Crypto World
This AI Infrastructure Stock Just Erased a Year of Losses in Sudden 40% Jump
Snowflake (SNOW) stock jumped about 40% on May 28, 2026, erasing a 20% year-to-date drop in one session. The AI infrastructure name beat earnings estimates and unveiled a $6 billion deal with Amazon Web Services.
The single-day move repositioned Snowflake from a slowing software story into a core data layer for enterprise artificial intelligence. Investors credited accelerating product revenue, raised full-year guidance, and a fresh agentic AI acquisition.
Earnings Beat Resets the AI Infrastructure Story
Snowflake posted first-quarter fiscal 2027 revenue of $1.39 billion, up 33% year over year and beating $1.32 billion consensus.
Product revenue grew 34% to $1.33 billion, the biggest sequential dollar add Snowflake has ever posted per CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy.
Non-GAAP earnings reached $0.39 per share against $0.32 consensus. Net revenue retention held at 126%, and remaining performance obligations expanded 38% to $9.21 billion.
The print pulled Snowflake back among AI stocks worth watching this quarter.
Management lifted full-year fiscal 2027 product revenue guidance to $5.84 billion, implying 31% growth, up from a prior 27% outlook.
“Snowflake is not even an AI company. It is the data infrastructure that AI runs on,” analyst Bull Theory remarked.
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The $6 Billion AWS Bet
Snowflake also signed a five-year, $6 billion deal with Amazon Web Services, its largest cloud commitment yet.
The arrangement covers AWS Graviton chips for general workloads and GPU-accelerated EC2 instances for AI model training. It also deepens integrations for agentic AI infrastructure.
“The acquisition extends Snowflake’s governance perimeter from data assets to AI actions and interactions across the enterprise,” read an excerpt in the press release.
The companies will pair on workload migrations and expanded sales motions through the AWS Marketplace. Lifetime sales there have topped $7 billion, per Snowflake.
The commitment lands as tech giants pour billions into AI buildouts, racing to lock in long-term enterprise data customers.
Snowflake separately said it would acquire Natoma, an enterprise Model Context Protocol platform for governing AI agents. The deal extends its agentic AI stack into identity and connectivity layers.
The moves back Ramaswamy’s case that Snowflake is becoming the governed data layer powering enterprise AI.
The single-session gain also lifted the stock among this year’s best-performing assets.
Continued upside depends on whether AI workloads convert into durable consumption revenue and how quickly customers move agents into production.
The post This AI Infrastructure Stock Just Erased a Year of Losses in Sudden 40% Jump appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Crypto World
Dell Stock Up 138% on AI and Trump Push, But Pullback Risk Builds
Dell stock trades at $317.05 after a 138% rally driven by Trump’s May 8 endorsement and a record Q1 FY27 earnings beat.
The internal signals on the chart and in the options market, however, suggest the move may need a pause before the next leg higher.
Dell Q1 FY27 Earnings Crush Every Estimate
Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL) reported Q1 FY27 revenue of $43.8 billion, far above the $34.81 billion consensus estimate. Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) came in at $4.86 against the $2.88 estimate. EPS measures company profit divided by outstanding shares. The result was a 214% year-over-year jump.
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The AI server segment carried the print. AI-Optimized Servers revenue reached $16.1 billion, up 757% year over year. Dell also booked $24.4 billion in AI orders during the quarter.
Management raised the FY27 AI server revenue expectation to $60 billion from $50 billion. Full-year revenue guidance moved to $165 to $169 billion, well above the $143.9 billion analyst expectation.
The size of the beat explains why options activity and institutional flow on the chart became the next questions. Such a large positive surprise can leave the stock briefly stretched, which is what later signals appear to confirm.
Trump Endorsement and Pentagon Contract Drive the 138% Rally
The earnings beat is the third leg in a story that began outside the company. On May 8, 2026, President Trump publicly urged investors to “go out and buy a Dell.” The shoutout came mid-rally as Dell stock was already climbing off its early-year base.
Less than three weeks later, on May 27, Dell was awarded a $9.7 billion US Pentagon contract. The contract added a fundamental anchor to what had started as political momentum.
By Thursday, Dell stock had rallied 138% from its early-March base. The chain looks like a clean bullish catalyst. The internal market signals that emerged on the same chart, however, suggest the move may be running ahead of itself.
CMF Double Top and Lower Volume Hint at a Pullback
Dell’s chart began flashing internal weakness even as the price hit fresh highs. Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) measures institutional money moving in and out of a stock using price and volume.
The CMF reading peaked at 0.40 earlier in May and has since dropped to 0.24. The drop forms a double-top structure on the indicator itself, even though the price kept climbing.
The CMF is still positive but is testing an ascending trend line that has supported the rally since mid-April. A break of that trend line would confirm that institutional money is stepping back.
Volume tells a similar story. The May 28 earnings session printed strong 26.61 million share volume. Yet the rally’s overall volume profile has trended lower compared to the early March surge.
Rising price on falling volume often precedes a near-term pullback. The doji candle that closed Thursday’s session adds confirmation. A doji forms when buyers and sellers finish nearly flat, signaling indecision after a strong move.
If institutional flow is leaving while the chart shows indecision, options market data is the next confirmation point.
Put-Call Volume Ratio Doubles Around Q1 Earnings
The options market shifted noticeably around the Q1 print. The put-call volume ratio compares daily put buying to daily call buying. A ratio below 1 means more calls trade than puts and is generally read as bullish.
On May 20, Dell’s put-call volume ratio sat at 0.34, a very bullish reading. The open interest ratio at the same date was 1.28. Open interest measures total contracts still open, so the 1.28 reading meant existing puts already outnumbered existing calls.
By May 28, the day of the earnings release, the volume ratio climbed to 0.80. The open interest ratio inched up to 1.29. The volume ratio more than doubled in eight days even as the stock rose.
Heavy put buying on a strong earnings day usually reflects hedging rather than directional bearish trades. Large holders buy protection while keeping their stock exposure. The signal aligns with the CMF and volume picture from the chart.
Wall Street analysts also weighed in post-earnings. Mizuho Securities reiterated a BUY rating while raising its target. Truist Financial held its HOLD stance.
Bullish news flow, weakening institutional flow, and a rising put hedge now sit together. The price chart becomes the final piece.
Dell Stock Price Prediction and Key Levels Post-Earnings
The post-earnings setup leaves Dell stock with a clear roadmap on the chart. The current price sits at $317 after closing higher yesterday with a session high above $326. The $326 rejection level clearly aligns with the technical levels from the last completed swing and showcases the validity of the current pattern.
The 0.618 Fibonacci level of the recent swing sits at $305 and has to be a key support level. The $290 marks the next support cluster below if the expected pullback decides to run deeper. A pullback will put the Dell stock price in a falling channel, invoking the bullish flag-and-pole pattern. The pole assumes the 138% rally since early-March.
A drop to $275, the 0.382 Fibonacci, would still keep the bullish flag pattern intact. The pattern starts to weaken below $256. A close under $227.00 would invalidate the structure entirely.
On the upside, a successful pullback rebound from $305 or $290 sets up a continuation. The pattern projection aligns at $431, the 1.618 Fibonacci extension. That level sits within reach of Mizuho Securities’ updated $435 price target, raised from $350 on May 28.
The next move depends on whether buyers defend $305 cleanly. A bounce at $305 separates a continuation toward $431 from a deeper pullback to $275 and $256.
The post Dell Stock Up 138% on AI and Trump Push, But Pullback Risk Builds appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Crypto World
CFTC Has Approved the First Regulated Bitcoin Perpetual Contract in the U.S.
TLDR:
- Kalshi secured approval for the first regulated bitcoin perpetual futures contract in the U.S.
- Coinbase received CFTC relief to route clients into offshore crypto perpetual futures markets.
- The CFTC classified certain crypto perpetuals as foreign futures under Regulation 30.1.
- Regulators introduced leverage safeguards while expanding crypto derivatives market access.
CFTC crypto perpetual futures entered a new regulatory era after the agency approved Kalshi’s bitcoin perpetual contract and cleared Coinbase’s foreign derivatives structure.
The decisions establish the first workable framework for regulated crypto perpetual trading in the United States. This will help in expanding institutional access to offshore markets.
CFTC Opens Door for Regulated Bitcoin Perpetual Futures
CFTC crypto perpetual futures moved into the spotlight after regulators approved Kalshi’s BTCPERP contract on Friday.
The approval creates the first regulated pathway for bitcoin perpetual futures trading inside the United States. Until now, most crypto perpetual activity operated through offshore platforms beyond direct U.S. oversight.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission confirmed that Kalshi’s contract must comply with the Commodity Exchange Act and existing market standards.
The agency described the move as part of a broader effort to create a workable structure for digital asset derivatives products.
Bitcoin perpetual futures differ from traditional futures because they carry no expiration date. Traders can maintain positions indefinitely while speculating on future crypto price movements.
These contracts have become one of the most actively traded products across global crypto exchanges because they offer constant market exposure.
Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour said the approval represents the company’s expansion beyond prediction markets into regulated derivatives trading.
In a company statement, Mansour noted that regulated perpetual contracts could improve capital allocation and strengthen risk management for U.S. businesses seeking crypto exposure.
CFTC Chairman Mike Selig also backed the development, describing perpetual futures as an important tool for risk management and price discovery across crypto markets.
He added that bringing crypto perps onshore aligns with broader efforts to position the United States as a major digital asset hub.
Coinbase Gains Access to Offshore Crypto Perpetual Markets
Alongside the Kalshi approval, the CFTC issued a no-action letter involving Coinbase Financial Markets and Deribit FZE.
The guidance allows Coinbase’s registered futures commission merchant subsidiary to connect customers with foreign perpetual futures and options products through Coinbase Bermuda.
The agency confirmed that the perpetual contracts referenced in the letter qualify as foreign futures under Commission Regulation 30.1.
The arrangement also permits certain customer-owned crypto assets, including bitcoin, ether, and payment stablecoins, to serve as margin collateral under specific conditions.
Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal called the decision a major step for the crypto industry. The guidance gives U.S.-linked clients broader access to offshore perpetual markets while operating within a defined regulatory framework.
The announcements arrived shortly after President Donald Trump criticized previous U.S. crypto policies for pushing perpetual trading activity offshore.
Trump argued that earlier regulatory pressure weakened domestic innovation while global crypto derivatives markets continued expanding outside the country.
Despite the approvals, the CFTC’s current position remains guidance-based rather than fully codified under permanent rules.
Still, the latest actions establish a clearer framework for crypto derivatives firms seeking regulated access to perpetual futures markets in the United States.
Crypto World
Snowflake (SNOW) Stock Rallies on Strong Q1 Results and AI Product Growth
Key Highlights
- First-quarter FY2027 product revenue reached $1.334 billion, marking a 33.9% year-over-year increase and exceeding consensus by 5.3%
- Cortex Code (CoCo), Snowflake’s AI-powered product, expanded to more than 7,100 customer accounts following its February 2026 launch
- HSBC elevated its rating to Buy with a price target increase from $176 to $289
- Analyst price targets climbed across the board, with Monness, Crespi, Hardt establishing the highest at $320
- The company strengthened collaborations with AWS and OpenAI while revealing acquisition plans for AI company Natoma
Shares of Snowflake (SNOW) climbed approximately 3.6% to the $239.20 level following the cloud data company’s first-quarter fiscal 2027 earnings release, which exceeded analyst projections for both top-line and bottom-line performance. The advance comes on top of a 39% rally during the week preceding the earnings announcement.
The company reported product revenue of $1.334 billion for the quarter, representing a 33.9% gain from the same period last year. This figure surpassed the FactSet consensus estimate by 5.3%. Operating income exceeded expectations by 35.2%.
Management increased full-year projections and enhanced operating margin guidance by 100 basis points. The company maintained its FY2027 product gross margin outlook at 75%.
Much of the quarter’s outperformance stems from robust adoption of Snowflake’s artificial intelligence offerings, particularly Cortex Code, known internally as CoCo. Since becoming generally available in February 2026, the solution has expanded to over 7,100 client accounts.
Executives identified CoCo as the primary catalyst for upgrading FY2027 guidance. The rapid adoption trajectory is notable given the product has been widely available for less than half a year.
The company’s foundational data platform consumption has also accelerated. Enterprises are migrating workloads to Snowflake more aggressively to enable governed AI revenue applications, which simultaneously boosts direct AI-related revenue and overall platform utilization.
Wave of Bullish Analyst Revisions
HSBC delivered the most significant rating change, elevating SNOW from Hold to Buy while raising its price objective from $176 to $289. Analyst Stephen Bersey highlighted CoCo as the most tangible evidence of Snowflake’s capacity to generate revenue from artificial intelligence.
Monness, Crespi, Hardt established an even more ambitious target of $320. Benchmark increased its forecast to $270, pointing to unprecedented sequential dollar expansion. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $282 target. Truist Securities positioned its estimate at $275, while Freedom Broker projected $300.
This coordinated wave of upgrades signals a fundamental reassessment of Snowflake’s growth potential across the analyst community.
Strategic Partnerships and M&A Activity
The company unveiled expanded strategic relationships with AWS and OpenAI, strengthening its footprint within the enterprise artificial intelligence infrastructure. Snowflake also disclosed intentions to purchase Natoma, an emerging AI firm, though financial details remain undisclosed.
These strategic initiatives broaden Snowflake’s presence throughout the AI landscape — spanning both cloud computing infrastructure and practical AI application development.
During the earnings call, leadership acknowledged potential headwinds. Escalating AI infrastructure costs and execution risks related to scaling recently launched products were identified as areas requiring close monitoring.
Snowflake continues to operate at a loss on a trailing twelve-month basis. Nevertheless, analysts currently project the company will achieve profitability during the current fiscal year, with consensus EPS estimates of $2.83 for FY2027.
InvestingPro noted that the stock may be trading above fair value at present levels, despite the strong earnings performance and elevated guidance.
Year-to-date, SNOW shares have advanced 9.04%, with the company’s market capitalization standing at approximately $60.75 billion based on recent trading data.
Crypto World
TRX Drops 8% as SunPump Hype Fades, Network Holds
TLDR:
- TRX price dropped from $0.375 to $0.346, resetting the daily RSI from above 74 down to nearly 43.
- SunPump Token Create Events collapsed nearly 70% vs. its three-month baseline, signaling fading meme-coin hype.
- TRON active addresses rose 17% month-over-month, holding a strong daily average of roughly 6 million users.
- Tron Inc. bought 141,433 TRX at $0.3535, pushing total treasury holdings past 698 million TRX tokens.
TRX, the native token of the TRON blockchain, has retreated sharply over the past 48 hours. The price has slid from a local high near $0.375 to around $0.346.
Alongside this drop, the RSI on the daily chart has reset from overbought levels above 74 to approximately 43.
On-chain data, however, tells a more nuanced story — one where base utility continues to hold even as speculative activity cools.
SunPump Activity Collapses as Meme-Coin Hype Retreats
The most telling signal behind this TRX correction is the steep decline in meme-coin creation on the TRON ecosystem.
SunPump Token Create Event Count has fallen by 58% compared to last month. Against its three-month baseline, the drop is even steeper — nearly 70%, with near-zero events recorded in recent days.
This kind of speculative pullback is not unusual following a sharp price run-up. Markets often attract short-term participants drawn by momentum rather than fundamentals. When that momentum fades, token creation activity tends to dry up alongside it.
Source: Cryptoquant
What makes this particular data point relevant is that SunPump activity had been one of the visible drivers of elevated TRX sentiment. As that layer of hype deflates, the price naturally adjusts to reflect a lower speculative premium on the asset.
The sharp decline in meme-coin events does not mean the TRON network is losing users or transaction volume. It simply removes a layer of froth that had been priced into TRX during the run-up phase.
Active Addresses and Transaction Volume Remain on Solid Ground
Despite the retreat in speculative metrics, TRON’s core usage data has held firm. Active addresses have actually grown by 17% over the past month. The network continues to process a strong daily average of roughly 6 million active addresses.
Total daily transaction counts are also stable, maintaining more than 12 million transactions per day. This level of consistent on-chain activity points to a network that is still in active use beyond the meme-coin cycle.
Adding another layer to the picture, Tron Inc. (NASDAQ: TRON) disclosed a fresh treasury purchase. The company acquired 141,433 TRX tokens at an average price of $0.3535, bringing its total TRX treasury holdings to over 698 million TRX. The move reflects ongoing institutional conviction in the token even through the price correction.
This structural divergence — collapsing speculative activity alongside stable core usage — sets up a potential reset toward sustainable pricing.
Traders are now watching whether the $0.34 zone can establish itself as a fundamental support level rather than a temporary liquidity flush.
Crypto World
ICE Chief Sprecher Calls Hyperliquid 'Bigger Than Nasdaq' as HYPE Run Draws TradFi Notice

Jeff Sprecher, founder and chief executive of Intercontinental Exchange, the roughly $90 billion exchange giant that owns the New York Stock Exchange, called decentralized exchange Hyperliquid "bigger than Nasdaq" at an investor conference this week, a rare endorsement of a crypto-native venue from… Read the full story at The Defiant
Crypto World
Bitcoin price outlook amid 9-day streak of ETF outflows
- Bitcoin held near $73,000 but risks crashing lower as risks linger.
- Spot Bitcoin ETFs saw net outflows of $229 million for a nine-day negative streak.
- On-chain metrics show whale balances flat for months, signaling reduced accumulation.
Bitcoin traded near $73,200 on Thursday after failing to sustain a rebound amid broader cryptocurrency selling.
While BTC struggled, US stock futures edged slightly higher following reports of a potential US-Iran agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, easing some geopolitical risk and supporting broader risk assets outside the crypto market.
Bitcoin’s ETF outflows extend negative streak
Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds continued to see withdrawals, extending a record nine-day streak of net outflows.
US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded net redemptions of $229 million on May 28, bringing weekly net outflows to roughly $1.3 billion.
According to SoSoValue data, this would mark the third consecutive week of capital leaving BTC investment products.
Notably, the sustained outflows have coincided with price pressure on Bitcoin, undermining short-term liquidity and market sentiment.
On-chain analytics add further nuance to the picture. CryptoQuant data indicates that major Bitcoin holders have halted accumulation.
Dolphin balances, representing mid-sized holders, have printed successive lower highs since September 2025, while whale balances have remained largely flat since February 2026.
Historically, when both cohorts simultaneously pause or reduce accumulation, the market often experiences prolonged weakness as demand at higher price levels fades.
What next for Bitcoin price?
Analysts continue pointing to a mix of technical, options-market, and on-chain signals to assess Bitcoin’s near-term direction.
Glassnode observed that Bitcoin recently retested the $75,000 “strike,” a high gamma zone where options positioning can amplify price moves. This contributed to the pullback below $73,000, with BTC briefly falling near $72,500.
According to Greeks.live, the selloff occurred ahead of a major options expiry.
May 29 Options Expiration Data
84,000 BTC options expired, with a put-call ratio of 0.88, a maxpain point of $75,000, and a notional value of $6.2 billion.
639,000 ETH options expired, with a put-call ratio of 0.81, a maxpain point of $2,200, and a notional value of $1.28… pic.twitter.com/NNnFMy3tgx— Greeks.live (@GreeksLive) May 29, 2026
Analysts continue pointing to a mix of technical, options-market, and on-chain signals to assess Bitcoin’s near-term direction.
Glassnode observed that Bitcoin recently retested the $75,000 “strike,” a high gamma zone where options positioning can amplify price moves. This contributed to the pullback below $73,000, with BTC briefly falling near $72,500.
According to Greeks.live, the selloff occurred ahead of a major options expiry.
The on-chain analytics provider noted that the decline failed to fully extend after at-the-money implied volatility (ATM IV) briefly spiked during the drop, while longer-dated implied volatilities eased. This suggests many market participants still view the move as contained rather than the beginning of a broader structural trend reversal.
Despite this, risks remain asymmetric. Options markets continue implying the potential for larger moves than spot markets have so far produced, leaving room for renewed volatility around expiries and macroeconomic developments.
“The market’s next focus is on whether capital will flow back in, and whether BTC can reclaim $75,000 and ETH can retake $2,100. The settlement appears more like a “bearish unwinding”—large positions have expired—but the fact that both BTC and ETH are trading below their key resistance levels indicates that the dominant force this week has not been chasing rallies, but rather risk aversion and a retreat by longs. The market’s bullish sentiment is currently very fragile,” analysts at Greeks.live noted.
Technically, analysts have identified $70,000 as a key downside level.

A break below that zone could trigger deeper weakness and accelerate outflows. Meanwhile, a sustained recovery above $80,000 would likely signal renewed conviction and could attract fresh inflows into both spot products and derivatives markets.
Crypto World
CFTC Approves First US-Regulated Bitcoin Perpetual Futures

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission approved the first bitcoin perpetual futures contract on a registered U.S. exchange on Friday, clearing a product that American traders have long had to access on offshore venues. The agency issued an Order for Approval to KalshiEX, a designated contract… Read the full story at The Defiant
Crypto World
Will Crypto Markets Fall Further When $6.3B Bitcoin Options Expire?
Around 85,500 Bitcoin options contracts will expire on Friday, May 29, with a notional value of roughly $6.3 billion. This event is larger than usual for the end of the month, so it may affect spot markets.
Crypto markets have been in decline all week, with around $120 billion leaving the space as Bitcoin continues to weaken and Ether gets crushed.
Escalation of US military action in the Middle East has pushed investors into panic mode, and the sell-off has accelerated.
Bitcoin Options Expiry
This week’s batch of Bitcoin options contracts has a put/call ratio of 0.85, meaning that sellers of longs and shorts are pretty evenly matched. Max pain is around $75,000, according to Coinglass, which is a little higher than current spot prices, so some could be out of the money on expiry.
Open interest (OI), or the value or number of Bitcoin options contracts yet to expire, remains highest at the $80,000 strike price on Deribit, with $1.7 billion, but short sellers still have $1.2 billion in OI at $60,000. Total BTC options OI across all exchanges has been declining recently, and is at $37.5 billion, according to Coinglass.
Although Bitcoin has fallen to a “very dangerous level,” implied volatility (IV) has not risen significantly, reported derivatives provider Greeks Live on Thursday.
Under these circumstances, today’s expiry appears likely to “significantly alter the current options position structure,” they added.
“The market as a whole is still betting on support, and large investors’ concerns about the risk of a breakout have not increased significantly.”
BTC’s price has begun to break below the Gex concentration zone, and the resistance from open interest will continue to weaken. Meanwhile, since Gex is concentrated around $2,000, ETH has also broken below the Gex resistance level.
Although BTC has fallen to a very dangerous… pic.twitter.com/INeioAIqMP
— Greeks.live (@GreeksLive) May 28, 2026
In addition to today’s batch of Bitcoin options, around 650,000 Ethereum contracts are also expiring, with a notional value of $1.3 billion, max pain at $2,200, and a put/call ratio of 0.77. Total ETH options OI across all exchanges is around $6.9 billion.
This brings the total crypto options expiry notional value to around $7.6 billion, the largest event for many weeks.
Spot Market Outlook
Markets have been falling all week, with total capitalization dipping to $2.55 trillion on Friday morning in Asia, their lowest level since April 13.
BTC managed to recover $73,000 after falling below it twice on Thursday, but its market structure remains weak and further losses look likely.
ETH had reclaimed $2,000 at the time of writing, but also looked very weak and deep in bear market territory.
Crypto could be further pressured by US inflation, which increased at its fastest pace in three years in April as measured by this week’s PCE report.
The post Will Crypto Markets Fall Further When $6.3B Bitcoin Options Expire? appeared first on CryptoPotato.
Crypto World
Top Energy Executive Warns of Critical Oil Inventory Tightness and Imminent Price Spike
ExxonMobil’s senior vice president has warned that oil inventory tightness will reach critical levels within weeks, setting the stage for a sharp price surge unless physical supply rebounds soon.
Neil Chapman, the company’s senior vice president, told a Bernstein investor conference that markets sit only weeks away from rarely seen stockpile levels. He projected Brent crude could spike to $150 or $160 per barrel.
Oil Inventory Tightness Hits Critical Stage
Observed global oil inventories fell by roughly 246 million barrels during March and April, according to the International Energy Agency.
The pace of drawdown has accelerated since the Strait of Hormuz disruption began.
Cumulative supply losses tied to the Hormuz shipping disruption could exceed one billion barrels by month-end. Tehran’s closure of the chokepoint has cut off roughly a fifth of world oil flows.
Independent analysts argue that commercial oil inventories are weaker than headline data suggests.
Continued Strategic Petroleum Reserve sales have flattered the topline figures. Tanks and pipelines tied to private buyers have thinned out at a faster pace.
Strategic Petroleum Reserve releases and government stockpile sales have partially absorbed the shock.
Those buffers shrink quickly when commercial supplies also fall. Energy investors have already begun reweighting toward oil stocks worth watching as supply visibility deteriorates.
$150 Brent Scenario Gains Traction
Chapman framed the timeline as two or three weeks before inventory shortages become disruptive.
ExxonMobil’s internal supply models point to Brent crude prices near the $150 mark once physical buyers compete for scarce cargoes.
“We’re approaching unheard of inventory levels,” Chapman told CNBC.
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The Exxon view aligns with growing concern from independent energy analysts. Several traders have argued on that futures markets are understating physical-market tightness.
They cite widening spreads in crude grades and refined product margins.
“We are ~9 million bbls away from hitting a storage level that’s the equivalent of living paycheck to paycheck for gasoline and distillate…And we are going into peak summer demand season + hurricane…We are living on the edge now. Product pipeline + inventory needed to move products around. 2-3 weeks to exhaust the 9 million bbls, mid-June,” analysts at HFI Research indicated.
Crypto and macro investors are watching the call closely. Higher oil prices lift inflation expectations and complicate central bank rate paths.
Risk assets have already shown sensitivity to Iran Hormuz tensions, with Bitcoin (BTC) trading lower on past supply scares.
Even modest supply hits could trigger gasoline shortages during peak driving demand. If Brent overshoots $150, demand destruction becomes the likeliest path back to balance.
Whether the coming weeks confirm Chapman’s call may shape both oil shock dynamics and broader risk markets.
The post Top Energy Executive Warns of Critical Oil Inventory Tightness and Imminent Price Spike appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Crypto World
Ethereum Price Structure ‘Weakening’ as Traders Focus on $1.8K Support
Market analysts say Ether (ETH) still faces “downside pressure” that could trigger another ETH price sell-off as traders shift their focus to support at $1,800.
Key takeaways:
- Ether faces downside pressure as elevated leverage and positive funding rates amid falling prices signal fragile market conditions.
- Analysts say ETH must hold the $1,800-$1,750 support zone to avoid a deeper correction.
Ether price metrics suggest downside risks remain
Analysts have highlighted several reasons for Ether’s potential to drop lower, including an elevated estimated leveraged ratio and positive funding rates amid a “weakening price structure,” according to CryptoQuant analyst PelinayPA.
The chart below shows that Ether’s estimated leverage ratio (yellow line) remains relatively elevated at around 0.74.
Related: Ether bears at risk of $2B squeeze as short positions build around $2K
The funding rate (blue line) has remained mostly in positive territory since mid-April, meaning long positions still dominate the market. Meanwhile, the RSI (purple line) is closer to the oversold zone at 31 and has not yet “produced a convincing recovery signal,” the analyst said in a Friday QuickTake analysis.
“Leverage remains elevated and long positioning is still dominant, yet price continues to struggle as the RSI reflects weakening momentum,” the analyst said, adding:
“Overall this combination suggests that short term downside pressure in the ETH market still remains the dominant structure.”

ETH: Funding rates and leveraged ratio
Under normal market conditions, rising leverage and increasing funding rates are usually supported by strong price expansion. However, in this case, leverage remains high while price continues to record lower lows.
“But the key signal is that this leverage build-up came alongside heavy sell-side pressure,” fellow analyst Amr Taha said in another QuickTake note.
The chart below shows that the Binance cumulative net taker volume fell to around -$744 million, its deepest negative reading since April 6, 2026.
Amr Taha added:
“This means new leverage entered the market while aggressive sellers were still in control, making the setup more fragile than a clean bullish open-interest expansion.”

ETH: Cumulative net taker volume on Binance. Source: CryptoQuant
This suggests that the market structure is driven by derivative positioning instead of spot demand, which creates a weaker overall setup.
Waning demand is also seen in US-based spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which continue to post heavy outflows, indicating declining institutional interest. These ETFs have recorded outflows for thirteen consecutive days, totaling $695 million. The $121 million in net outflows recorded on Thursday marked the largest withdrawal in two weeks.

Spot Bitcoin Ether flows chart. Source: SoSoValue
As Cointelegraph reported, a break below the crucial $2,000 support and increased selling by whales indicate additional downside risk for ETH price in the near term.
Ether price must hold above $1,800
Ether’s 7% drop over the last three days has seen it lose the crucial $2,000 support, as the bears gained momentum.
Traders are now watching key levels on the downside, including the $1,800 demand zone.
“A good spot buy would be around $1,700-$1,800 key area,” analyst Suraj Jha said in a Friday post on X, adding:
“A confirmed breakdown below this level could shift the structure bearish and open up continuation to the downside.”
Fellow analyst Crypto Patel said Ether’s technical structure remains “bearish until we reclaim $3050.”
The ETH/USD pair “needs to hold $1,750 to keep the long-term bullish case alive,” the analyst said, adding:
“If $1,750 breaks, accumulation zone 2 sits at $,1500-$,1400, a massive discount for long-term holders.”

ETH/USD two-day chart. Source: X/CryptoPatel
A daily candlestick drop below $1,750 could trigger another sell-off episode, first toward the April 2026 low at $1,550 and later to the 2022 macro low around $1,000, as shown on the daily chart below. This would bring the total losses to 47% from the current price.

ETH/USD weekly chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView
As Cointelegraph reported, after losing the psychological support at $2,000, the ETH/USD pair may then descend toward the $1,900-$1,750 zone, which buyers are expected to defend aggressively.
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