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Инвестиционный директор управляющей криптоактивами компании Bitwise Мэтт Хоуган (Matt Hougan) заявил, что значительная часть негатива уже учтена в текущей цене биткоина, и котировки пойдут вверх по мере истощения медвежьего тренда.

Основатель Cardano Чарльз Хоскинсон (Charles Hoskinson) заявил, что, хотя на фоне краха рынка его собственные криптоактивы обесценились более чем на $3 млрд, он не планирует уходить из индустрии.

Главный инвестиционный директор компании ProCap Financial Джефф Парк (Jeff Park) заявил, что рынок биткоина сможет показать бычий тренд в течение года, даже если Федеральная резервная система США (ФРС) не снизит процентную ставку.

Основатель платформы Santiment Михаил Балашевич заявил, что основным катализатором начала нового бычьего цикла биткоина станет ликвидация позиций крупнейшего публичного корпоративного держателя первой криптовалюты — компании Strategy.

Южнокорейская криптобиржа Bithumb заявила, что причиной случайного начисления 2000 биткоинов пользователям во время проведения промоакции стала операционная ошибка.

Bitcoin’s (BTC) slide below the $65,000 mark this week has rippled far beyond the crypto market, dragging down mining stocks and weighing on Asian equities already under pressure from a global tech sell-off.

The world’s largest cryptocurrency briefly dipped just above $60,000, its lowest level in about 15 months, before attempting a modest rebound. Even with that recovery, sentiment across digital assets and related equities remains fragile as investors reassess risk in an uncertain macro environment.

Whales Retreat As Sentiment Deteriorates

On-chain data shows a notable shift in Bitcoin ownership during the sell-off. According to Santiment, whales and sharks, controlling between 10 and 10,000 BTC, have reduced their share of Bitcoin’s circulating supply to around 68.04%, a nine-month low.

The large Bitcoin holders have sold roughly 81,000 BTC over the past eight days, coinciding with Bitcoin’s drop from near $90,000 to the mid-$60,000 range.

Similarly, smaller investors have continued to accumulate. Wallets holding less than 0.1 BTC reached a 20-month high in their share of supply, suggesting retail buyers are stepping in as prices fall.

Historically, similar patterns, large holders selling into retail demand, have been associated with prolonged bear phases. Reflecting this shift, the Crypto Fear & Greed Index fell to 9 out of 100, its lowest level since mid-2022.

Mining Stocks Slide Amid Bitcoin Weakness

The pressure on Bitcoin has translated quickly into losses for crypto-linked equities. Shares of major mining firms and Bitcoin proxies such as Marathon Digital, Riot Platforms, Hut 8, and Strategy Inc. posted double-digit declines, with several hitting new 52-week lows.

Strategy, one of the largest corporate Bitcoin holders, reported a sharply wider quarterly loss as falling prices weighed on the value of its holdings, adding to concerns about balance sheet risk if weakness persists.

Analysts note that the sell-off in miners has been largely macro-driven rather than tied to company-specific developments, reflecting their role as high-beta bets on Bitcoin’s price.

Asian Markets Feel The Spillover

Bitcoin’s drop also weighed on Asian markets, which were already tracking Wall Street’s losses, led by technology stocks. Equity benchmarks in South Korea, Hong Kong, and Australia declined, while Japan’s Nikkei managed modest gains after earlier losses.

Market players cited a broader risk-off mood linked to concerns over U.S. monetary policy, particularly following President Donald Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh as Federal Reserve chair, a move seen as less supportive of easy liquidity.

With Bitcoin now down roughly half from its October peak, investors remain cautious. While short-term rebounds are possible, continued selling by large holders and tightening financial conditions suggest volatility across crypto assets, mining stocks, and global markets is likely to persist.

Cover image from ChatGPT, BTCUSD chart on Tradingview

Ripple on Thursday published an “Institutional DeFi” roadmap for the XRP Ledger (XRPL), positioning XRP as a protocol-level settlement and liquidity primitive across payments, FX, collateral workflows, and on-ledger credit. The company’s pitch is straightforward: compliance tooling and asset-layer primitives are already live on mainnet, with lending, privacy, and permissioned market infrastructure slated to round out a more institution-friendly stack over the coming quarters.

The Institutional DeFi Roadmap For The XRP Ledger

In its post, Ripple framed the roadmap as an evolution from a fast settlement network into something closer to a full financial operating environment for regulated workflows. The blog argues that with “native onchain privacy, permissioned markets, and institutional lending” expected “in the coming months,” XRPL is aiming to become “an end-to-end operating system for real-world finance,” with institutions able to run compliant processes without pushing additional complexity onto end users.

RippleX summarized the roadmap in a companion post, saying XRP sits “at the center of settlement, FX, collateral, and onchain credit,” and that 2026 focus areas include lending, privacy, and permissioned on-chain markets.

The roadmap leans heavily on the idea that XRP demand can be driven both directly and indirectly. Directly, Ripple points to new functionality that could increase transaction volume and asset issuance, raising demand for network resources. Indirectly, it highlights XRP’s role in base-layer mechanics such as reserve requirements, transaction fees (which burn XRP), and bridging in FX and lending flows.

Ripple organizes this into three institutional pillars: payments/FX, collateral/liquidity, and credit/financing. On payments and FX, it emphasizes “Permissioned Domains,” where access is gated via “Credentials” (e.g., KYC/AML attestations), and a planned Permissioned DEX that would extend XRPL’s existing exchange rails into controlled, regulated contexts for secondary markets in FX, stablecoins, and tokenized assets. In those permissioned market flows, Ripple says XRP functions as an auto-bridge asset between tokens and stablecoins, while each transaction consumes fees paid in XRP.

On collateral and liquidity, Ripple spotlights Token Escrow and Batch Transactions as building blocks for conditional settlement and atomic delivery-versus-payment workflows, alongside the Multi-Purpose Token (MPT) standard, which it describes as a way to embed metadata and restrictions for complex instruments without custom contracts. The thesis here is that tokenized collateral issuance, escrowed settlement, and DvP-style flows expand on-ledger activity that still depends on XRP reserves and fees at the protocol layer.

The most explicit “institutional DeFi” expansion comes in credit. Ripple says XRPL v3.1.0 will introduce native on-ledger credit markets via a lending stack built around Single-Asset Vaults and the XLS-66 Lending Protocol, designed for fixed-term, underwritten loans with repayment automation. Underwriting and risk management remain off-chain, while the loan contracts and mechanics live on-ledger.

What Ripple Says Is Next

Ripple’s post distinguishes between primitives already available and a near-term pipeline. Live today, it lists MPT, Credentials, Permissioned Domains, transaction “Simulate” tooling for preflight-style risk reduction, “Deep Freeze” controls for issuers, Token Escrow and Batch Transactions, plus an XRPL EVM sidechain bridged via Axelar for Solidity-based deployments that tap XRPL liquidity and identity features.

On the roadmap, Ripple highlights a Permissioned DEX targeted for Q2, the XLS-65/66 lending protocol for later in 2026, “Confidential Transfers” for MPTs using zero-knowledge proofs in Q1, and “Smart Escrows” and MPT DEX integration in Q2—alongside an “Institutional DeFi Portal” intended to bundle tokenization, lending, and payments exploration in one place.

At press time, XRP traded at $1.35.

Tether has put a big bet on bullion. Reports say the stablecoin issuer bought a roughly $150 million stake in Gold.com, taking about 12% of the shares at a price that undercuts recent trading.

That move follows signals that both firms want to tie physical gold markets to digital tokens more closely. Investors reacted with a mix of curiosity and caution.

Tether Takes A Stake

Reports note the deal gives Tether the right to name a board member at Gold.com. That matters because it means more than money changes hands; it opens a direct line between a major crypto issuer and a major bullion distributor.

The firms plan to explore a gold leasing facility of at least $100 million, a step that could help move metal without always shifting cash around. Gold.com will also accept Tether’s stablecoins, including USDT and USAT, as part of the collaboration.

Tether Makes $150 Million Strategic Investment in https://t.co/wkdntYlIFB, Expanding Global Access to Tokenized and Physical Gold

Read more:https://t.co/ttkmDcS369

— Tether (@tether) February 5, 2026

What The Deal Could Do

This partnership aims to speed how people buy, sell, and hold gold using crypto rails. Part of the cash will be put toward Tether’s gold-backed token, XAU₮. That could make XAU₮ more usable in everyday trades, and it might give buyers a clearer path from a crypto wallet to physical bullion.

Some traders think this helps gold tokens gain credibility. Others worry a big crypto player stepping into metal markets will raise fresh questions about custody, audit practices, and how price moves will be reported.

Market Reaction And Risk

Equity traders noticed the shares were bought at close to 12% discount to recent levels, which suggests a negotiated, strategic purchase rather than a public market run.

Buyers in the bullion trade care about storage, insurance, and counterparty trust. Reports have disclosed that linking stablecoins and physical assets raises both promise and regulatory scrutiny.

Regulators in several regions are already watching how tokenized assets are structured. That scrutiny could shape how fast this partnership scales.

Distribution And Token Plans

Gold.com and Tether appear set to build new on-ramps. Imagine buying bullion and immediately receiving a token that represents the metal, or using USDT to pay for vault storage without fiat rails.

The plan to put a portion of funds into XAU₮ suggests token holders might see more liquidity and more places to spend or move their gold exposure. That could cut friction for buyers who prefer digital settlement.

Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView

Bitcoin (BTC) has just formed a textbook inverse Head & Shoulders pattern, signaling the beginning of a potential shift in its market structure. Despite the broader market selloff that pushed the cryptocurrency below $70,000, a crypto analyst suggests that the newly formed pattern indicates that a fresh bullish trend could be up ahead.  

Bitcoin Head & Shoulder Pattern Signals Price Reversal

In an X post this Thursday, market analyst Crypto Tice declared that Bitcoin has printed a classic inverse Head & Shoulders pattern on its chart, renewing the debate over whether the market is on the verge of another historic breakout. He said that this pattern is a textbook structural signal that has formed over an extended period on the weekly timeframe. 

Related Reading: Bitcoin Historical Performance Shows How Low The Price Will Go Before A Bottom

The chart highlights three distinct phases in Bitcoin’s price action, showing how the inverse Head and Shoulder pattern formed. The first stage saw a “Left Shoulder” emerge after an initial rally, followed by a deep decline that shaped the head of the Head and Shoulders pattern. Subsequently, prices climbed again to create a higher “Right Shoulder,” signaling that sellers were losing momentum while bulls were gradually asserting control. 

A horizontal line across the previous swing highs on the price chart marks the neckline of the inverse Head and Shoulders pattern, which Crypto Tice highlights as a pivotal level for determining Bitcoin’s next major trend. According to him, Bitcoin is currently retesting this trendline, as a breakout from here could set the stage for a potential price rally. 

Crypto Tice highlighted that the current retest should not be seen as a sign of weakness, but as confirmation that Bitcoin’s structure is still holding. He said that market sentiment at this stage often wavers among investors and traders. However, historical trends suggest that similar retests have preceded major price expansions. 

Crypto Tice noted that the inverse Head and Shoulder pattern is a critical signal that often signals a transition from accumulation to expansion. Historically, accumulation phases allow buying pressure to build, followed by a breakout, a controlled pullback, and finally a retest confirmation.  

Head & Shoulder Pattern Point To $215,000 Price Target

Above the neckline of Bitcoin’s Head & Shoulder pattern, Crypto Tice has set a projected target of $215,000 on the chart, indicating where the market could move if BTC breaks out decisively. With the cryptocurrency currently trading above $65,000, this would represent a roughly 231% increase. 

Related Reading: Did Satoshi Nakamoto Sell 10,000 Bitcoin For $800 Million? Here’s The Truth

Given the recent market downtrend and Bitcoin’s price breakdown below $70,000, the analyst acknowledged that a sudden move to $200,000 sounds largely unrealistic. However, he noted that the same perception was held in past cycles before Bitcoin skyrocketed to new all-time highs against the odds. Concluding his analysis, Crypto Tice explained that large price trends rarely begin comfortably, noting that they typically emerge amid market hesitation and uncertainty.

Ethereum’s price just lost the key support at the $2,000 mark after several weeks of steady downside pressure observed across the crypto market. While the price continues to decline, on-chain data attributes the drop to the ongoing substantial selling pressure from both big and small investors.

Big Wallets Turn Bearish On Ethereum

With the heightened volatile market conditions, the Ethereum price has seen increased sell-side pressure as investors steadily reduce their exposure. This renewed selling activity is cited among large holders regarded as whales and Sharks.

Joao Wedson, a market expert and verified author, reported that whales and sharks are starting to distribute their positions in an aggressive manner. Large holders are gradually reintroducing ETH into circulation, which frequently indicates a decline in conviction or strategic de-risking during erratic market periods.

This behavior may have an outsized effect due to the fact that distribution from large wallets increases accessible supply and affects price momentum. Furthermore, the expert stated that the pattern raises the question of whether this is just a movement into cryptocurrency exchange reserves. However, the ideal answer remains no.

Crypto exchanges’ reserves, from recent data, remain relatively stable, which excludes that hypothesis. According to Wedson, this is not an operational transfer, but rather a real selling activity from investors. Currently, entities with substantial ETH holdings are persistently lowering their exposure and putting direct pressure on the altcoin price.

In the meantime, the outcome of the current pattern is clear, which includes progressive capitulation, cascading liquidations, and dominant selling pressure. Wedson highlighted that this kind of move does not emerge from retail holders. Rather, it often begins at the top of the structure, with players controlling large volumes.

However, when this happens, the market does not let go of the distraction. As a result, the expert has urged holders to protect their capital by seeking alpha signals and not narratives.

What Lies Ahead For ETH Beneath The $2,000 Price Level

Ethereum losing the $2,000 support level has sparked heightened fear and uncertainty across the market. Prior to the breakdown, Wedson shared an analysis that offers insights into the development and the next direction the altcoin might take. The analysis underscores the significance of the level in Ethereum’s current price performance.

In the post on X, Wedson stated that ETH cannot lose the $2,000 because if it does, it is highly likely to increase its bearish performance. This drop is not being triggered by Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world, or any other exchange. The expert claims that the decline is being bolstered by the OG holders; these are investors who truly control and have always controlled the market.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent put a spotlight on the growing rift between regulators and parts of the crypto industry this week, telling lawmakers that those who resist clear rules “should move to El Salvador.”

The line landed hard during a Senate Banking Committee hearing and was repeated across multiple news outlets as a sign the administration is pushing for firm oversight rather than tolerance for gray areas in markets.

Bessent’s Warning To Industry

Based on reports, Bessent called out what he described as a “nihilist” wing of crypto that would rather scuttle compromise than accept a legal framework.

His remarks came as senators debated the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, a bill meant to spell out how digital assets fit into existing banking and securities rules.

The episode followed recent moves by major players — including a high-profile platform stepping back from support for the bill — which lawmakers say complicates chances for a quick fix.

Lawmakers And Lobbyists Take Sides

The hearing did not stay polite for long. Voices rose. Accusations flew. Some senators warned that unchecked stablecoin products could pull deposits out of banks, while crypto advocates argued that heavy-handed rules would stifle innovation.

Bessent suggested that if firms prefer places with looser oversight they can seek them out, naming El Salvador as an example. That rhetorical nudge is more than a talking point — it’s a signal about market access: do business under US guardrails, or accept limits on participation.

What El Salvador Actually Offers

Reports note that El Salvador’s crypto stance has shifted since it became the first country to make bitcoin legal tender. Lawmakers there approved changes to make Bitcoin acceptance voluntary as part of an IMF-backed deal last year.

The move reduced the mandatory use of Bitcoin while the government said it would still hold and, on occasion, add to its reserves. Those choices mean El Salvador is not a simple “no rules” refuge, even if it appears friendlier to some crypto actors than the US.

Markets And Messaging

Traders watch words like these. Markets respond to certainty, and clarity tends to calm them. When policymakers argue publicly, volatility can spike.

At the same time, a clear path for regulation would let banks plan products and let crypto firms design services that can be sold widely, not just in select jurisdictions.

Some industry executives are lobbying for carve-outs; others want full regulatory recognition. The tension is real and it will shape who stays and who sails elsewhere.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Bitcoin (BTC) has staged a modest rebound after suffering a sharp sell‑off over recent days, but market analysts warn that the underlying pressures driving the decline remain firmly in place. 

The world’s largest cryptocurrency plummeted momentarily to around  $60,000 on Thursday, its lowest level in around 17 months, before rising modestly to current trade values of $70,667 as of Friday afternoon.

Crypto Winter Fears Grow

In comments shared with Fortune, Jefferies analyst Andrew Moss, the downturn is being fueled largely by selling from major holders. In a note to clients, Moss said that large Bitcoin investors, commonly referred to as whales, have been offloading their positions into market weakness. 

He noted that these holders shifted to net sellers over the weekend after steadily accumulating Bitcoin since early January, suggesting a significant change in market behavior at the top end of ownership.

Selling pressure has also emerged from retail investors who gained exposure to Bitcoin through spot exchange‑traded funds (ETFs). Moss pointed out that net outflows from spot Bitcoin ETFs during the weeks of January 19 and January 26 ranked as the second‑ and third‑largest since those products were launched. 

Those withdrawals were followed by another wave of substantial outflows on February 4, adding to downward pressure on prices, which coupled with ETF outflows, has reignited familiar concerns across the crypto market. 

Moss said renewed talk of a “Crypto Winter” is spreading, warning that there are few convincing signs that Bitcoin is nearing a bottom. He added that the lack of buying activity from small‑ and medium‑sized holders suggests that dip‑buying sentiment remains weak, a factor that often signals further downside risk.

Analysts Divided On Bitcoin’s Next Move

Other analysts echoed the cautious outlook. Deutsche Bank strategist Henry Allen noted that Bitcoin’s recent drop marked its worst single‑day decline since November 2022. 

That period coincided with the collapse of Sam Bankman‑Fried’s FTX exchange, an event that wiped out billions of dollars in customer funds and sent shockwaves through the digital asset industry.

Chevy Cassar, author of the Milk Road newsletter, described the current environment in stark terms, acknowledging that the downturn is painful and warning that conditions could deteriorate further. 

Based on historical patterns, Cassar said crypto markets often take anywhere from one month to nearly a year to reach a true bottom after major declines.

Still, not all observers see the current moment as purely negative. Fabian Dori, chief investment officer at Sygnum Bank, said the market may be approaching a point of exhaustion. 

Dori said sentiment appears to be entering what he described as “peak fear territory,” a phase that has historically preceded stabilization or recovery in past cycles.

At the time of writing, BTC has recovered to its current trading price of $70,667 and has seen a 10% surge within the last 24 hours. 

Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

The XRP Ledger quietly crossed an important milestone this week. After weeks of waiting, the Permissioned Domains amendment has finally gone live. Validators reached the required 80% yes vote back in January, but as protocol rules demand, that consensus had to hold for two consecutive weeks before activation. 

On February 4, the waiting period ended, and the amendment officially became part of the XRP Ledger with a 91.19% approval. The moment passed with little noise, but investors might have missed its implications, which extend far deeper than a routine technical update.

Quiet Upgrade Changes How Institutions Can Use The XRP Ledger

Permissioned domains were introduced to the XRP Ledger on the v2.4.0 update. The rollout followed the standard governance process on the Ledger, which requires both a supermajority vote and sustained agreement over time to prevent rushed or unstable changes. In this case, validators voted yes early, locking in more than 80% approval in January.

According to Stern Drew, an XRP analyst on the social media platform X, the importance of Permissioned Domains lies in how they reshape what is possible on a public ledger. In simple terms, it makes the Ledger far more usable for institutions, enterprises, and regulated applications.

The upgrade allows controlled environments to exist on the same shared blockchain. Institutions can now operate inside clearly defined domains where participants are known, approved, and compliant, without giving up the speed, finality, and low-cost settlement XRPL is known for.

This addresses a limitation in public blockchains, which are known for their openness. Public blockchains like the Ledger are great for openness, but the openness is unrealistic for banks, governments, and enterprises that must enforce rules, accountability, and identity checks. 

Permissioned Domains resolve that tension by letting both models coexist. Sensitive or regulated activity can happen inside restricted domains, while the broader ledger is open and permissionless for everyone else.

Why This Matters For The Altcoin Going Forward

The most favorable outcome for XRP is the broad adoption of the Ledger by banks and financial institutions in their day-to-day operations. Therefore, the activation of permissioned domains on the Ledger removes one of the last structural barriers to real-world adoption. 

XRPL can now serve as shared financial infrastructure, offering the guardrails regulators expect without sacrificing the benefits of a global public ledger. A bank can settle payments, a government can run regulated flows, and an enterprise can move large value, all without exposing sensitive operations to the entire public network.

This is why the Permissioned Domains upgrade carries more weight than its quiet rollout. It might be overlooked for now, but this kind of change tends to show its impact gradually, especially when institutions start creating domains on the Ledger.

Permissioned Domains is one of several amendments introduced by developers to strengthen the overall utility of the Ledger ecosystem. Another notable example is the lending feature, which is currently in the validator voting phase.

XRP experienced one of its most significant rallies ever in this cycle, reaching a new all-time high. However, with the broader cryptocurrency market turning extremely volatile, the price of altcoin has now fallen dangerously close to the $1 mark. Despite the notable decline, on-chain metrics suggest that the altcoin could still be set for more downside movement in the upcoming weeks and months.

XRP Is Facing Bear Market Threat

The XRP bloodbath has continued after falling by nearly 20% on Thursday, with the price of the altcoin now positioned at $1.22. Meanwhile, fresh data are flashing strong warning signs about a potential continuation of the current downward trend.

Advanced investment and on-chain data analytics platform, Alphractal, has outlined a growing cluster of on-chain and market metrics, which suggests that XRP may be approaching the edge of an aggressive bear market phase. Liquidity, holder behavior, and derivatives positioning indicators are starting to line up in a manner that has historically preceded more dramatic declines.

Specifically, 3 different key metrics are hinting at this impending bear market phase for the leading altcoin. These metrics include the Realized Cap Impulse, the MVRV Z-Score, and the Net Unrealized Profit and Loss (NUPL).

Currently, data from Realized Cap Impulse shows that new capital is flowing out of XRP. As for the MVRV Z-Score, which is sitting right on a key level, the metric hints at either a bear market continuation or the last on-chain support. Meanwhile, the NUPL is also at its transition line, and a further drop implies that most XRP activity will shift into unrealized losses.

XRP is now sitting exactly at a critical on-chain transition point. In other words, the altcoin is in a fragile state. If the price declines a little more, the data suggests conditions could deteriorate fast, paving the way for an extended bear market and potential capitulation phase.

Alphractal also highlighted that if the 3 metrics display extended weakness, the ongoing selling pressure will probably increase in the upcoming days. Thus, this makes the moment a crucial one for monitoring and for making data-driven decisions in order to position ahead of possible upside or downside moves.

Short-Term Holders Are The Major Sellers

XRP’s current downtrend is not entirely a surprise, given the growing selling pressure from its holders. Steph is Crypto, a market analyst and trader, disclosed that the renewed selling activity is emerging from the short-term holders, who appear to be the primary source of distribution.

Data shows that wallet addresses aged between 1 week and 1 month have experienced a drop from 5.27% to 3.6% in the past few days. Meanwhile, wallet addresses that fall under the 1-month to 3-month category are down from 11.53% to 9.29%. When newer market players are offloading their positions in volatile conditions, it is often caused by weak conviction in the altcoin and higher risk tolerance.

While these short-term holders are constantly selling their coins, Steph is Crypto highlighted that long-term holders are doing the opposite. These investors are not selling and are holding on to their coins. For now, only weak hands are the ones that are selling in the market.

While Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and most cryptocurrencies are struggling with overwhelmingly negative market sentiment, XRP appears to be the only coin on which investors have suddenly turned bullish. Despite crashing below $1.4 this week, new reports indicate that XRP’s market sentiment is moving into positive territory, suggesting investor confidence in the token is shifting amid broader market weakness.

XRP Sentiment Turns Positive As Bitcoin And Ethereum Struggle

Bitcoin and Ethereum are facing intense bearish pressure, with market sentiment around the two largest cryptocurrencies remaining negative. Despite the broader market pullback, sentiment readings on XRP are unexpectedly positive. 

Recent data from crypto analytics platform Santiment show that, as of January 7, 2026, Bitcoin’s negative sentiment has dropped to 1.39, and Ethereum’s has fallen to 1.73, reflecting growing fear and uncertainty among investors amid the broader crypto downturn. Santiment’s chart indicates that market sentiment surrounding Bitcoin and Ethereum had steadily deteriorated since the beginning of the year. 

Although Ethereum’s sentiment briefly rose to 2.12 in early January as the price attempted several recoveries, market perception quickly reversed and plunged as the cryptocurrency continued to decline. Meanwhile, Bitcoin has shown minimal improvement in market psychology, with sentiment remaining firmly in negative territory since the beginning of January. The cryptocurrency’s recent breakdown below $70,000 has further intensified bearish readings, fueling concerns among market watchers that it may now be in a full-scale bear market, with additional near-term downside pressure expected. 

This substantial decline in sentiment for Bitcoin and Ethereum highlights XRP’s unusual bullish position in the market. Given that its price crashed below $1.3 at the time of writing, market sentiment for XRP was widely expected to remain negative. However, against all odds, the cryptocurrency has managed to regain investors’ positive outlook and confidence. 

Santiment data shows that XRP’s market sentiment rose to 4.07 on January 7, up from 1.39 the day before. Since the beginning of January, the cryptocurrency’s sentiment has remained below 2, reflecting significant caution and uncertainty among investors ahead of the recent unexpected change. 

Why Sentiment Is Becoming Positive

The rise in XRP’s positive sentiment is largely attributed to growing institutional demand for the cryptocurrency’s Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF). While Spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs continue to experience outflows, XRP ETFs are the only products showing gains. 

Data from SoSoValue shows that Spot Bitcoin ETFs have posted only two days of positive inflows since January 16, with the most recent daily outflow totaling $434.15 million on February 5. Ethereum ETFs have faced similar losses, registering positive inflows on only three occasions since January 20. It recorded its largest outflow this year on January 21, when approximately $297.51 million left the asset. Meanwhile, XRP Spot ETFs have outperformed, recording only four days of outflows since the beginning of January, reflecting growing confidence and a shift in institutional interest toward the cryptocurrency. 

Dogecoin’s open interest has crashed to levels not seen since October 2024. This was notably just before the leading meme coin recorded a significant surge, raising speculation that history might repeat itself.

Dogecoin Open Interest Falls To October 2024 Levels

Dogecoin’s open interest has crashed below $1 billion, down over 16%, according to Coinglass data. The last time the open interest dropped to these levels was in October 2024, just before it began an uptrend which led to a high of $4.45 billion in December 2024. October 2024 also marked the bottom for the DOGE price, as it rose from around $0.155 to as high as $0.46.

Dogecoin notably rose back then, partly thanks to Donald Trump’s presidential election victory and Elon Musk’s move to name a government agency, the Department of Government Efficiency, after DOGE. Additionally, the Fed lowered rates at the time, which was also bullish for the leading meme coin. 

It remains to be seen whether Dogecoin can replicate such a price surge this time, given that open interest has dropped to October 2024 levels. It is also worth noting that the current macroeconomic outlook differs this time, with the Fed making a hawkish pivot and unlikely to lower rates until at least June. However, Musk recently mentioned Dogecoin, saying they could send the meme coin to the moon next year. 

Meanwhile, crypto traders on Binance look to be positioning for a price surge in hopes that this might be the bottom for Dogecoin. The current long/short ratio is 2, indicating that most traders are long. However, DOGE’s long/short ratio across all exchanges is still below 1, indicating that most crypto traders are still bearish and shorting the meme coin. 

DOGE Still Risks Dropping To $0.054

Crypto analyst Ali Martinez has indicated that Dogecoin could still drop to as low as $0.054. In an X post, he stated that this is the level he is looking at for a potential bounce. However, crypto analyst Mikybull Crypto suggested that the leading meme coin may not drop to that level, as DOGE’s RSI is currently at a historical level that has acted as support in past cycles. As such, there is the possibility that it could bounce from here. 

It is worth noting that Dogecoin has seen a surge in metrics, including derivatives trading volume, which has increased by more than 100% to $6.5 billion. Options trading volume and open interest have also surged by 381% and 135%, respectively, indicating that crypto traders are actively trading the meme coin. 

At the time of writing, the Dogecoin price is trading at around $0.09075, down over 11% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.

В пятницу, 6 февраля, биткоин опустился до своего минимума со времен возвращения президента США Дональда Трампа в Белый дом. Политика по-прежнему влияет на настроения криптоинвесторов, но теперь дело далеко не только в ней. Неопределенность так высока, что инвесторы предпочитают продавать цифровые активы.

Восемь китайских ведомств-регуляторов, включая Народный банк Китая (НБК) и Комиссию по ценным бумагам Китая (CSRC), опубликовали совместное заявление, согласно которому юрлицам и физлицам запрещено выпускать привязанные к юаню стейблкоины без разрешения регуляторов.

Европейская комиссия опубликовала текст документа о 20-м по счету пакете санкций против российской экономики. Зампредседателя Еврокомиссии Кая Каллас пообещала, что в числе прочего ЕС запретит цифровой рубль Банка России.

Charles Hoskinson used a Feb. 6 livestream from Tokyo to push back on a familiar narrative he says he’s hearing on the ground in Japan: that Cardano is “fading” or “dead,” and that the bear market has drained the ecosystem’s momentum.

Speaking midway through a multi-city tour tied to Cardano’s third cohort of ambassadors, Hoskinson said long-time community members and newcomers alike have been approaching him with relief that the project is still active. He framed the trip as a signal that Cardano, after years of protocol work, is shifting into what he called a commercialization phase, building products that feel less like infrastructure demos and more like mainstream use cases.

Hoskinson Rallies Cardano Through The Downturn

“We’ve been on tour all throughout Japan,” Hoskinson said, describing meetings with “a lot of investors, a lot of developers,” including people who have followed Cardano “for more than 10 years.” The message he said he’s delivering is that major building blocks are in place: “The infrastructure is strong. We’re fully decentralized. Governance has been done. So now it’s the time to go build some fun, exciting, real use cases and get them into the ecosystem.”

Hoskinson name-checked Hydra, Cardano’s scaling effort, and pointed to projects he characterized as the “vanguard” of the next phase, including Midnight — the privacy-focused sidechain he has promoted as a cornerstone of Cardano’s broader roadmap. He also referenced “Starstream,” a WASM-based zero-knowledge virtual machine (zkVM) designed for the Cardano blockchain to enable private, scalable smart contracts.

The backdrop, he acknowledged, is a market environment that “is red, red, red,” with sentiment weak enough that some attendees told him they had assumed Cardano’s best days were behind it. Hoskinson’s response was less a price defense than a thesis about why crypto persists through cycles and why he believes the longer-term direction of global finance makes open networks unavoidable.

“Globalism has finally reached its peak, accelerated by AI and accelerated by demographic changes,” he said. “The human race is starting to think in terms of we instead of nation by nation… And the old guard and the old way of doing things is fading. And they’re kicking and screaming as they’re being dragged off the stage.”

Red Days https://t.co/lO21fGjc0w

— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) February 5, 2026

He argued that a more integrated global economy ultimately needs a neutral settlement layer: an “economic franca,” in his words and that blockchain-based systems are the practical option. “The only way to run a world like this is through cryptocurrency. Full stop,” Hoskinson said. “Otherwise, you have to build an empire and no one’s strong enough to conquer the world right now… We need an economic franca. And you tell me how we’re going to do that without a blockchain.”

The livestream veered into broader institutional mistrust, with Hoskinson citing political instability, corruption, and high-profile scandals as evidence that “deep down inside, we all know this can’t last.” He cast crypto as a mechanism to constrain human behavior through “rules” and “regulating functions,” rather than relying on institutional goodwill.

But the most pointed moment came when he anticipated a common critique that his optimism is easy because he’s wealthy and responded with a personal financial claim and a commitment to keep building regardless of market outcomes:

“Every now and then you hear something like this, you say, ‘Yes, but it’s easy for you to say, Charles, you’re rich. You can ride it out.’ I’ve lost more money than anyone listening to this. Over $3 billion now. It would have been real easy to cash out. Just walk away. And do you think I honestly care if I lose it all? Do you think I’m doing this for money? You’re pretty mistaken if you do.”

Hoskinson also portrayed his distance from past industry blowups as a matter of personal discipline rather than luck. “There’s a reason I didn’t get rolled up in FTX,” he said, adding that his “default answer is no” when it comes to the kinds of deals that later become liabilities.

In closing, Hoskinson urged builders and community members to treat the drawdown as an endurance test rather than a verdict, tying Cardano’s ambassador programs, including a call to become a Midnight ambassador and engage via Intersect.

His core message was simple: the market may get “more red” but he isn’t leaving. “I’m here for life,” Hoskinson said. “As long as I’m alive, I’m just going to keep going.”

At press time, ADA traded at $0.2521.