Bitcoin BTC$76,882.32 pulled back to $76,500 from above $79,000 earlier this week, stalling the rally from late-March lows below $65,000. Those expecting a swift return to form may want to take note that recent economic releases do not support a big bullish move.

The most important is the University of Michigan’s Survey of Consumers, which showed the consumer sentiment index falling to an all-time low of 49.8 this month, largely driven by inflationary pressures tied to the Iran conflict.

Inflation expectations also moved sharply higher, with the one-year gauge surging to 4.8% in April from 3.8% the previous month. Long-term expectations (five to 10 years) have risen to 3.5%, the highest reading since October 2025.

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Inflation expectations can become self-fulfilling, which is why central banks like the Federal Reserve monitor them closely and try to anchor them. The sharp rise, therefore, could limit the Fed’s ability to signal interest-rate cuts or liquidity easing in the near term, as additional monetary easing risks reinforcing inflationary pressures. That hawkish tilt could, in turn, cap upside or slow gains in BTC and other risk assets.

“For the Federal Reserve, the long-term expectations move is the more dangerous data point. It is the variable the central bank watches most closely when assessing whether inflation psychology is becoming unanchored, and a one-month shift of this size raises the bar for any near-term easing pivot, even as the real economy weakens at the margin,” analysts at Bitfinex said.

The Fed is expected to keep its benchmark interest rate steady between 3.5% and 3.75% this Wednesday.

In the meantime, traders are also pricing in a potential Bank of Japan rate increase in June.

“Rate hikes this month are looking improbable, according to current market opinion. Financial bets suggest we may see more than two rate increases in the eurozone and the U.K. before year-end. A June hike is almost fully priced in. We are now lacking clarity in the data to make good decisions, and that is the main impediment,” Timothy Misir, head of research at BRN, said in an email.

On the crypto-specific side, sustained ETF inflows remain crucial to keeping spot BTC supported on dips.

Meanwhile, coordinated industry efforts to contain fallout from the KelpDAO exploit have helped DeFi tokens hold up better than the broader market. The CoinDesk DeFi Select Index gained 0.5% over 24 hours, decoupling from the CoinDesk 20’s 1.5% decline. Stay alert!

Read more: For analysis of today’s activity in altcoins and derivatives, see Crypto Markets Today . For a comprehensive list of events this week, see CoinDesk’s “Crypto Week Ahead.”

What’s trending

Today’s signal

The chart shows bitcoin’s hourly price swings in candlestick format since late March.

BTC has dived out of an ascending trendline (white dashed line) that guided its upward trajectory since early this month. Moreover, prices are trading at a discount to their 50- and 200-hour averages.

That configuration points to uptrend exhaustion and scope for a deeper price pullback. The bullish case would reassert itself if prices reclaim both moving averages.

XRP price fell 5% from last week’s high, driven down by declining network activity and cooling retail interest. It has now formed a bearish pennant pattern that positions the token for more pain in the coming sessions.

According to data from crypto.news, XRP (XRP) price fell 5% from last Wednesday’s high to $1.39 at press time, while its market cap dropped to $85.8 billion. At its current price, the token is down nearly 40% from its year-to-date high of $2.36 reached in early January.

XRP price fell alongside a visible slowdown in XRP Ledger activity. Network revenue has remained subdued, with the protocol generating just $34,900 in fees so far this month. That follows $75,000 in the first quarter, down from $128,000 in the previous quarter, pointing to reduced usage despite the project’s large valuation.

Transaction metrics also show a clear decline. Daily payment transactions on the XRP Ledger have fallen to around 212,856, a sharp drop from the millions recorded a few months ago. Active user count has continued to slide as well, currently standing at about 168,000.

At the same time, the network’s burn rate has eased further. Only around 400 XRP tokens, valued at less than $600, are being burned each day. A slower burning rate reduces the deflationary pressure on the circulating supply and makes it harder for the price to sustain upward momentum.

XRP price analysis

On the weekly chart, XRP price has formed a bearish pennant pattern, a technical setup consisting of a flagpole with a symmetrical triangle pattern that typically signals a continuation of the previous downward trend.

XRP price action has also slipped below the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level, a threshold traders often watch to confirm downside continuation. Furthermore, the Chaikin Money Flow index has fallen to a negative reading, suggesting that capital is flowing out of the asset as whales and institutional investors trim their positions.

Given these signals, the near-term outlook remains tilted to the downside. The next major level to monitor sits around $1. A break below that zone could open the door to deeper losses, potentially toward psychological support levels seen late last year.

Kash Patel said the FBI arrested Xu Zewei, a Chinese national accused of cyber attacks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Xu was extradited from Italy to the United States over the weekend. He is expected to face federal charges linked to hacking activity between 2020 and 2021.

Officials said Xu and others targeted U.S.-based universities and medical researchers. The attacks focused on institutions working on COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.

Alleged role in HAFNIUM operations

The FBI linked Xu to HAFNIUM, a group accused of a wide cyber intrusion campaign.

Authorities said the group compromised nearly 13,000 U.S. organizations. The activity included access to email accounts and sensitive research data.

Patel described the case as a major step in cyber enforcement. He said the operation shows authorities will act against threats targeting U.S. systems.

Additionally, the FBI worked with Italian officials to secure Xu’s arrest and extradition.

Patel thanked Italian police leadership for their role in the case. He said cooperation between agencies helped bring Xu into custody.

The FBI also confirmed joint operations during the investigation process. Officials said coordination remained active until extradition was completed.

Lawsuit against The Atlantic

At the same time, Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick.

The complaint alleges the publication reported “false and obviously fabricated allegations” about his conduct as FBI Director.

The report claimed issues including drinking, absences, and erratic behavior. Patel disputes these claims and has taken the case to U.S. District Court in Washington.

• Protocol 22 has boosted the scalability of Pi Network ahead of smart contracts in May.
• Pi must break $0.190 to target $0.2045 and $0.220.
• Key support at $0.1832 remains crucial for bullish momentum.

Pi Network (PI) token traded near $0.1893 on April 28 after gaining roughly 5.8% in 24 hours and more than 10% over the past week, reflecting stronger market interest as the network moves through a critical development phase.

The recent recovery is notable considering the asset’s all-time low of $0.1312 in February 2026, while still sitting far below its February 2025 peak of $2.99.

Protocol 22 mainnet upgrade

Notably, the price surge comes as Pi Network completed its Protocol 22 mainnet upgrade on April 27, a major infrastructure update designed to improve scalability, transaction throughput, and overall network readiness for decentralised applications.

Protocol 22 is widely seen as a foundational step before the expected Protocol 23 rollout in May, which is projected to introduce smart contracts and expand Pi Network’s ecosystem with broader decentralised finance (DeFi) and cross-chain functionality.

More than 10 billion PI tokens have already migrated to Mainnet, with approximately 6 billion remaining locked.

This large locked supply continues to limit immediate sell pressure while also supporting market attention around future utility expansion.

For many traders, the upcoming Protocol 23 release is even more important since smart contract functionality could significantly expand PI’s practical use cases beyond peer-to-peer transfers by allowing developers to build decentralised applications directly on the network.

Technical indicators show improving momentum

Current technical analysis suggests Pi is attempting to form a double-bottom breakout pattern, with the neckline sitting near $0.190.

A confirmed move above this level could push the price toward $0.2045, while a stronger continuation may open the path toward $0.220.

According to aggregated market indicators, a majority of technical indicators signal that the short-term momentum is leaning positive.

Moving averages are especially supportive, with PI currently above its 10-day, 20-day, 50-day, and 100-day exponential moving averages, reinforcing short-term strength.

However, the token still trades below its 200-day EMA, which suggests broader macro resistance remains in place.

The 14-day Relative Strength Index stands at 63.96, placing PI coin in neutral territory without signalling immediate overbought conditions.

On the weekly timeframe, RSI is closer to 36.01, which indicates that PI may still be recovering from previously oversold conditions.

Pi Network price forecast

Looking at the price targets that traders should consider moving forward, the immediate support sits at $0.1832.

A drop below this level may weaken short-term bullish momentum and expose Pi Network (PI) to downside pressure toward $0.1670, with deeper losses potentially reaching $0.1322.

On the upside, the first major resistance is $0.1884. A breakout above this level would strengthen breakout potential and could send PI coin toward $0.1926.

If bulls successfully clear the broader $0.190 neckline, the next major target becomes $0.2045. A sustained breakout above that level may extend gains toward $0.220.

Looking further ahead, broader 2026 projections place PI’s possible trading range between $0.1121 and $0.5246, depending largely on successful ecosystem expansion, smart contract adoption, and broader crypto market conditions.

Israel’s Capital Market Authority granted approval for a stablecoin pegged to the shekel for the first time.

Tel Aviv-based cryptocurrency exchange Bits of Gold received authorization to issue the token after a two-year evaluation and pilot process, the authority said in a post on LinkedIn.

The token, BILS, was developed in collaboration with the Solana network and crypto custodian heavyweights Fireblocks with auditing oversight provided by Big Four consultancy firm EY, Bits of Gold said in an emailed statement.

The size of the stablecoin sector — crypto tokens pegged to the value of a traditional financial asset, usually a fiat currency — has surged in the last 18 months to more than $300 billion fueled by the establishment of formal regulatory regimes in major markets such as the U.S.

The overwhelming dominance of U.S. dollar-pegged tokens in the sector has prompted concerns in markets outside the U.S. about the threat of losing financial and digital sovereignty if onchain payments all default to dollars as their unit of account.

“The Israeli shekel has emerged as one of the stronger performing fiat currencies among developed markets, supported by a resilient technology sector and consistent macroeconomic management,” Bits of Gold said in its Monday announcement.

The shekel has gained more than 20% against the dollar over the past year, according to Visual Capitalist, making it the best-performing currency among countries with an annual gross domestic product (GDP) exceeding $250 billion.

“Bringing the shekel onchain positions it alongside other leading currencies, including the euro, yen and Singapore dollar, that are beginning to gain traction in blockchain-based financial systems,” the company said.

OKX has added BlackRock’s BUIDL tokenized U.S. Treasury fund to its institutional collateral framework with Standard Chartered. The move allows eligible institutional and VIP clients to use BUIDL as trading margin.

Clients can hold the asset off-exchange with Standard Chartered while trading on OKX Middle East. They can also deposit BUIDL directly on the exchange, depending on their setup.

The companies described the arrangement as a G-SIB bank-backed off-exchange tokenized collateral framework. It builds on OKX’s existing collateral mirroring program with Standard Chartered.

Rifad Mahasneh, CEO of OKX Middle East, North Africa and CIS, said the update shows how tokenized assets can support active trading instead of staying idle.

He said BUIDL will be treated as fungible with USD, USDC and other dollar-based stablecoins inside OKX’s margin system. Clients will keep ownership of the fund and its yield.

Standard Chartered holds client collateral

Standard Chartered will act as the off-exchange custodian. The bank will hold client collateral separately from OKX’s own assets.

OKX will manage real-time margining and liquidation through its internal risk systems. Mahasneh said the structure follows traditional finance standards, though details on stress-period margin calls were not provided.

Tokenized Treasury competition grows

BlackRock’s BUIDL fund is tokenized by Securitize. It invests in cash, U.S. Treasury bills and repurchase agreements, with yield distributed onchain.

The launch adds to growing use of tokenized real-world assets in crypto market infrastructure. Binance has also added tokenized Treasury products, including BUIDL and Franklin Templeton’s BENJI fund, to collateral frameworks.

OKX said the service is live for eligible institutional and VIP clients through OKX Middle East. The company plans to expand access based on jurisdiction and client demand.