at 4.4%.

White House trade counselor Peter Navarro, however, said in a Fox interview Tuesday that expectations need to be significantly revised lower. His comments follow those of White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett, who advised markets not to panic on weak jobs data.

Those remarks appear to have been noted by the bond market, where the 10-year Treasury yield is lower by 5 basis points to 4.14%. Lower interest rates and easier Federal Reserve monetary policy are typically assumed to be good for assets like bitcoin, but it hasn’t been the case this cycle, with bitcoin plunging even as the Fed has trimmed rates by 75 basis points in recent months.

Tether Investments, the investment arm of the leading stablecoin issuer, has made a strategic investment in LayerZero Labs, which develops an interoperability protocol called LayerZero.

The move is essentially a bet on the technology underpinning USDt0, a blockchain-agnostic version of Tether’s dollar-pegged token that has moved over $70 billion across blockchains in less than a year, according to a press release the company shared.

LayerZero’s infrastructure enables cryptocurrencies to flow across different blockchains without fragmentation or illiquidity. That allows developers building financial tools to rely on stablecoins without getting their funds locked in a single network.

That same architecture also supports more experimental use cases, like AI agents managing their own wallets and sending payments autonomously, in what Tether called “agentic finance.”

Tether’s investment comes on the heels of USDt0’s deployment by Everdawn Labs and is built using LayerZero’s Omnichain Fungible Token (OFT) standard. Alongside their tokenized Tether gold token, XAUt0, the projects are seen as real-world tests of LayerZero’s interoperability framework.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, and Tether did not reply to a request for comment.

The stablecoin giant has been using the billions it generates from backing USDT tokens in circulation to make a wide range of investments. These include a majority stake in Latin American agricultural firm Adecoagro (AGRO), a privacy-focused health app, and a stake in video-sharing platform Rumble (RUM).

The company has been aggressively accumulating gold, and earlier this month, itbought a $150 million stake in Gold.com to boost the distribution of tokenized gold.

LayerZero’s ZRO token gained as much as 10% on the news, but quickly reversed, now lower by 3% over the past 24 hours.

Editor’s note: This press release examines the market implications of Zara’s recent cultural visibility during the Super Bowl, framing it as more than a one-off branding moment. Through commentary from an eToro market analyst, the announcement explores how global consumer brands are redefining value by prioritizing cultural relevance, accessibility, and identity over traditional luxury signals like exclusivity and price. While rooted in fashion and consumer culture, the analysis connects directly to long-term brand positioning, investor perception, and how intangible assets such as narrative and cultural alignment can shape competitive advantage over time.

Key points

• Zara’s Super Bowl moment is positioned as a strategic signal, not a traditional advertising play.
• The brand is increasingly framed as “accessible luxury” rather than fast fashion.
• Cultural embedding is highlighted as a form of earned media that reduces marketing dependence.
• Employee inclusion is cited as a source of internal cohesion and intangible capital.
• The growing influence of Hispanic culture is identified as a structural demand driver.

Why this matters

For investors and market observers, the analysis highlights how cultural relevance can reshape long-term brand valuation even when near-term financials remain unchanged. As attention costs rise and consumer identity becomes central to purchasing behavior, companies that successfully shift their perceived category may unlock durable advantages that are not immediately priced in by markets. This dynamic is especially relevant for consumer-facing companies competing across global, demographically diverse markets.

What to watch next

• How Zara’s brand positioning continues to evolve in future cultural moments.
• Whether market perceptions begin to reflect a reclassification beyond fast fashion.
• Signals of sustained alignment with emerging demographic and cultural trends.

Disclosure: The content below is a press release provided by the company/PR representative. It is published for informational purposes.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – 10 February, 2026: Zara’s appearance on the Super Bowl stage has sparked renewed debate around the evolving definition of luxury, highlighting a broader shift in how global brands compete for cultural relevance, consumer identity, and long-term value.

Commenting on the development, Javier Molina, Market Analyst at eToro, said the moment carries strategic significance beyond its cultural visibility.

What may initially appear as a high-profile cultural moment reflects a deeper change in perceived value hierarchies, where cultural resonance and accessibility increasingly rival traditional notions of exclusivity.

The episode underscores Zara’s ability to generate global relevance without relying on direct advertising expenditure. As the cost of consumer attention continues to rise, embedding the brand within culture has become a powerful source of earned media — supporting brand strength while limiting the need for incremental marketing investment.

More importantly, the moment signals a potential repositioning. Zara is increasingly being viewed beyond the confines of fast fashion, occupying a middle ground best described as accessible or functional luxury. Rather than competing on price or scarcity, the brand is engaging consumers through narrative, identity, and cultural alignment — factors that resonate strongly with younger generations and are structurally difficult for traditional luxury brands to replicate.

There are also internal implications. By placing employees at the centre of the story as recipients of symbolic value rather than passive observers, the brand strengthens cohesion and execution within a business model built on speed, scale, and operational efficiency. This intangible capital can translate into improved performance over time.

Finally, the moment reinforces a broader structural trend shaping Western consumption: the growing influence of Hispanic culture as a driver of both demand and cultural leadership. For Zara, this represents not just visibility, but strategic alignment with the demographic and cultural momentum of its core markets.

From an investment perspective, Molina noted that such cultural shifts may not immediately impact quarterly results, but they play a meaningful role in redefining long-term brand positioning. When a company begins to change the category in which it operates, markets are often slow to fully reflect that transformation — creating potential value over time.

About eToro

eToro is the trading and investing platform that empowers you to invest, share and learn. We were founded in 2007 with the vision of a world where everyone can trade and invest in a simple and transparent way. Today we have 40 million registered users from 75 countries. We believe there is power in shared knowledge and that we can become more successful by investing together. So we’ve created a collaborative investment community designed to provide you with the tools you need to grow your knowledge and wealth. On eToro, you can hold a range of traditional and innovative assets and choose how you invest: trade directly, invest in a portfolio, or copy other investors. You can visit our media centre here for our latest news.

Disclaimers:

eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk.

eToro is a group of companies that are authorised and regulated in their respective jurisdictions. The regulatory authorities overseeing eToro include:

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This communication is for information and education purposes only and should not be taken as investment advice, a personal recommendation, or an offer of, or solicitation to buy or sell, any financial instruments. This material has been prepared without taking into account any particular recipient’s investment objectives or financial situation, and has not been prepared in accordance with the legal and regulatory requirements to promote independent research. Any references to past or future performance of a financial instrument, index or a packaged investment product are not, and should not be taken as, a reliable indicator of future results. eToro makes no representation and assumes no liability as to the accuracy or completeness of the content of this publication.

Is this the new crypto sensation or just another scam?

The cryptocurrency market experienced a severe pullback in the past few weeks, culminating in a sharp crash on February 6.

The meme coin sector was significantly affected by the red wave, and most leading tokens in that niche have posted substantial losses. However, the lesser-known pippin (PIPPIN) defied the carnage and its valuation soared by over 100% in the past week.

Swimming Against the Tide

PIPPIN is a Solana-based meme coin that began trading in late 2024. It is themed around an AI-generated unicorn character named “Pippin,” which has become the logo of the token.

The meme coin had its glory days toward the end of 2025, when its price reached an all-time high of almost $0.60, and its market capitalization surpassed $500 million. While January was also positive, the beginning of February offered a deep correction.

In the past week, though, the asset entered another major uptrend, which contrasts with the overall bearish environment in the crypto market. As of press time, PIPPIN is worth roughly $0.38, or a 114% increase on a weekly basis.

Analysts are curious if the bull run is sustainable since there isn’t an evident catalyst driving the move north. X user ALTS GEMS Alert claimed the price has initiated a “strong bounce” from the demand zone at around $0.26, predicting that if buyers remain active, PIPPIN could soar to $0.40 and even $0.60.

Satori chipped in, too. The analyst told their over 700,000 followers on X that they have added the coin to their watchlist, arguing it has potential for much more impressive gains ahead.

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A Ticking Time Bomb?

At the same time, some industry participants warned investors to stay away from PIPPIN, claiming its valuation is driven by pure speculation, and its utility is questionable.

X user Dippy.eth described the asset as “the largest scam of the past year,” arguing it has reached the first “take profit” zone. “0 technologies, 0 real metrics, 0 real users, 0 attention from real CT degens,” they added.

Crypto_Jobs is also pessimistic, envisioning a possible plunge to as low as $0.21. Some indicators, such as PIPPIN’s Relative Strength Index (RSI), support the bearish scenario. The technical analysis tool measures the speed and magnitude of recent price changes to help traders identify potential reversal points.

It ranges from 0 to 100, and readings above 70 suggest the valuation has risen too much in a brief period and could be due for imminent correction. Currently, the RSI stands at around 85.

CoinDesk Indices presents its daily market update, highlighting the performance of leaders and laggards in the CoinDesk 20 Index.

The CoinDesk 20 is currently trading at 1968.37, down 3.4% (-69.59) since 4 p.m. ET on Monday.

None of the 20 assets are trading higher.

Leaders: CRO (-1.1%) and BCH (-2.1%).

Laggards: APT (-5.5%) and ETH (-5.4%).

The CoinDesk 20 is a broad-based index traded on multiple platforms in several regions globally.

Kraken sacked its chief financial officer, Stephanie Lemmerman, just as the crypto exchange prepares to publicly list in the U.S. in the early part of this year, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Lemmerman joined Kraken from Dapper Labs in November 2024 and was the exchange’s CFO for one year and four months. She now has a strategic advisory role at Kraken, one of the people said.

Robert Moore, formerly VP of business expansion, has basically taken over her job, the person said. An updated leadership page on the website of Kraken’s parent company, Payward Inc., lists Moore as deputy CFO. Lemmerman does not appear.

Clearly it matters that Kraken has removed its CFO after lodging a confidential filing with U.S. regulators in November. That came just days after Kraken raised $800 million at a $20 billion valuation, including $200 million from Citadel Securities.

Other people who have been promoted to senior roles include Curtis Ting, who was made chief operating officer in December, and Kamo Asatryan was made chief data officer in January.

A second person familiar with the changes said finance at Kraken is changing to become more of a product than a back-office function.

Kraken declined to comment.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin called for a rethink of how crypto and AI should come together, warning that a growing focus on developing artificial general intelligence (AGI) risks missing the bigger picture.

In a post on X that revisits ideas he first outlined two years ago, Buterin argues that the accelerated push toward artificial general intelligence often resembles the kind of unchecked speed and scale that Ethereum itself was created to challenge.

Rather than racing to build more powerful AI systems, he says the goal should be to guide AI development in a way that protects human freedom, spreads power more evenly and avoids both extreme AI risks and everyday security failures.

Buterin outlines a near-term vision where Ethereum plays an important — though not exclusive — role as infrastructure for AI. That includes tools to allow people to interact with AI models more privately, reducing the need to trust centralized providers. For example, running models locally, making anonymous payments for AI services and using cryptography to verify how AI systems behave.

He also describes Ethereum as a way for AI systems to coordinate economically, allowing bots to pay other bots, post security deposits, build reputations and resolve disputes without relying on a single company. Paired with AI tools that help people evaluate decisions and outcomes, Buterin argues these systems could make long-discussed ideas like decentralized governance work at real-world scale.

“To me, Ethereum, and my own view of how our civilization should do AGI, are precisely about choosing a positive direction rather than embracing undifferentiated acceleration of the arrow,” Buterin wrote on X.

Read more: ‘You are not scaling Ethereum’: Vitalik Buterin issues a blunt reality check to the biggest crypto networks