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BTC under pressure as U.S. tech sector stumbles

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BTC under pressure as U.S. tech sector stumbles

Bitcoin fell back below $74,000 in the early innings of the U.S. session, with the bounce from Tuesday’s lows quickly fading away as weakness in tech stocks weighed on crypto.

The Nasdaq 100 was 1% lower following the previous day’s 1.5% decline. The software sector continued its tumble, with the thematic iShares Expanded Tech-Software ETF (IGV) declining another 4%, now down 17% in a little over a week, amid fears that AI will be severely disruptive.

Crypto miners, increasingly tied to the buildout of AI infrastructure, mirrored the slide, with Cipher Mining (CIFR), IREN, and Hut 8 (HUT) falling by more than 10%. The declines stemmed from chipmaker AMD, which fell 14% after its 2026 outlook missed analysts’ expectations.

Gold was also caught in the selling, with the yellow metal quickly reversing an overnight surge to $5,113 per ounce and sliding back below $5,000.

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U.S. economic data is mixed

The ISM Services PMI for January held steady at 53.8, matching December’s revised reading and beating expectations by a hair, pointing to continued expansion in the services sector.

However, private job growth slowed sharply, with just 22,000 jobs added according to an ADP report, well below forecasts for 48,000 and December’s already weak 37,000. The government’s January job report would normally have been released this Friday, but the short government shutdown has delayed it until next week.

“Manufacturing has lost jobs every month since March 2024 (Main Street recession) but this month professional and business services and large employers joined the weakness,” said Lekker Capital CIO Quinn Thompson, who believes markets are underestimating the amount of Fed stimulus that may be coming in 2026.

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MSTR Stock Target Cut to $185 as Analyst Adjusts to Crypto Market Fall

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MSTR Stock Card

TLDR

  • Joseph Vafi from Canaccord has reduced his MSTR stock price target by 61%.
  • The new MSTR stock price target is now set at $185, down from $474.
  • Vafi still maintains a buy rating despite the steep cut in his price estimate.
  • Strategy’s stock has dropped 15% in 2026 and 62% over the past year.
  • The company’s value is now closely tied to the performance of Bitcoin.

As the ongoing crypto winter continues, investors are looking for signs that the bearish trend has reached its peak. A notable update comes from Canaccord’s Joseph Vafi, who dramatically slashed his price target on Michael Saylor’s Strategy (MSTR) stock. Vafi reduced his target by 61%, setting it at $185 from the previous $474, reflecting the significant impact of the current market conditions.

Strategy (MSTR) Faces Setback Amid Market Volatility

Joseph Vafi’s revised price target fo MSTR stock marks a stark change in outlook. After maintaining a bullish stance on the stock just a few months ago, Vafi is now adjusting his expectations to reflect the ongoing struggles within the crypto space. The analyst still holds a buy rating on the stock, despite the massive cut in his price target.


MSTR Stock Card
Strategy Inc, MSTR

At $185, the new target implies about 40% upside from the most recent closing price of $133. However, this outlook comes after Strategy has suffered significant losses, down 15% year-to-date, 62% year-over-year, and 72% from its record high in November 2024. The bearish trend is in line with the broader decline in the cryptocurrency market, which has faced immense pressure over the past year.

Bitcoin’s Ongoing Struggles Impact MSTR Stock

In his analysis, Vafi pointed to Bitcoin’s “identity crisis” as a key factor in the struggles of MSTR. While Bitcoin is still seen as a long-term store of value, its recent price movements resemble that of a risk asset, making it more susceptible to volatility. “Bitcoin is increasingly trading like a risk asset rather than a safe-haven asset,” Vafi remarked, highlighting how the cryptocurrency failed to track with precious metals like gold.

The Bitcoin-led company Strategy has been hit hard by these developments. Despite holding more than $44 billion in Bitcoin, the company has seen its market cap drop to levels close to its Bitcoin holdings. This correlation between Bitcoin’s price and the stock’s performance has made Strategy’s financial health more reliant on the digital asset’s price fluctuations than anticipated.

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MSTR’s Near-Complete Dependence on Bitcoin

With Bitcoin’s price fluctuations dominating its financial outlook, quarterly results for MSTR have become less relevant. Investors are increasingly focused on the value of the company’s Bitcoin holdings rather than its operational performance. The upcoming quarterly results are expected to show a sizable unrealized loss due to Bitcoin’s fourth-quarter selloff.

Vafi’s revised price target assumes a 20% rebound in Bitcoin prices, which would help stabilize Strategy’s mNAV. However, the stock’s future remains closely tied to Bitcoin’s performance in the coming months. Despite this, Vafi remains optimistic, stating that Strategy is still built to weather volatility, given its strong Bitcoin position.

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Crypto Markets Bleed Amid Tech Stock Selloff

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Crypto Markets Bleed Amid Tech Stock Selloff


Bitcoin is down 18% in seven days as tech stocks continue to disappoint.

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Kyle Samani leaves Multicoin in ‘bittersweet moment’ to explore new tech

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Kyle Samani leaves Multicoin in ‘bittersweet moment’ to explore new tech

Multicoin Capital’s co-founder, Kyle Samani, said he is stepping down as managing partner of the crypto investment firm after 10 years in the industry. 

Samani called it a “bittersweet moment” in a post on Wednesday, adding, “I am excited to take some time off and explore new areas of technology,” which he later revealed would include AI and robotics.

He added that he is “more confident than ever that crypto is going to fundamentally rewire the circuitry of finance.”

“The Clarity Act will unlock a tidal wave of new entrants and spur adoption unlike anything we’ve seen,” Samani said, adding that he is particularly bullish on Solana and intends to continue making personal investments in the space and supporting Multicoin portfolio companies.

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However, the post appears to conflict with a reportedly deleted earlier X post, in which he stated: “I once believed in the web3 vision. dapps. I don’t anymore…Crypto is just fundamentally not as interesting as many crypto enthusiasts wanted. Myself included.” 

Samani has previously criticized the Bitcoin and Ethereum ecosystems.

Source: Kyle Samani

Last month, Samani said discovering Ethereum was his “entry into crypto” in 2016, after becoming convinced by permissionless finance and smart contracts.

However, he later lost faith in Ethereum, saying he was dissatisfied with how Ethereum developers addressed scaling.

Samani helped turn Multicoin into a $5.9 billion company

He came across the Solana shortly after founding Multicoin in May 2017, which went on to lead some of Solana’s earliest investment rounds in 2018.

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