Trump’s inauguration sparks crypto market frenzy, with Bitcoin surging to $106,000 and emerging tokens like Yeti Ouro poised for explosive growth.

President Trump’s inauguration has caused a big move in the crypto market. His inaugural speech didn’t mention crypto, but creating an SEC “crypto task force” under Acting Chairman Mark Uyeda was a big plus. This has pushed Bitcoin price to $106,000 this week, and the overall market looks promising.

Since we’re likely entering a bull market, it is natural that investors will be looking for the cryptocurrencies with the most potential for the highest returns. Two interesting choices this year are XRP and Yeti Ouro (YETIO). 

XRP price: Limited upside

The popular XRP token is a cryptocurrency created by Ripple Labs for fast, low-cost international payments. Its adoption by financial institutions has cemented its position in the cross-border payment space. As of January 22, 2025, XRP price is at $3.19 on Coinmarketcap, a high of $3.23, and a low of $3.02.

XRP’s utility in global transactions and its partnerships with financial institutions make it a stable choice for investors looking for stability. However, there is still some regulatory uncertainty, especially with the SEC’s scrutiny. The new crypto task force may bring clarity, but the timeline and outcome are unknown.

Predictions for XRP are through the roof. $33 is 1000% above the current XRP price, which is unlikely to happen in the short term. XRP is a stable investment with not much upside.

Yeti Ouro: High growth potential

Yeti Ouro, a new ERC-20 token on the Ethereum blockchain, combines meme virality with Play-to-Earn (P2E) gaming. Its main game, Yeti Go, allows players to earn YETIO tokens by racing in immersive gameplay built with Unreal Engine. This Meme & Play To Earn hybrid taps into the booming blockchain gaming market, projected to reach $65.7 billion by 2027.

Currently priced at $0.017 in Stage 2 of its presale, YETIO is a great entry point for early investors. The best time to invest in a cryptocurrency is during the early stages, especially after a presale, before the retail investors catch wind of any promising tokens. Early investors in Yetio Ouro have already seen a more than 40% ROI. 

Once retail investors find out about a coin, it usually surges due to the high number of investors buying into the coin; the Trump memecoin is a good example.

Also, experts and analysts predict YETIO will reach $5 by the end of 2025, a 5000% gain. This is based on Yeti Ouro’s innovative concept, early adoption, and alignment with growing market trends. Yeti Ouro has validated its security stance with an audit from Solid Proof.

XRP vs. YETIO: Which one will grow more?

When it comes to returns, Yeti Ouro is the clear winner for exponential growth. It has a much lower market cap of only $13 million compared to XRP’s $183 billion, which is 14,077 times larger.

The combination of gaming and meme virality could attract a wide audience and will keep demand for YETIO tokens high.

XRP is an established cryptocurrency, but its growth is limited by market saturation and regulatory issues. In addition to this, due to XRP being a blue chip cryptocurrency with a huge market cap of over 183 billion, it would need a market cap of 2.013 trillion, which is close to the market cap of Bitcoin (2.09 Trillion), to see a 1000% return.

Conclusion

The cryptocurrency market post-Trump inauguration has many risks and opportunities. For those who want stability, XRP is a safe choice. However, it does not have the same growth potential as smaller, emerging coins that are attached to large and growing industries in the crypto space.

For those who want high-reward opportunities, Yeti Ouro is a great choice. Its P2E gaming and meme narratives work well with the growing market trends, and that makes it a risky but promising investment for those who want exponential returns.

For more information on Yeti Ouro, visit their website, X, Telegram, or Discord.

Christian’s journey with the written word began long before the age of Bitcoin. In the hallowed halls of academia, he honed his craft as a feature writer for his college paper. This early love for storytelling paved the way for a successful stint as an editor at a data engineering firm, where his first-month essay win funded a months-long supply of doggie and kitty treats – a testament to his dedication to his furry companions (more on that later).

Christian then roamed the world of journalism, working at newspapers in Canada and even South Korea. He finally settled down at a local news giant in his hometown in the Philippines for a decade, becoming a total news junkie. But then, something new caught his eye: cryptocurrency. It was like a treasure hunt mixed with storytelling – right up his alley!

So, he landed a killer gig at NewsBTC, where he’s one of the go-to guys for all things crypto. He breaks down this confusing stuff into bite-sized pieces, making it easy for anyone to understand (he salutes his management team for teaching him this skill).

Think Christian’s all work and no play? Not a chance! When he’s not at his computer, you’ll find him indulging his passion for motorbikes. A true gearhead, Christian loves tinkering with his bike and savoring the joy of the open road on his 320-cc Yamaha R3. Once a speed demon who hit 120mph (a feat he vowed never to repeat), he now prefers leisurely rides along the coast, enjoying the wind in his thinning hair.

Speaking of chill, Christian’s got a crew of furry friends waiting for him at home. Two cats and a dog. He swears cats are way smarter than dogs (sorry, Grizzly), but he adores them all anyway. Apparently, watching his pets just chillin’ helps him analyze and write meticulously formatted articles even better.

Here’s the thing about this guy: He works a lot, but he keeps himself fueled by enough coffee to make it through the day – and some seriously delicious (Filipino) food. He says a delectable meal is the secret ingredient to a killer article. And after a long day of crypto crusading, he unwinds with some rum (mixed with milk) while watching slapstick movies.

Looking ahead, Christian sees a bright future with NewsBTC. He says he sees himself privileged to be part of an awesome organization, sharing his expertise and passion with a community he values, and fellow editors – and bosses – he deeply respects.

So, the next time you tread into the world of cryptocurrency, remember the man behind the words – the crypto crusader, the grease monkey, and the feline philosopher, all rolled into one.

• Nvidia has commanding lead over rivals in latest Adobe After Effects benchmarks
• Even lower-performance Nvidia GPUs outpace Intel and AMD cards
• But to Apple’s credit, the M3 Max pulls ahead in 2D significantly despite its laptop form factor

Nvidia‘s GeForce RTX 40-Series GPUs has shown off some significant advantages when it comes to dealing with 3D workflows over comparable Intel and AMD cards, new figures have claimed.

The latest Puget Systems After Effects benchmarks say Nvidia’s flagship GeForce RTX 4090 delivered up to 20 times the performance of Apple’s MacBook Pro M3 Max in 3D tasks; reflecting the card’s technical design focus on GPU-intensive workloads.

By Omkar Godbole (All times ET unless indicated otherwise)

Bitcoin and most major cryptocurrencies are weaker after Chicago Mercantile Exchange, a proxy for institutional activity, denied reports of listing futures tied to XRP and SOL. Traditional markets are also holding their breath for the expected Bank of Japan interest-rate increase on Friday.

Despite BTC’s continued range play above $100,000, retail demand remains robust. Glassnode’s shrimp-Crab cohort, which includes addresses holding up to 10 BTC, have absorbed 1.9 times the newly mined supply last month, totaling over 25,600 BTC. Meanwhile, long-term holders have slowed their spending and profit-taking activities, indicating a cautious, but firm, commitment to their investments.

Still, dropping below $100,000 might prove costly. According to Wintermute’s OTC trader Jake Ostrovskis, that would “frame Monday’s inauguration as a sell-the-news event and the narrative could switch pretty quickly.”

Reports suggest the number of whale wallets holding between 1 million and 10 million XRP has surged to an all-time high of 2,083, signaling increased accumulation and confidence in its future performance.

In the world of innovation, chatter around Bitcoin Synths is gaining traction on X. These synthetic assets allow users to benefit from bitcoin’s price movements without actually owning the cryptocurrency. Bitcoin Synths can be traded or used as collateral in lending protocols, avoiding the complexities associated with wrapped tokens and specialized bridges.

Ethereum layer-2 protocols are also making headlines with record transaction volumes, even as concerns about their capacity nearing limits persist.

On the macroeconomic front, recent data from the Labor Department shows that the “all tenant rent” index, an indicator of shelter inflation in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), rose at a slower pace last quarter. The data suggest that recent worries about inflation may be overdone and the Fed could pivot away from its hawkish forecast, which would be a positive sign for risk assets. Stay alert!

What to Watch

• Crypto
• Macro
  • Jan. 23, 8:30 a.m.: The U.S. Department of Labor releases the Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report for the week ended Jan. 18.
    • Initial Jobless Claims Est. 215K vs. Prev. 217K.
  • Jan. 23, 10:00 a.m.: The National Association of Realtors releases December 2024 U.S. Existing Home Sales report.
    • Existing Home Sales Est. 4.16M vs. Prev. 4.15M.
    • Existing Home Sales MoM Prev. 4.8%.
  • Jan. 23, 4:30 p.m.: The Fed releases the H.4.1 report, the central bank balance sheet, for the week ended Jan. 22.
    • Total Reserves Prev. $6.83T.
  • Jan. 23, 6:30 p.m.: Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications releases December 2024’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report.
    • Inflation Rate MoM Prev. 0.6%.
    • Core Inflation Rate YoY Est. 3% vs. Prev. 2.7%.
    • Inflation Rate YoY Prev. 2.9%.
  • Jan. 23, 10:00 p.m.: The Bank of Japan (BoJ) releases Statement on Monetary Policy.
    • Interest Rate Decision Est. 0.5% vs. Prev. 0.25%.

Token Events

• Governance votes & calls
  • Morpho DAO is discussing reducing incentives by 30% across all networks and assets.
  • Yearn DAO is discussing funding and endorsing a subDAO called Bearn to focus on building and launching products on Berachain.
  • Frax DAO is discussing a $5 million investment in World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the crypto project backed by the family of U.S. President Donald Trump.
  • Jan. 23: Livepeer (LPT) is hosting a Core Dev call.
  • Jan. 24: Arbitrum BoLD’s activation vote deadline. BoLD allows anyone to participate in validation and defend against malicious claims to an Arbitrum chain’s state.
  • Jan. 24: Hedera (HBAR) is hosting a community call at 11 a.m.
• Unlocks
  • Jan. 31: Optimism (OP) to unlock 2.32% of circulating supply worth $52.9 million.
  • Jan. 31: Jupiter (JUP) to unlock 41.5% of circulating supply worth $626 million.
• Token Launches
  • Jan. 23: Sky (SKY) is being listed on Bitget.
  • Jan. 23: Animecoin (ANIME) is launching, with claims starting at 8 a.m. The token will be listed on multiple exchanges including Binance, OKX and KuCoin.

Conferences:

Token Talk

By Francisco Rodrigues

• Azuki, a non-fungible token (NFT) collection, is introducing its Animecoin (ANIME) today on Ethereum and Arbitrum. The token was announced on Jan. 13.
• An airdrop will encompass Azuki NFT holders, Hyperliquid HYPE stakes, some Arbitrum ecosystem participants and Kaito yappers.
• It will also include certain anime communities and BNB token holders who, between Jan. 17 and Jan. 20, subscribed to Simple Earn with their tokens on Binance.
• The debut builds on a growing trend of NFT collections launching their own tokens, a trend that started in 2021 when Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) launched ApeCoin.
• Other examples include DeGods’ DUST and Pudgy Penguins’ PENGU tokens, which have a $1.6 billion market capitalization.
• Other signs indicate the NFT market is heating up, with Nansen recently pointing out that a Crypto Punk was sold for 170 ETH (around $540,000) while an Azuki was sold for 165 ETH. The Azuki NFT had been bought a month before for 105 ETH.

Derivatives Positioning

• The cumulative volume delta indicator reveals that major cryptocurrencies, with the exception of TON, have experienced net selling pressure in the perpetual futures markets over the past 24 hours.
• Block flows on Deribit and Paradigm featured long positions in short-dated BTC puts at $100K, $95K and $70K. An entity bought ETH put at $2.9K.
• Front-end BTC and ETH calls now traded at par with puts.

Market Movements:

• BTC is down 4.1 % from 4 p.m. ET Wednesday to $102,020 (24hrs: -2.71%)
• ETH is down 3.85% at $3,206.18 (24hrs: -2.83%)
• CoinDesk 20 is down 3.61% to 3,799.21 (24hrs: -3.58%)
• CESR Composite Ether Staking Rate is down 15 bps to 3.15%
• BTC funding rate is at -0.0019% (-2.08% annualized) on OKX

• DXY is unchanged at 108.25
• Gold is down 0.35% at $2,761.10/oz
• Silver is down 0.73% to $30.57/oz
• Nikkei 225 closed up 0.79% at 39,958.87
• Hang Seng closed down 0.4% at 19,700.56
• FTSE is unchanged at 8,538.7
• Euro Stoxx 50 is unchangedat 5203.6
• DJIA closed +0.3% to 44,156.73
• S&P 500 closed +0.61% at 6,086.37
• Nasdaq closed +1.28% at 20,009.34
• S&P/TSX Composite Index closed +0.12% at 25,311.5
• S&P 40 Latin America closed +1.21% at 2,297.32
• U.S. 10-year Treasury is up 3 bps at 4.59%
• E-mini S&P 500 futures are down 0.19% to 6,109.00
• E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures are down 0.56% to 21,876.75
• E-mini Dow Jones Industrial Average Index futures are unchaged at 44,384.00

Bitcoin Stats:

• BTC Dominance: 58.59
• Ethereum to bitcoin ratio: 0.031
• Hashrate (seven-day moving average): 781 EH/s
• Hashprice (spot): $58.9
• Total Fees: 8.5 BTC/ $876,410
• CME Futures Open Interest: 188,396 BTC
• BTC priced in gold: 37.1 oz
• BTC vs gold market cap: 10.56%

Technical Analysis

• BTC’s retreat from Monday’s high is teasing a formation of a double top bearish reversal pattern.
• A move below the horizontal line would confirm the pattern, potentially bringing more chart-led sellers to the market.

Crypto Equities

• MicroStrategy (MSTR): closed on Wednesday at $377.31 (-3.03%), down 1.89% at $370.19 in pre-market.
• Coinbase Global (COIN): closed at $295.85 (+0.56%), down 2.59% at $288.18 in pre-market.
• Galaxy Digital Holdings (GLXY): closed at C$32.81 (+4.99%)
• MARA Holdings (MARA): closed at $19.69 (+0.66%), down 2.54% at $19.19 in pre-market.
• Riot Platforms (RIOT): closed at $13.14 (+3.14%), down 1.75% at $12.91 in pre-market.
• Core Scientific (CORZ): closed at $15.97 (+4.58%%), down 1.63% at $15.71 in pre-market.
• CleanSpark (CLSK): closed at $11.14 (+1.64%), down 2.51% at $10.86 in pre-market.
• CoinShares Valkyrie Bitcoin Miners ETF (WGMI): closed at $25.53 (+2.24%), up 2.58% at $28.27 in pre-market.
• Semler Scientific (SMLR): closed at $62.11 (-4.36%), up 2% at $64.90 in pre-market.
• Exodus Movement (EXOD): closed at $41.00 (+2.5%), down 2.07% at $40.15 in pre-market.

ETF Flows

Spot BTC ETFs:

• Daily net flow: $248.7 million
• Cumulative net flows: $39.23 billion
• Total BTC holdings ~ 1.161 million.

Spot ETH ETFs

• Daily net flow: $70.7 million
• Cumulative net flows: $2.81 billion
• Total ETH holdings ~ 3.648 million.

Source: Farside Investors

Overnight Flows

Chart of the Day

• The chart shows a spike in the number of active addresses on Solana.
• Addresses holding USDC led the growth as TRUMP token frenzy gripped the market over the weekend.

While You Were Sleeping

In the Ether

The one exception to that is the UMG v. Anthropic case, because at least early on, earlier versions of Anthropic would generate the song lyrics for songs in the output. That’s a problem. The current status of that case is they’ve put safeguards in place to try to prevent that from happening, and the parties have sort of agreed that, pending the resolution of the case, those safeguards are sufficient, so they’re no longer seeking a preliminary injunction.

At the end of the day, the harder question for the AI companies is not is it legal to engage in training? It’s what do you do when your AI generates output that is too similar to a particular work?

Do you expect the majority of these cases to go to trial, or do you see settlements on the horizon?

There may well be some settlements. Where I expect to see settlements is with big players who either have large swaths of content or content that’s particularly valuable. The New York Times might end up with a settlement, and with a licensing deal, perhaps where OpenAI pays money to use New York Times content.

There’s enough money at stake that we’re probably going to get at least some judgments that set the parameters. The class-action plaintiffs, my sense is they have stars in their eyes. There are lots of class actions, and my guess is that the defendants are going to be resisting those and hoping to win on summary judgment. It’s not obvious that they go to trial. The Supreme Court in the Google v. Oracle case nudged fair-use law very strongly in the direction of being resolved on summary judgment, not in front of a jury. I think the AI companies are going to try very hard to get those cases decided on summary judgment.

Why would it be better for them to win on summary judgment versus a jury verdict?

It’s quicker and it’s cheaper than going to trial. And AI companies are worried that they’re not going to be viewed as popular, that a lot of people are going to think, Oh, you made a copy of the work that should be illegal and not dig into the details of the fair-use doctrine.

There have been lots of deals between AI companies and media outlets, content providers, and other rights holders. Most of the time, these deals appear to be more about search than foundational models, or at least that’s how it’s been described to me. In your opinion, is licensing content to be used in AI search engines—where answers are sourced by retrieval augmented generation or RAG—something that’s legally obligatory? Why are they doing it this way?

If you’re using retrieval augmented generation on targeted, specific content, then your fair-use argument gets more challenging. It’s much more likely that AI-generated search is going to generate text taken directly from one particular source in the output, and that’s much less likely to be a fair use. I mean, it could be—but the risky area is that it’s much more likely to be competing with the original source material. If instead of directing people to a New York Times story, I give them my AI prompt that uses RAG to take the text straight out of that New York Times story, that does seem like a substitution that could harm the New York Times. Legal risk is greater for the AI company.

What do you want people to know about the generative AI copyright fights that they might not already know, or they might have been misinformed about?

The thing that I hear most often that’s wrong as a technical matter is this concept that these are just plagiarism machines. All they’re doing is taking my stuff and then grinding it back out in the form of text and responses. I hear a lot of artists say that, and I hear a lot of lay people say that, and it’s just not right as a technical matter. You can decide if generative AI is good or bad. You can decide it’s lawful or unlawful. But it really is a fundamentally new thing we have not experienced before. The fact that it needs to train on a bunch of content to understand how sentences work, how arguments work, and to understand various facts about the world doesn’t mean it’s just kind of copying and pasting things or creating a collage. It really is generating things that nobody could expect or predict, and it’s giving us a lot of new content. I think that’s important and valuable.

Sainsbury’s has revealed plans to cut more than 3,000 jobs.

The supermarket said the move was a bid to save money ahead of a £140m leap in costs from budget tax measures, due to come into force within weeks.

Head office and senior management roles are among those affected, the chain said, adding that the cost-saving drive would also result in the closure of its remaining hot food, patisserie, and pizza counters.

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