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Coca-Cola (KO) and Walmart (WMT) CEOs Name AI as Driver Behind Leadership Exits

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KO Stock Card

Key Takeaways

  • James Quincey is departing as Coca-Cola CEO on March 31, identifying artificial intelligence’s emergence as a central reason for his exit.
  • COO Henrique Braun will assume the CEO position, with Quincey believing he’s the right leader for the company’s future direction.
  • Doug McMillon, who recently left Walmart’s CEO role, referenced AI similarly when explaining his December departure.
  • Quincey emphasized the company requires “someone with the energy to pursue a completely new transformation of the enterprise.”
  • These exits signal a growing pattern of departing executives recognizing AI as a pivotal moment requiring new leadership approaches.

James Quincey has revealed his departure as Coca-Cola’s chief executive at the close of March, identifying artificial intelligence’s accelerating development as a significant influence on his choice. The executive, who assumed leadership in 2017, shared with CNBC’s Squawk Box on Thursday that the moment had arrived to transfer authority to a leader better positioned for the organization’s future.


KO Stock Card
The Coca-Cola Company, KO

“My job is also to think who’s the best team to put on the field to get the next wave done,” he said. “And I concluded that, actually, it was time to put someone else on the field for the next wave of growth.”

According to Quincey, the beverage corporation achieved substantial advancement in what he described as a “pre-AI, pre-gen-AI mode,” though a fundamental transformation is now beginning. He expressed his view that the organization requires fresh leadership energy to drive what he characterized as a “completely new transformation of the enterprise.”

Henrique Braun, currently serving as COO, will assume the CEO position effective March 31. Quincey will continue his association with the corporation in the capacity of executive chairman.

This leadership transition isn’t happening in isolation. Walmart‘s former chief executive Doug McMillon offered comparable reasoning in December before his own exit. McMillon concluded his tenure exceeding ten years at the retail giant’s helm, transferring leadership to John Furner on February 1.

“With what’s happening with AI, I could start this next big set of transformations with AI, but I couldn’t finish,” McMillon told CNBC at the time.

McMillon revealed that approximately twelve months prior, he started recognizing the potential of “agentic commerce” alongside the expanded possibilities for AI-integrated retail experiences. This understanding convinced him the moment was appropriate for a leadership change.

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Parallel Reasoning From Two Industry Leaders

Quincey and McMillon articulated remarkably similar rationale: the upcoming transformation phase demands a leader capable of executing the vision completely. Neither executive indicated forced departure. Both characterized their decisions as strategic positioning of appropriate leadership for the current business environment.

The retail giant has already integrated artificial intelligence throughout its business operations, spanning logistics optimization to consumer-facing applications. The organization additionally transitioned to Nasdaq listing in December, which McMillon positioned as representing the company’s technological transformation.

Coca-Cola has pursued its own artificial intelligence initiatives, though Quincey maintained discretion regarding detailed future strategies under Braun’s leadership.

Coca-Cola’s Path Forward Under New Leadership

The transition to Braun becomes official on March 31. His promotion from the chief operating officer position follows internal recognition as the logical choice to guide the company’s subsequent growth phase.

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Quincey’s leadership extended nearly nine years and featured substantial investment in digital capabilities and data-centric business operations. His transition to executive chairman maintains his involvement with the organization while providing Braun autonomy to establish fresh strategic priorities.

KO shares declined modestly during trading, hovering around $68.32.

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Best Crypto to Invest in for 2026 as SEC Classifies 16 Commodities While Pepeto Offers a Rare 220x Before Listing

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Best Crypto to Invest in for 2026 as SEC Classifies 16 Commodities While Pepeto Offers a Rare 220x Before Listing

There are so many entries in the crypto market now, making it hard to find the best crypto to invest in. The key is to look past the attention and focus on projects that actually solve real problems for everyday traders with tools that work today.

Pepeto has raised more than $8 million and is filling its latest stage, priced at $0.000000186. That kind of traction shows committed interest from wallets that did the math. With a potential return of 220x projected by analysts, Pepeto is outpacing large caps in terms of near term opportunity. For anyone looking for the best crypto to invest in for 2026, this one is worth moving on before the Binance listing closes the entry.

The SEC and CFTC issued a joint ruling on March 17 classifying 16 major cryptocurrencies as digital commodities including BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP, ADA, DOGE, SHIB, LINK, and AVAX, according to CoinDesk.

The decision ended over a decade of regulatory uncertainty and immediately triggered $4.5 billion in Bitcoin ETF inflows during March, according to The Block.

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Finding the top entry for 2026 just got clearer because assets with commodity status now have institutional backing, and the presale with a Binance listing approaching sits ahead of all of them in return potential.

Where the Commodity Classification Meets Presale Returns Before Trading Opens

Pepeto

Think of Pepeto as having a personal verification layer for every contract your capital touches. The exchange reviews every smart contract before you interact with it, flagging anything dangerous in plain language. You can ask it any question about a token and the platform explains it in terms that do not require a technical background.

With a clean and fast platform, you do not need to be technical to use the exchange. That built in protection is a big reason why so many wallets are entering the presale as the best crypto to invest in right now. The risk scorer catches the traps before your money moves, PepetoSwap handles every trade at zero fees, and the cross chain bridge sends tokens between networks at zero cost.

Now look at what the numbers mean for your position. The market cap is small enough that 220x from the Binance listing is a rational target, with 193% APY staking building early positions while stages fill faster. The SolidProof audit verified every contract, and the developer who created the original Pepe coin reaching $11 billion with the same 420 trillion supply built the exchange alongside a former Binance expert.

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The end of the presale is closer than most realize, with the Binance listing approaching. Pepeto is the best crypto to invest in because the exchange already works and the distance between presale pricing and listing is where 220x lives.

SUI

SUI trades near $0.91 as of March 27 still stuck below $1.00 despite adding hundreds of thousands of new users and receiving commodity classification from the SEC, according to CoinMarketCap.

Support at $0.80, resistance at $1.50. Growing chain, but the return from $0.91 is capped by weak retention and takes months to deliver what one listing delivers from presale pricing.

LINK

Chainlink trades near $8.87 as of March 27 with the CCIP cross chain protocol expanding and the SEC commodity classification confirmed, according to CoinMarketCap.

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Support at $7.50, resistance at $10.00. Strong oracle infrastructure, but the path from $8.87 is a recovery measured in quarters, not the compressed timeline where the best crypto to invest in sits at presale pricing before one listing.

Best Crypto to Invest in Confirms the Presale Price Becomes the Return Everyone Talks About After Listing

Pepeto is offering you a chance to enter something that changes your entire cycle. The SEC just classified 16 assets as commodities, and the regulatory era that follows is exactly where an exchange with verified tools and a Binance listing delivers the kind of returns that make the early entry the story everyone references.

The last stage sold out ahead of schedule and this one fills while you read. The Pepeto official website is where getting in now means being on the side that collects when the listing opens trading and every wallet that entered at presale pricing becomes the return that late arrivals wish they had secured.

Click To Visit Pepeto Website To Enter The Presale

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FAQs:

Finding the best crypto to invest in?

Many consider Pepeto the strongest option because the exchange runs verified tools today and the Binance listing is confirmed with analysts projecting 220x from presale pricing.

What is the best crypto to invest in for 2026?

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Pepeto checks every requirement for traders who want compressed returns. The Pepeto official website is where the exchange is still at presale pricing before the listing opens to the broader market.

What are the top coins to invest in alongside the new commodity classification?

Getting in early at presale pricing means your position has the full distance to the listing ahead of it, and established coins that already cost more face a slower and harder path to deliver returns that change your cycle.


Disclaimer: This is a Press Release provided by a third party who is responsible for the content. Please conduct your own research before taking any action based on the content.

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Goldman Sachs-Backed Canton Links With LayerZero

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Brian Armstrong's Bold Prediction: AI Agents Will Soon Dominate Global Financial

TLDR

  • LayerZero has integrated its interoperability protocol with the Canton Network to support cross-chain asset transfers.
  • The Canton Network operates as a blockchain designed for regulated financial institutions and structured markets.
  • Goldman Sachs supports Digital Asset, the primary developer behind the Canton Network.
  • The integration enables institutions to route tokenized assets across more than 165 public blockchains.
  • LayerZero reported that its ecosystem represents over $100 billion in value.

LayerZero has launched its interoperability protocol on the Canton Network to enable cross-chain transfers for institutional users. The integration allows regulated financial firms to move tokenized assets across more than 165 public blockchains. Both organizations confirmed the development in a joint statement released Thursday.

Goldman Sachs and Institutional Backers Support Canton Expansion

Canton Network operates as a blockchain built for regulated financial institutions and structured markets. Digital Asset develops the network, and Goldman Sachs supports the company alongside other firms. Microsoft and DTCC also back Digital Asset as strategic supporters.

Digital Asset raised $135 million in June during a funding round led by DRW Venture Capital and Tradeweb Markets. BNP Paribas, Circle Ventures, Citadel Securities, DTCC, and Goldman Sachs joined the round. The company confirmed that nearly 400 ecosystem participants now engage with Canton.

Goldman Sachs Global Head of Digital Assets Mathew McDermott addressed the partnership last year. He said, “Our longstanding relationship with Digital Asset stems from a deep conviction in the strength of their technology.” His statement highlighted continued institutional backing for the platform.

LayerZero Enables Cross-Chain Routing for Tokenized Assets

LayerZero became the first interoperability protocol to go live on the Canton Network. The integration allows institutions in Canton to route tokenized assets securely across public blockchains. The organizations stated that the system maintains compliance and regulatory standards during transfers.

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LayerZero designed its protocol to connect any token or application with any blockchain network. The company reported that its ecosystem represents over $100 billion in value. Through this link, that ecosystem can now access Canton’s institutional infrastructure.

Bryan Pellegrino, CEO of LayerZero Labs, outlined the operational scope of the integration. He said, “Canton has already built the rails for traditional finance, processing more than $350 billion in daily U.S. Treasury repo volume.” He added, “LayerZero’s job is to make sure those assets are available in every global market, across blockchains.”

BNP Paribas, DRW, Goldman Sachs, Liberty City Ventures, QCP, and Tradeweb have participated in testing Canton. The network confirmed ongoing collaboration with firms from both traditional and decentralized finance sectors. Canton stated that these participants contribute to network validation and infrastructure testing.

The integration now links institutional blockchain infrastructure with public networks through LayerZero’s protocol. Both organizations confirmed that institutions can transfer tokenized assets while retaining compliance controls. The companies released the announcement on Thursday as part of their joint update.

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OKX Delays U.S. IPO, Cites Weak Crypto Listings

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Brian Armstrong's Bold Prediction: AI Agents Will Soon Dominate Global Financial

TLDR

  • OKX said it will not rush into a U.S. IPO and will wait until it can deliver shareholder value.
  • Haider Rafique said the company will only go public when it has confidence in long-term returns.
  • OKX secured a strategic investment linked to Intercontinental Exchange that valued the company at $25 billion.
  • Rafique said the firm intentionally priced the funding round conservatively despite strong revenue growth.
  • He warned that poor stock performance by listed crypto firms has hurt the industry’s image.

OKX said it will not hurry into a U.S. IPO as it expands global operations. A senior executive linked the timing to shareholder returns and market performance. The company instead plans long-term growth across regions and tokenized finance.

OKX Ties IPO Plans to Shareholder Value and Market Timing

Haider Rafique said OKX will enter public markets only when it can deliver shareholder value. He spoke during the Digital Asset Summit in New York on Thursday. He said, “We will go public when we have confidence that we can give back shareholder value.”

He added that the firm will avoid listing without that confidence and clear performance targets. He said, “If we are not confident, there is no desire to go public.” He linked the approach to long-term planning and measured expansion.

OKX recently secured a strategic investment linked to Intercontinental Exchange, which owns the New York Stock Exchange. The deal valued OKX at $25 billion, according to Rafique. He said the company priced the round conservatively despite revenue growth.

He said, “We did underprice ourselves when you look at our revenue growth and licenses.” He added that the pricing decision was intentional and tied to long-term returns. He said the company focused on durability over short-term valuation gains.

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Rafique also referenced poor public market performance by crypto firms. He said he bought one share in a major listing that later fell 50%. He said, “That’s not a good thing, and that’s bad for the category.”

He did not name the company during the discussion. However, Coinbase trades nearly 50% below its 2021 IPO price. Other crypto-linked stocks have also faced price swings since listing.

Global Expansion and Tokenized Assets Drive OKX Strategy

Rafique warned that careless listings could hurt the broader crypto sector. He said, “If we treat going public like we treated ICOs, we are doomed.” He compared rushed IPOs to the release of millions of tokens last year.

He said OKX plans to build the company over 20 or 30 years. He described the IPO decision as tied to durability rather than timing. He said the firm wants stable growth before entering public markets.

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OKX operates across Europe, Latin America, Asia, and other regions. Rafique said the exchange ranks among top venues in crypto derivatives. He contrasted that reach with U.S.-focused rivals like Coinbase and Kraken.

He said international exchanges benefit from liquidity across time zones. He said, “Our unified order book becomes a strong competitive advantage.” He added that this structure supports trading during U.S. off-hours.

The company also targets tokenized financial assets and blockchain infrastructure. Its partnership with Intercontinental Exchange supports plans to bring equities and other assets onchain. Rafique said OKX will act as a distribution layer for those products.

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Solana Long-Short Ratio Signals Unusual Derivatives Positioning

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Solana Long-Short Ratio Signals Unusual Derivatives Positioning

Solana (SOL) is trading at $87, still down 69% from its January 2025 peak near $295.91. The long-short ratio has skewed above 3:1 on some platforms with retail sitting 65.5% long. That is not a normal reading for an asset trading below every major moving average.

(Source – Coinalyze)

The open interest tells the real story. OI sits at roughly $2.2billion and is contracting, down, even as the long bias intensifies. Price moving up while open interest shrinks is a textbook squeeze signature. Not accumulation. Not conviction.

The math does not support a real rally here.

Discover: The best pre-launch token sales

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SOL Derivatives Setup: Squeeze Risk or Breakout Fuel?

The long-short ratio is being misread by most traders watching it. It measures position count distribution, not capital weight. Longs and shorts are always structurally matched 1:1 in notional size on derivatives markets. A 3:1 long-short ratio means three times as many traders are positioned long, not that three times as much capital is long. That distinction is critical to understanding the actual risk here.

What makes the current setup unstable is the divergence between that bullish tilt and the absence of fresh capital. Sustained long bias with expanding open interest signals conviction. Sustained long bias with shrinking open interest signals a squeeze in progress, shorts being forced out, not bulls stepping in. The neutral funding rate of 0.0038% per 4-hour period confirms it: this is short covering, not new long entries.

On February 28, the largest single liquidation event pushed SOL to a 52-week low of $77.91, per exchange data. Short liquidations on March 5 totaled $2.58M, 75.6% of total liquidations, against just $0.83M in long liquidations. That 3:1 liquidation skew mirrors the ratio skew almost exactly. The squeeze mechanics are already running.

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(Source – SOLUSD, TradingView)

Key technical levels define the binary. The 200-day moving average sits near $150 , structurally far above the current price and representing the ceiling of any meaningful recovery. Near-term, the Changelly model places April channel resistance at $102.51, with $100.37 as the lower bound of that zone. Below current price, the $77.91 February low is the last structural floor before open air.

The bull scenario: price clears $90–$92 with expanding open interest, funding rates tick positive, and the long bias becomes self-fulfilling as momentum traders pile in. SOL’s high-beta profile means a confirmed breakout accelerates fast, similar derivatives setups in other L1s have produced 20–30% moves within days once squeeze momentum flips to genuine accumulation.

The bear scenario: price stalls at resistance, overleveraged longs begin unwinding, and the same reflexivity that would accelerate upside now cascades downside. The Fear & Greed Index at 9, Extreme Fear, alongside a 65.5% long reading, puts the current positioning in the warning zone for pullbacks, as analysts describe it. A breach of $80 triggers the next liquidation cluster.

The long-short ratio is a pressure gauge. Right now it is elevated. That pressure resolves through continuation or liquidation, and without open interest expansion, the liquidation path carries a higher probability. Regulatory developments in crypto derivatives oversight also remain a macro overhang for leveraged positioning across the sector.

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Discover: The best pre-launch token sales

Bitcoin Hyper Targets Early Mover Upside as Solana Tests Key Levels

While Solana navigates an unstable derivatives setup with no structural confirmation of reversal, smart money is rotating into Bitcoin Hyper, a Bitcoin-native L2 infrastructure project designed to bring EVM-compatible execution speed to BTC liquidity without wrapped token exposure.

The project differentiates itself through sub-second finality on a Bitcoin-settled chain, targeting the DeFi and perpetuals market currently dominated by Solana and Ethereum L2s. Its presale has raised $5.9M to date, with the current token price at $0.0115 and staking APY locked at 108% for early participants.

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The presale window closes before the public DEX listing, which historically represents the highest-risk, highest-return entry point for infrastructure plays. Year-end SOL forecasts ranging from $250–$300 reflect broader L1 recovery expectations — but early-stage infrastructure projects with fixed presale pricing offer asymmetric upside independent of SOL’s near-term squeeze resolution.

Join the Bitcoin Hyper Presale Now

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Cryptocurrency investments carry significant risk, including total loss of capital. Always conduct your own research before making any financial decisions.

The post Solana Long-Short Ratio Signals Unusual Derivatives Positioning appeared first on Cryptonews.

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Coinbase and Better Launch Crypto-Backed Mortgages With Fannie Mae Backing

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Coinbase and Better Launch Crypto-Backed Mortgages With Fannie Mae Backing

Borrowers can pledge Bitcoin or USDC as down payment collateral without triggering a taxable event.

Coinbase and Better Home & Finance announced a partnership on Thursday to offer token-backed mortgages. The product aims to expand access to homeownership while carrying the same Fannie Mae backing as other conforming mortgages.

Qualifying Americans can now pledge Bitcoin or USDC as collateral to fund their cash down payment, securing a standard conforming mortgage without liquidating their digital assets or potentially triggering a taxable event.

How It Works

Instead of needing to come up with cash for the down payment, borrowers pledge their crypto holdings as collateral for a separate loan that covers the down payment. The result is two loans at closing: a standard Fannie Mae mortgage on the home, and a second loan secured by the pledged crypto. Both loans share the same interest rate and amortization term, so the borrower manages a single combined monthly payment — a structure the companies describe as a market first.

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The mortgages are designed in accordance with Fannie Mae guidelines and structured as standard conforming loans, which the companies say will enable significantly lower interest rates than those traditionally associated with token-backed loans.

No Margin Calls

If Bitcoin’s value drops, the mortgage terms remain unchanged, and no additional collateral is required. Market movements alone never trigger liquidation. Collateral is only at risk of liquidation in the event of a 60-day payment delinquency, similar to conforming mortgages.

For borrowers who pledge USDC, the collateral earns rewards that can help offset mortgage payments, enabling borrowers to reduce their net effective interest rate.

Coinbase One members who close a crypto-backed or regular mortgage through Better are eligible for a rebate worth 1% of the mortgage value, capped at $10,000, to cover closing costs and fees.

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Why It Matters

For decades, the path to homeownership has required Americans to sell assets, liquidate investments, or withdraw retirement savings to cover a cash down payment — often triggering capital gains taxes or early withdrawal penalties. Market reports suggest 52 million American adults, or roughly 20% of the adult population, have owned digital assets.

Until now, borrowers have not been able to get credit for those assets in the traditional mortgage underwriting process without first liquidating them. Crypto-backed mortgages change this by allowing onchain wealth to translate into real-world access, expanding the pathways to homeownership while preserving long-term investment positions.

Better CEO Vishal Garg said the partnership “introduces a new pathway to realizing the American Dream for the 52 million Americans who own digital assets.”

The companies plan to expand eligible collateral types over time to include tokenized equities, fixed income, and other tokenized real estate assets, pending market and regulatory conditions.

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This article was written with the assistance of AI workflows. All our stories are curated, edited and fact-checked by a human.

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Real-World Perps Thrive, While Altcoins Languish

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Gold, Derivatives, Precious Metals, Financial Derivatives, Energy, Futures, Altcoin Watch, Commodities Investment, Oil and Gas, Standard Chartered

Onchain perpetual futures linked to real-world commodities like precious metals and oil have surged in trading volume, signaling an investor rotation from altcoins to commodity-linked digital assets, according to a report published Thursday by digital asset bank Sygnum.

Trading volume for oil and precious metals perpetual futures markets on the Hyperliquid decentralized exchange (DEX) accounts for over 67% of HIP-3 contracts in Q1 2026, also known as “Builder-Deployed Perpetuals,” on the Hyperliquid platform, according to the report.

Previously, indexes accounted for about 90% of HIP-3 trading activity, but this has fallen to about 17%, according to Sygnum.

Gold, Derivatives, Precious Metals, Financial Derivatives, Energy, Futures, Altcoin Watch, Commodities Investment, Oil and Gas, Standard Chartered
HIP-3 trading volumes by asset class. Source: Sygnum

Weekend HIP-3 trading activity has surged by about 9x since January 2026, the report said, adding, “This is likely due to an uptick in crypto-native traders rotating into traditional assets as the broader altcoin market continues to underperform.” 

Lucas Schweiger, Sygnum digital asset ecosystem research lead, told Cointelegraph that this shift toward onchain digital assets is corroborated by a 250% year-over-year surge in the market cap of tokenized real-world assets (RWAs).

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There are about $23 billion in tokenized real-world assets that are traded on permissionless blockchain networks at the time of this writing, he said.

Gold, Derivatives, Precious Metals, Financial Derivatives, Energy, Futures, Altcoin Watch, Commodities Investment, Oil and Gas, Polymarket, Standard Chartered
HIP-3 weekend trading volume. Source: Sygnum

He also said that traders are treating altcoins as “leveraged BTC proxies.” Schweiger told Cointelegraph:

“That creates an environment where crypto-native capital naturally gravitates toward traditional asset perps that can be traded through the same wallet, using the same margin, just a different trade.”

The ongoing war in the Middle East and the disruption to energy infrastructure have caused oil prices to spike, while many altcoins are already down 80-90% below their all-time highs, according to Sygnum.

Related: Bitcoin leads, altcoin indicators drop to intriguing lows: Time for an altseason?

Recessionary concerns mount as Middle East war drags on

The war between the United States, Israel and Iran has disrupted critical energy infrastructure across the Middle East, causing global oil prices to spike to a high of about $120 per barrel.

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Oil prices have whipsawed since the start of the conflict, rising or falling in response to comments made by US President Donald Trump and the Iranian government or ongoing developments in the geopolitical crisis.

If the price of oil remains above $100 per barrel in 2026, it will cause inflation to spike, according to Nic Puckrin, market analyst and founder of the Coinbureau media channel.

Traders are still pricing in a potential de-escalation or a quick end to the conflict, but Puckrin warned they may be in for a “rude awakening ”if the crisis persists and higher inflation derails any hopes of further interest rate cuts in 2026.

Gold, Derivatives, Precious Metals, Financial Derivatives, Energy, Futures, Altcoin Watch, Commodities Investment, Oil and Gas, Polymarket, Standard Chartered
2026 US recession odds surge to 36%. Source: Polymarket

Since the start of the conflict on February 28, the odds of a US recession have surged to 36% on the Polymarket prediction market platform.

The US economy now has a near 50% chance of entering a recession in 2026, according to ratings agency Moody’s. 

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