TLDR:

• The SEC roundtable on listed options market structure is scheduled for April 16, 2026, in Washington, D.C.
  
• Commissioner Hester M. Peirce praised retail investor growth and called for continued options market reflection.
  
• Public comments referencing File Number 4-887 can be submitted electronically or on paper through one method.
  
• The roundtable will be live-streamed on SEC.gov, with a full recording made available at a later date.

The SEC roundtable on listed options market structure is set for April 16, 2026, in Washington, D.C. The Securities and Exchange Commission officially announced the event on March 5, 2026.

It will be held at the agency’s headquarters at 100 F Street, N.E. The discussion will also be streamed live on SEC.gov for audiences unable to attend in person.

Core topics include facilitating competition in quote-driven markets, evaluating the customer experience, and identifying growth opportunities in listed options.

What the SEC Roundtable Will Cover

The roundtable is designed to foster open public dialogue on the listed options market structure reform. The SEC aims to examine how competition can be better supported within quote-driven market environments.

Along with that, evaluating the overall customer experience remains a key focus for the discussion.

Commissioner Hester M. Peirce commented publicly on the growth of the U.S.-listed options market. She pointed out that retail investor participation has grown remarkably in recent years.

The roundtable, she noted, will celebrate the market’s achievements while considering areas that may need further reflection.

The SEC posted on X, formerly Twitter, confirming the date and format of the event:

“The SEC is hosting a roundtable on April 16 to discuss listed options market structure. The event will be in-person and live-streamed on SEC.gov. Agenda, panelists, and registration info will be available soon.” — @SECGov

The SEC will release agenda details and speaker information before the roundtable takes place. In-person participation will be open to the public, though space may be limited. All visitors attending in person will be subject to standard security checks at the SEC’s headquarters.

Public Comment Submissions for the Roundtable

Members of the public who wish to share views on the listed options market structure may submit comments. Submissions can be made electronically or on paper, but only through one method at a time. All comments submitted will be entered into the official public record of the roundtable.

The SEC has clarified that personal identifying information will not be removed or edited from any submission. Therefore, submitters are cautioned to include only information they are willing to make publicly available. This applies to both electronic and paper submissions equally.

All submissions must reference File Number 4-887 in the text of the comment. For those submitting via email, the file number should appear in the subject line. The SEC will publish all received comments on its official website without modification.

A recording of the SEC roundtable will be made available on SEC.gov at a later date. This allows those unable to attend or watch the livestream to still access the full discussion.

The agency remains committed to keeping the options market reform conversation open and accessible to all.

Mantle’s ecosystem stablecoin has added roughly 375 million dollars in market value over the past month, climbing from about 494 million to nearly 870 million and cementing the network’s push to become a full‑stack on‑chain liquidity and banking layer built around ETH staking and restaking primitives.

Mantle’s stablecoin engine is firing on all cylinders. Over the past 30 days, the total market value of the Mantle ecosystem stablecoin has risen from roughly 494 million dollars to around 870 million, a gain of more than 75% that sharply outperforms the broader market and highlights the chain’s emerging role as an on‑chain liquidity hub.

The move comes as Mantle doubles down on an integrated strategy: pair an Ethereum Layer 2 with native liquid staking and restaking, then plug that liquidity into DeFi. At the base layer sits mETH, Mantle’s liquid staking token for Ethereum, which has already attracted more than 1 billion dollars in total value locked by letting users earn staking rewards while keeping their assets liquid. On top of that, cmETH extends those positions into restaking, unlocking additional yield and incentives without forcing users to unwind core ETH exposure.

This composable stack is now bleeding directly into stablecoin demand. As traders and protocols seek dollar liquidity backed by yield‑bearing collateral, Mantle’s stablecoin becomes a natural settlement and liquidity layer inside the ecosystem, tightening the feedback loop between ETH staking flows, DeFi usage and dollar‑denominated volume. Campaigns such as “Methamorphosis” and ecosystem incentive seasons have further accelerated user onboarding and capital rotation into Mantle’s products.

Underpinning the growth is a balance sheet that rivals mid‑tier centralized players. Mantle controls a multi‑billion‑dollar treasury, including more than 270,000 ETH, giving the DAO ample capacity to backstop liquidity, co‑invest in protocols and defend key pegs or markets when needed. Research firms have already labeled Mantle a “fortress” protocol for its ability to withstand severe price shocks in its native token while maintaining solvency. If current growth persists, Mantle’s stablecoin could become one of the core dollar rails for restaking‑centric DeFi over the coming cycle.

Chainlink price has confirmed a bearish swing failure pattern at a key resistance zone, signaling a potential downside rotation. The rejection near $9.72 increases the probability of a corrective move toward the $8.33 high-timeframe support.

Chainlink (LINK) price is showing clear signs of technical weakness after failing to sustain momentum above a critical resistance level. Recent price action formed a bearish swing failure pattern (SFP) at the $9.72 high-timeframe resistance, a signal that often indicates exhaustion in bullish momentum.

With this rejection now confirmed, traders are closely watching the $8.33 region as the next significant support level.

Chainlink price key technical points

• High-timeframe resistance rejection: Price rejected the $9.72 resistance with a bearish SFP formation.
• Value Area High lost: Loss of this key level signals weakening bullish momentum.
• Downside target: $8.33 aligns with the value area low and major high-timeframe support.

Chainlink recently attempted to break above the $9.72 resistance level, which has historically acted as a major barrier in price action. However, the breakout attempt was short-lived. The market briefly traded above the previous swing high but quickly reversed, leaving a wick above the level before closing back below it. This structure forms a classic swing failure pattern, which is widely recognized by traders as a signal that liquidity above the highs has been taken before the market rotates lower.

The confirmation of this SFP highlights a shift in short-term market control. When price fails to sustain above a key resistance and closes back within the previous range, it often indicates that buyers have lost momentum. In Chainlink’s case, the inability to hold above $9.72 suggests that the move was primarily driven by liquidity collection rather than genuine bullish continuation. This increases the probability of a retracement as the market seeks lower levels of support.

Another important technical development is the loss of the value area high. This level previously acted as a key pivot within the current trading range, providing support during earlier pullbacks. Once price loses this level, it often signals a structural shift where sellers begin to gain greater control of the market.

The breakdown from this region reinforces the bearish outlook and suggests that Chainlink may continue rotating within the broader range. On the regulatory front, Chainlink’s deputy general counsel, Taylor Lindman, has also joined the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Crypto Task Force, stepping in to replace Michael Selig.

The next major level of interest is the point of control, which represents the price level with the highest traded volume within the range. This area typically acts as a magnet for price due to the high concentration of market activity. If Chainlink continues to show weakness and fails to reclaim the value area high, price is likely to gravitate toward this zone as traders reposition within the range structure.

Below the point of control lies the value area low, which sits in direct confluence with the $8.33 high-timeframe support level. This region represents a critical area where buyers may attempt to step in and defend price. Historically, high-timeframe supports combined with volume-profile levels tend to attract significant market interest, making $8.33 an important level to monitor in the coming sessions.

Meanwhile, on the fundamental side, Chainlink has recently enabled Coinbase’s cbBTC bridging to Monad, unlocking over $5 billion in Bitcoin-backed liquidity for decentralized finance applications and further expanding its ecosystem utility.

While short-term bounces can occur during corrective phases, the broader structure currently favors downside continuation. As long as price remains below the rejected resistance at $9.72 and fails to reclaim the value area high, the bearish market structure remains intact. This keeps the probability tilted toward a deeper rotation within the current range.

What to expect in the coming price action

From a technical and structural perspective, Chainlink remains under bearish pressure following the confirmed SFP rejection at $9.72. If the value area high continues to act as resistance, price is likely to rotate lower toward the $8.33 support zone.

A strong reclaim of the lost resistance would invalidate the bearish outlook, but until then, the path of least resistance remains to the downside.

Smart investors adjust their strategy during bear markets and 50% drawdowns like the one seen in Bitcoin (BTC) over the last five months. The strategy, known as dollar-cost averaging (DCA), involves investing the same amount at regular intervals regardless of market conditions. 

Historical market cycle data and forward-looking BTC price simulations provide a clearer view of how these steady investment patterns develop across different entry periods and time horizons.

A five-year Bitcoin DCA stack shows strong net gains

A $250 weekly Bitcoin purchase starting in January 2021 resulted in $67,500 invested over a five-year period. Based on DCA simulation data, the strategy accumulated 1.65097905 BTC at an average purchase price of $40,884.

At the current Bitcoin price near $71,000, that 1.65097905 BTC is valued at roughly $120,518, representing a $53,018 gain (76%) on the invested capital. When Bitcoin traded for $100,000, the holdings were worth about $165,098, while at the cycle peak near $126,000 in October 2025, the same amount reached $208,023.

A shorter accumulation window illustrates how entry timing changes the early outcome while the strategy continues building exposure. A $250 weekly DCA beginning January 2024 results in $28,500 invested, accumulating 0.36863166 BTC with an average purchase price of $77,312.

At the current price of $71000, the amount is valued at about $26,909, a –6% unrealized loss. At $100,000, the holdings had risen to $36,863, while a $126,000 cycle high valued the Bitcoin at $46,448.

In a February X post, Swan Bitcoin analyst Adam Livingston compared a similar DCA approach against equities over the past five years. A $100 weekly allocation produced $42,508 in Bitcoin versus $37,470 in S&P 500 (SPX), representing 62.9% and 43.6% returns, respectively.

Livingston noted that purchasing Bitcoin consistently during drawdowns has historically produced stronger cumulative returns despite the price volatility.

Related: Bitcoin’s bullish momentum accelerates but topping $78K remains a challenge

Long-term models emphasize the time horizon

Forward-looking simulations examine how the DCA strategy could work from 2026 onward. A $250 weekly DCA beginning January 2026 allocates about $54,250 by March 2030.

The price assumptions come from Bitcoin’s long-term power-law growth curve, which tracks Bitcoin’s historical price relative to time on a logarithmic scale. The model produces a rising support band and median trend that have broadly aligned with previous market cycles.

Using this framework, analysts estimate that by 2028, the long-term trend support may move above $100,000, forming the base assumption for future DCA modeling. Simulations from Bitcoin Well place the median price near $430,278 by March 2030.

To capture the wider range around that path, the model also considers deviation bands of the power-law channel, producing a lower projection near $274,000 and an upper expansion scenario near $900,000.

Under those assumptions, the weekly strategy accumulates about 0.30 BTC over four years.

• At $274,000, the holdings are worth about $82,200.

• At the $430,278 median estimate, the investment value reaches $129,000.

• At a $900,000 BTC price, the investment is worth nearly $270,000.

A November 2025 study by Bitcoin researcher Sminston With tested how the entry timing affects the long-term outcomes using similar projections. Even buying 20% above $94,000 (the price of BTC at that time) and exiting 20% below the projected 2035 median still produced nearly 300% gains on the remaining holdings after a decade.

The total savings reached 7.7 times the initial capital in the simulation.

The study concluded that entry timing adjusts the range of outcomes, while long holding periods drive the majority of the results.

Related: A sucker’s rally? Why Bitcoin analysts say BTC price must hold $70K