The Dow Jones Index continued its strong bull run, reaching a new all-time high on Tuesday, as investors waited for the upcoming corporate earnings and key macro data.

Dow Jones, which tracks 30 diverse companies, reached a record high of $50,520, three days after it crossed the important $50,000 milestone. Other blue-chip indices like the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 continued their uptrend.

Dow Jones Index rallies

The Dow Jones has done well in the ongoing earnings season. Data compiled by FactSet show that most American companies have reported strong financial results, with 76% of S&P 500 companies reporting a positive surprise.

The blended earnings growth of all S&P 500 Index companies that have reported is 13%. If this is the final number, it will be the fifth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth.

Dom key companies in the Dow Jones will publish their numbers this week. The most notable ones will be Cisco and McDonald’s. Other notable companies to watch this week will be Applied Materials, Arista Networks, T-Mobile, Shopify, and Ford.

US stocks to react to key macro data 

The Dow Jones Index will also react to upcoming U.S. macroeconomic data.

The first will be the delayed U.S. non-farm payrolls report, which comes out on Wednesday. Economists polled by Reuters expect the upcoming report to show that the economy created 70,000 jobs in January, higher than the 50k it created in December. The unemployment rate is expected to remain at 4.4%.

These numbers come as some major American companies have recently announced layoffs. Amazon is shedding over 16,000 layoffs on top of the 15,000 it announced last year. 

Other top companies, including UPS, Dow Inc., Verizon, Citigroup, and Salesforce, have announced large layoffs. According to Challenger & Gray, companies announced over 108k layoffs.

The most important data will come out on Friday when the United States will publish the latest consumer inflation report. Economists expect the data to show that inflation softened a bit in January, with the headline CPI falling to 2.5%. 

A lower inflation figure than expected will be highly bullish for the Dow Jones as it will lead to higher odds of Federal Reserve interest rate cuts this year.

Chainlink’s Nazarov said real-world assets could surpass cryptocurrencies in total value.

Bitcoin and the rest of the cryptocurrencies can’t shake off the doldrums. Despite the ongoing weakness, this cycle has at least avoided major institutional failures that were seen in past bear markets.

And as investors weather the drawdowns, real-world assets (RWAs) are quietly expanding on-chain regardless of crypto prices.

RWAs Keep Moving On-Chain

In a recent post on X, Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov highlighted that, unlike the previous cycle, which saw the collapse of FTX and multiple lenders during large price drops, this cycle has not produced large systemic risks. He said that crypto systems have managed price and liquidity drawdowns more effectively, thereby creating a more “reliable” environment for both retail and institutional capital.

Nazarov also said that the migration of real-world assets onto blockchains is accelerating independently of cryptocurrency prices. He pointed to ongoing RWA issuance and the growth of on-chain perpetual markets for traditional commodities such as silver, which are rivaling traditional markets, particularly during periods when permissioned trading becomes more restrictive or risky.

According to Nazarov, the growth of RWAs is driven by the value of 24/7/365 markets, on-chain collateral management, and access to reliable market data, rather than fluctuations in Bitcoin or other crypto assets.

He identified three trends expected to shape the next stage of crypto adoption. First, on-chain perpetual markets and tokenized real-world assets provide long-term, durable value. Second, institutional adoption is being driven by fundamental technological advantages, including permissionless, always-on DeFi markets. Third, infrastructure supporting RWAs is in increasing demand, as more complex assets require reliable systems for tokenization, data management, and market operation.

Nazarov added that if current trends continue, RWAs on-chain could surpass cryptocurrencies in total value, and potentially redefine the industry while continuing to support cryptocurrency growth by bringing more capital on-chain.

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Developer Activity Across RWA Projects

Data shared by Santiment shows strong developer activity across RWA projects over the past 30 days. Hedera (HBAR) ranked first, followed by Chainlink (LINK) and Avalanche (AVAX). Stellar (XLM) and IOTA (IOTA) placed fourth and fifth. Chia Network (XCH), VeChain (VET), Lumerin (LMR), Creditcoin (CTC), and Injective (INJ) completed the top ten.

The rankings also revealed that RWA-focused blockchain projects continue to see steady development activity despite market turbulence.

Leading cryptos to buy now span BCH, XMR, HYPE, and BlockDAG as traders seek utility, growth potential, and strong momentum.

The past year has shown that cryptocurrencies can be some of the most profitable assets in a portfolio, covering a wide range of niches, from payments and privacy to decentralized finance. But with thousands of tokens on the market, it can be overwhelming to figure out which ones are actually worth buying right now.

Traders are increasingly looking for projects that combine solid technology, growth potential, and strong market momentum. In this guide, we highlight some of the top candidates for the best crypto to buy today, including established coins like Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Monero (XMR), the rising DeFi token Hyperliquid (HYPE), and the high-performance newcomer BlockDAG (BDAG).

Whether someone is a long-term investor or just starting out, understanding each project’s unique features can help them make smarter moves and seize opportunities before the wider market catches on.

On top of its technical capabilities, BlockDAG is offering a final private sale before its February 16 exchange listings. Under this, tokens are priced at just $0.00025, with the entire purchase delivered to wallets on launch day, so there’s no vesting period to worry about. 

Buyers can even start trading nine hours before public markets open, giving them a chance to position themselves before wider demand shapes the price. Plus, with the launch price set at $0.05, current buyers are looking at an instant 200× jump when the listings go live. 

For anyone looking at both technology and timing, BlockDAG stands out. It’s quite rare for such a high-performance platform to allow traders to enter at a bargain this close to public trading. In short, it’s a mix of speed, smart tech, and a clear, last-chance entry that isn’t common in crypto launches, making BlockDAG the best crypto to buy today.

2. Bitcoin Cash: Fast, low-cost payments for everyone

Bitcoin Cash is a peer-to-peer digital currency designed for fast, low-cost transactions, making it a practical alternative to Bitcoin for everyday payments. Currently, BCH is facing resistance near $535, but if buyers push past this level, it could climb toward $562 and even $604, showing strong upside potential. The $497 level is a key support to watch, as holding above it signals that the market sentiment remains positive. 

BCH’s advantage lies in its faster block times and lower fees, which are appealing for users tired of Bitcoin’s slower confirmations. With increasing merchant adoption and ongoing development upgrades, BCH could be an attractive option for investors looking for a crypto with real-world utility and solid growth prospects.

3. Hyperliquid: The high-risk, high-reward crypto

Hyperliquid is a relatively new and highly speculative token gaining attention for its strong community and innovative use cases in decentralized finance. It recently broke the $35.50 resistance, showing that buyers are interested in higher levels, but the market still faces selling pressure. If the price sustains above this level, it could surge toward $44, signaling a potential end to the corrective phase. 

HYPE’s appeal lies in its fast-paced ecosystem and frequent opportunities for staking or liquidity provision, which can generate rewards for holders. For traders looking for a higher-risk, higher-reward asset, HYPE presents an exciting chance to enter before wider adoption. Watching the $28.79 support is crucial, as holding this floor could confirm bullish momentum.

4. Monero: Untraceable transactions, maximum security

Monero is a privacy-focused cryptocurrency that ensures transactions are completely untraceable, making it a favorite for users seeking financial confidentiality. Currently, XMR is finding support at $360, with potential resistance at $412 and $461. 

If buyers can push above the 20-day EMA, Monero could rise toward $500, offering a strong upside opportunity. Its core value comes from advanced privacy features like ring signatures and stealth addresses, which make it unique among major cryptocurrencies. 

Monero also benefits from growing interest in privacy coins amid increased regulation in mainstream finance. For investors seeking a coin with strong fundamentals and a clear niche in the market, XMR offers both technological innovation and the potential for significant gains.

Which is the best crypto to buy today?

The crypto market downturn has been particularly hard on leading American exchange Coinbase (COIN), which has seen its stock plunge more than 50% since bitcoin’s early October record above $126,000, including a 27% decline in 2026 alone.

Attempting to catch up to that fast tumble, JPMorgan’s Ken Worthington slashed his price target on COIN to $290 from $399 ahead of the company’s fourth quarter earnings report coming after the close on Thursday.

Worthington remains a bull on the stock and his reduced target still suggests 75% upside from COIN’s current price of $1655.

Worthington projects adjusted EBITDA of $734 million, down from $801 million in the third quarter. That would mark a sharp drop from prior quarters, driven mainly by lower trading volumes, weaker crypto prices and slower growth in USDC stablecoin balances, he said.

Worthington estimates spot crypto trading volume of $263 billion for the quarter. He also pointed to lower USDC in circulation, modeling stablecoin-related revenue of $312 million. Those headwinds were partially offset by a full quarter of contributions from Deribit, the crypto derivatives exchange Coinbase acquired in August.

Including Deribit, JPMorgan models total transaction revenue of $1.06 billion, with Deribit contributing about $117 million on an estimated $586 billion in trading volume. In the previous quarter, the exchange reported $1 billion in transaction revenue.

On the subscription and services side, the bank expects revenue of $670 million, below Coinbase’s prior guidance range of $710 million to $790 million, reflecting softer crypto prices, lower staking yields and slower USDC growth. Worthington also expects operating expenses to come in below guidance as the company reins in costs.

Other sell-siders weigh in

Barclays analyst Benjamin Budish said his estimates sit roughly 10% below consensus on adjusted EBITDA, driven by weaker retail trading and blockchain rewards revenue. “We are notably lower on retail trading revenues, based on read-throughs from Robinhood, and blockchain rewards revenues,” Budish wrote, adding that consensus estimates may not yet fully reflect publicly available volume data.

Barclays estimates Coinbase exchange volume of about $261 billion in the quarter. He said Robinhood’s (HOOD) reported retail crypto volumes, which have historically tracked closely with Coinbase’s, fell about 15% quarter over quarter.

Compass Point struck a more bearish tone. Analyst Ed Engel said he is negative on the stock into earnings, expecting disappointment in the subscription and services segment. “While investors place a premium multiple on COIN’s S&S segment, we expect 4Q results to affirm overall revenue remains tied to overall crypto prices,” Engel wrote. He also expects January trading revenue to reflect what he described as Coinbase’s weakest retail engagement since the third quarter of 2024.

Beyond the headline numbers, investors are likely to focus on commentary on trading activity early in 2026, the sustainability of USDC-related income, and whether newer initiatives, such as Deribit and Coinbase’s futures business, can meaningfully offset swings in spot crypto markets.

Ethereum has shown early signs of recovery after a prolonged period of weakness that pushed prices sharply lower. ETH has attempted to stabilize near key support levels, but further upside depends on sustained backing from investors and broader market conditions. 

At present, Ethereum appears to have at least one of these factors working in its favor, keeping recovery prospects alive.

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Ethereum Investors Change Stance

On-chain data suggests a notable shift in investor behavior. The exchange net position change indicator, which tracks capital flows into and out of exchanges, has turned negative for Ethereum. This signals that more ETH is leaving exchanges than entering them, a pattern typically associated with accumulation rather than distribution.

Such outflows suggest holders are choosing to buy and move ETH into private wallets instead of preparing to sell. Lower prices often encourage this behavior as investors position for potential rebounds. This shift in stance reflects improving confidence, even as the price has yet to fully reflect rising demand.

Want more token insights like this? Sign up for Editor Harsh Notariya’s Daily Crypto Newsletter here.

Broader momentum indicators support this narrative. The Chaikin Money Flow has shown a steady uptick over the past week, reinforcing the trend observed in exchange data. Rising CMF values indicate declining outflows and improving capital flow dynamics across Ethereum markets.

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A move above the zero line would mark inflows overtaking outflows, a bullish development for ETH. At the same time, Ethereum has managed to hold above the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement near $2,054. Maintaining this level often acts as a trigger for renewed participation, encouraging investors to deploy capital as downside risk appears more contained.

What Is ETH Price’s Next Target?

Ethereum is trading near $2,018 at the time of writing, signaling that demand remains present beneath current prices. The challenge lies in translating that demand into sustained upward movement. A successful bounce from the $2,000 level could push ETH through $2,205, a key short-term resistance. Beyond that, the psychological target of $2,500 comes into focus.

Reaching $2,500 may not prove difficult from a structural standpoint. Cost basis distribution data shows relatively light accumulation around this zone, suggesting limited overhead supply. As a result, ETH could move through this range with less resistance once momentum builds. Stronger accumulation clusters appear closer to $2,800, which is likely to act as a more meaningful barrier.

Before that scenario plays out, Ethereum must clear intermediate hurdles. A decisive move above $2,344 would confirm recovery strength and validate the path toward $2,500 and potentially higher levels. Failure to sustain current support, however, would undermine the bullish setup. A loss of the $2,000 level would expose ETH to renewed downside risk, with $1,796 emerging as the next major support area.

• Aave price could plummet under $100 and risk new multi-year lows.
• Bears can decisively take out the psychological level and test the $75-$80 range.
• However, dips can offer a buy-the-dip opportunity before a sharp rebound.

Aave fell to around $108 as decentralised finance tokens broadly moved into negative territory.

With broader market pressures weighing on sentiment, AAVE faces rising downside risks and is at risk of slipping below the key $100 support level.

The outlook reflects continued volatility across the sector, with a notable decline in total value locked, highlighting growing vulnerability to further price weakness.

Aave price retests $108

Aave’s AAVE token was trading near $370 in August 2025 but has since declined sharply amid persistent bearish sentiment across the crypto market.

Prices fell steadily through late 2025 before sliding more aggressively toward the $100 zone.

A double-top pattern formed in the latter months of last year, and the subsequent drop to around $95 last week marked a significant downturn for the DeFi token.

Although AAVE rebounded briefly to about $120, selling pressure has remained strong, with prices retesting the $108 support level.

The token is down roughly 15% over the past week and about 25% year-to-date.

It has also fallen around 67% since August 2025 and more than 80% from its all-time high above $667 in 2021.

The price weakness has coincided with a sharp decline in Aave’s total value locked, reflecting reduced liquidity and softer protocol revenues.

AAVE price forecast: bears eye 2-year lows

Bulls are not completely out of the picture despite the recent bloodbath.

However, sentiment is battered, and momentum is with bears.

For Aave, technical indicators signal this increasing bearish momentum.

While momentum oscillators remain in neutral territory and point to the possibility of a short-term bullish shift, moving averages continue to signal strong selling pressure for Aave.

A slide toward the psychologically important $100 level, after the token fails to hold above the $112 support zone, will reinforce this bearish outlook.

As reflected on the daily chart, a breakdown similar to the pattern that has defined AAVE’s price action since late 2025 could accelerate seller dominance and deepen near-term downside risks.

The current downturn could push the price toward the $75–$80 demand zone in the near term, an area that aligns with a key Fibonacci retracement level.

A move into this range would place Aave back at levels last seen in early 2024.

On the upside, renewed momentum would likely require a sustained weekly close above $140.

Such a move would depend on rising trading volumes, with $120 acting as initial support and $144 as a secondary resistance level before higher targets come into view.

Meanwhile, the daily Relative Strength Index is hovering near neutral territory around 34, giving sellers some room to maintain pressure.

Analysts note this setup could increase the risk of a short-term false breakout before a clearer directional move emerges.

By Francisco Rodrigues (All times ET unless indicated otherwise)

Bitcoin BTC$69,524.65 slipped to $68,500 on Tuesday, having failed to reclaim $70,000 after trading above that level for a while over the weekend. The CoinDesk 20 Index (CD20) dropped 0.23% over the past 24 hours.

The market appears to be stabilizing after last week’s decline to $60,000, which erased all the cryptocurrency’s gains since Donald Trump’s presidential election victory in November 2024.

The slide prompted over $2.7 billion in liquidations, flushing out leveraged positions. It may not, however, have reflected a fundamental change in the crypto market. Rather, it might have been tied to declining liquidity in the broader financial ecosystem.

Raoul Pal, CEO of Global Macro Investor, said last week’s selloff across crypto and tech stocks stemmed from temporary drains in U.S. dollar liquidity tied to Treasury operations and government funding dynamics.

And then there’s artificial intelligence (AI). Investments in that technology have been “absorbing available capital for months at the expense of everything else,” Wintermute wrote in a note. The trading firm wrote that stripping AI companies from the Nasdaq 100 index sees crypto’s negative skew nearly disappear.

“The underperformance during rallies and amplified selling during drops is almost entirely explained by AI rotation,” Wintermute OTC trader Jasper De Maere wrote. “For crypto to outperform again, air needs to come out of the AI trade.”

Elsewhere, Japanese government bond yields, which rose after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s decisive election victory at the weekend, are dropping. That could avoid further unwinding of the yen carry trade, which might have seen up to $5 trillion invested overseas moving back to the country.

Arthur Hayes, a co-founder of crypto exchange BitMEX, pointed to Takaichi’s victory as a potential catalyst for the yen to lose value against the dollar, making the Japanese currency a less attractive investment. That could be a boon for risk assets, including cryptocurrencies.

Still, prices are likely to remain rangebound for the time being. The Coinbase Premium Index, which measures demand from large U.S. investors on the exchange, remains negative, and spot bitcoin ETF flows also show hesitation, with daily net inflows coming in at just $145 million yesterday.

“While retail spreads attention across other asset classes, institutional flows through ETFs and derivatives now seem to dictate direction,” Wintermute wrote. Stay alert!

Read more: For analysis of today’s activity in altcoins and derivatives, see Crypto Markets Today

What to Watch

For a more comprehensive list of events this week, see CoinDesk’s “Crypto Week Ahead“.

• Crypto
  • Feb. 10: Mantle to host Mantle State of Mind Ep. 06 live from Consensus HK.
• Macro
  • Feb. 10, 7 a.m.: Brazil inflation rate YoY (Prev. 4.26%), MoM (Prev. 0.33%)
  • Feb. 10, 8:30 a.m.: U.S. retail sales MoM for December Est. 0.5% (Prev. 0.6%)
  • Feb. 10 8:30 a.m.: U.S. employment cost index QoQ (Prev. 0.8%)
  • Feb. 10, 2 p.m.: Argentina inflation rate YoY (Prev. 31.5%), MoM (Prev. 2.8%)
• Earnings (Estimates based on FactSet data)
  • Feb. 10: Canaan (CAN), pre-market, -$0.03
  • Feb. 10: Robinhood Markets (HOOD), post-market, $0.63
  • Feb. 10: Upexi (UPXI), post-market, -$0.07
  • Feb. 10: Lite Strategy (LITS), post-market

Token Events

For a more comprehensive list of events this week, see CoinDesk’s “Crypto Week Ahead“.

• Governance votes & calls
• Unlocks
  • Feb. 10: Aptos APT$0.9814 to unlock 0.69% of its circulating supply worth $12.07 million.
• Token Launches
  • Feb. 10: Venice (VVV) token emissions to drop from 8 million to 6 million per year.

Conferences

For a more comprehensive list of events this week, see CoinDesk’s “Crypto Week Ahead“.

Market Movements

• BTC is down 1.9% from 4 p.m. ET Monday at $69,041.32 (24hrs: -0.06%)
• ETH is down 4.94% at $2,016.57 (24hrs: -0.8%)
• CoinDesk 20 is down 2.59% at 3,086.55 (24hrs: +0.43%)
• Ether CESR Composite Staking Rate is up 7 bps at 2.82%
• BTC funding rate is at -0.006% (-6.6247% annualized) on Binance

• DXY is unchanged at 96.83
• Gold futures are unchanged at $5,077.00
• Silver futures are down 0.43% at $81.88
• Nikkei 225 closed up 2.28% at 57,650.54
• Hang Seng closed up 0.58% at 27,183.15
• FTSE is down 0.38% at 10,346.98
• Euro Stoxx 50 is unchanged at 6,060.67
• DJIA closed on Monday unchanged at 50,135.87
• S&P 500 closed up 0.47% at 6,964.82
• Nasdaq Composite closed up 0.90% at 23,238.67
• S&P/TSX Composite closed up 1.7% at 33,023.32
• S&P 40 Latin America closed up 1.97% at 3,767.79
• U.S. 10-Year Treasury rate is down 1.4 bps at 4.184%
• E-mini S&P 500 futures are up 0.09% at 6,989.25
• E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures are unchanged at 25,359.00
• E-mini Dow Jones Industrial Average Index futures are unchanged at 50,260.00

Bitcoin Stats

• BTC Dominance: 59.27% (+0.05%)
• Ether-bitcoin ratio: 0.02921 (-2.66%)
• Hashrate (seven-day moving average): 1,005 EH/s
• Hashprice (spot): $34.72
• Total fees: 2.92 BTC / $204,792
• CME Futures Open Interest: 118,215 BTC
• BTC priced in gold: 13.6 oz.
• BTC vs gold market cap: 4.6%

Technical Analysis

• The ratio of altcoins (excluding Top 10) to BTC weekly chart continues to maintain its core support, suggesting the broader altcoin market did not experience an extreme selloff during the bitcoin’s recent slide.
• The weekly RSI has been climbing, indicating some momentum in altcoins relative to BTC.
• There’s no clear breakout at the moment, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.

Crypto Equities

• Coinbase Global (COIN): closed on Monday at $167.25 (+1.29%), -1.44% at $164.84 in pre-market
• Circle Internet (CRCL): closed at $60.10 (+5.36%), -1.31% at $59.31
• Galaxy Digital (GLXY): closed at $21.15 (+7.03%), +0.61% at $21.28
• Bullish (BLSH): closed at $32.05 (+16.76%), unchanged in pre-market
• MARA Holdings (MARA): closed at $8.06 (-2.18%), -1.49% at $7.94
• Riot Platforms (RIOT): closed at $14.97 (+3.60%), -1.27% at $14.78
• Core Scientific (CORZ): closed at $18.55 (+10.35%)
• CleanSpark (CLSK): closed at $10.19 (+1.09%), -1.77% at $10.01
• CoinShares Valkyrie Bitcoin Miners ETF (WGMI): closed at $43.83 (+8.41%)
• Exodus Movement (EXOD): closed at $10.74 (+1.70%)

Crypto Treasury Companies

• Strategy (MSTR): closed at $138.44 (+2.6%), -2.61% at $134.82
• Strive (ASST): closed at $10.15 (-14.86%), +1.03% at $10.25
• SharpLink Gaming (SBET): closed at $7.11 (+1.14%), -0.7% at $7.06
• Upexi (UPXI): closed at $1.05 (-7.89%), +2.86% at $1.08
• Lite Strategy (LITS): closed at $1.05 (-0.94%), -2.86% at $1.02

ETF Flows

Spot BTC ETFs

• Daily net flows: $144.9 million
• Cumulative net flows: $54.82 billion
• Total BTC holdings ~1.27 million

Spot ETH ETFs

• Daily net flows: $57 million
• Cumulative net flows: $11.9 billion
• Total ETH holdings ~5.8 million

Source: Farside Investors

While You Were Sleeping

Cryptocurrency exchange and wallet provider Blockchain.com has won regulatory approval in the U.K nearly four years after seemingly giving up.

Blockchain.com was added to the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) registry of licensed crypto companies on Tuesday under its trading name “BC Operations.”