🪙 Gold's Rise and the Dollar's Fate: Diverging Perspectives

🔍 As gold and silver prices reach historic highs in early 2026, two analysts present contrasting views on the implications for the U.S. dollar and global markets. Alexander Campbell, a former commodities head at Bridgewater Associates, argues that the rise in precious metals does not signal a decline of the dollar. He asserts that the global financial system remains dollar-centric, supported by U.S. capital markets and military backing.

📉 Campbell emphasizes that gold serves primarily as a portfolio hedge rather than a direct bet against the dollar. He states,

My gold and silver positions are implicitly short dollars. Every ounce I own was purchased by selling dollars.

He notes that recent dollar declines are modest historically and that narratives of collapse are disconnected from long-term price trends. Instead of focusing on currency speculation, Campbell highlights capital flows as a more significant indicator of dollar strength.

📊 In contrast, Peter Girnus, a senior threat researcher at Trend Micro, interprets recent dollar weakness as a result of intentional policy choices. He references a 2024 policy paper by Stephen Miran that advocates for strategic dollar devaluation to restructure global trade. Girnus points out that the U.S. Dollar Index has fallen to its lowest level since early 2022, which he views as a trend-driven development rather than a temporary fluctuation.

📈 He also highlights the surge in gold prices above $5,000 per ounce as being driven by central bank demand, particularly from emerging markets like China. Girnus argues that the loss of the dollar's purchasing power over the years and the end of gold convertibility in 1971 have created an environment where inflation and currency devaluation are preferred methods for managing federal debt.

🗣 Girnus states,

You don’t pay down 134% debt-to-GDP. You inflate it away. You devalue the currency it’s denominated in.

He raises concerns about the independence of the Federal Reserve amidst growing alignment between fiscal and monetary objectives.

⚖️ The divergence in these perspectives underscores a broader debate in 2026 about the long-term resilience of reserve-currency status versus the potential for controlled adjustments over time. While both analysts agree that gold's rise reflects structural forces, they differ on the interpretation of dollar dynamics—with Campbell seeing dollar dominance as intact and Girnus viewing dollar depreciation as a deliberate policy outcome.

🚨 Breaking: Trump Nominates Pro-Bitcoin Kevin Warsh As Next Fed Chair

👉 Read more

🎢 Bitcoin Rollercoaster Resistance and the Lack of Relief

📈 As of February 1, 2026, Bitcoin is valued at $78,634 with a market capitalization of $1.57 trillion. Despite a high 24-hour trading volume of $83.65 billion, the market struggles to form a recovery narrative. BTC/USD price fluctuations between $77,082 and $82,733 suggest a temporary fix rather than a definitive breakout.

📉 The daily chart reveals a dramatic drop to the $75,500 zone following a collapse from the $88,000–$90,000 range. This movement is identified as a classic liquidation confirmed by a volume spike. Traders seeking a trend reversal require a daily close above $86,000, as anything below remains speculative optimism.

⚖️ On the 4-hour timeframe, consolidation and indecision prevail between $76,000 and $77,000. While sellers appear to be taking a breather, the asset lacks the momentum for a sustained rally. Resistance at $84,000 remains strong, and every price spike looks like a trap until Bitcoin reclaims $80,500.

🔍 Shorter-term analysis on the 1-hour chart shows Bitcoin trapped between $77,800 and $79,500 with flattening momentum. Significant movements depend on breaking $80,500 to the upside or $77,200 to the downside. Technical oscillators like the RSI at 25 and the CCI at −195 indicate oversold conditions, yet momentum indicators like the MACD at −2,509 suggest continued downward pressure.

⚰️ Moving averages paint a grim picture, with all major EMA and SMA levels from 10 to 200 periods sitting well above the current price. Notable levels include the 10-period EMA at $84,768 and the 200-period SMA at $103,952. Until BTC recovers these zones, the broader trend remains under heavy resistance.

🐻 The bearish outlook remains dominant as Bitcoin stays below every key moving average. Analysts suggest that until the price reclaims $86,000 with significant volume, rallies will likely be sold off quickly. The current structure indicates that the trend is still bearish without signs of exhaustion.

🔌 Bitcoin Miners Hit Shutdown Prices as Profitability Plummets

📉 The Bitcoin mining industry is facing a severe profitability squeeze as prices hit a multi-month low near $74,500 on February 2, 2026. Combined with high network difficulty, several mining rigs have crossed their "shutdown price"—the point where electricity costs exceed mining revenue. According to Antpool, at a standard power cost of $0.08 per kWh, older and mid-tier models have officially become unprofitable to operate.

⛏️ Specific hardware models are struggling to remain viable in the current climate. The Antminer S19 XP+ Hydro, Whatsminer M60S, and Avalon A1466I have reportedly crossed the shutdown threshold. Even newer units are under pressure:

The Antminer S21 series is approaching a critical shutdown range between $69,000 and $74,000.

CryptoQuant reports that the Miner Profit/Loss Sustainability Index has dropped to its lowest level in 14 months, leaving many operators "extremely underpaid."

💰 Only the latest generation of high-efficiency hardware remains comfortably profitable. The Antminer U3S23H and S23 Hydro, which began shipping in 2026, have shutdown prices estimated above $44,000, allowing them to maintain healthy daily returns. This technological divide means that while smaller operations face closure, large-scale miners with flagship Bitmain series equipment continue to dominate the hashpower.

❄️ The crisis is compounded by external factors, including a major North American winter storm that forced several large miners to curtail operations to protect power grids. Although network difficulty slightly decreased by 1% to 146.4 trillion in early 2026, it remains near historic highs. If Bitcoin prices continue to slide toward the psychological $50,000 threshold, the industry may witness a massive exit of hashrate and significant difficulty resets.

👀 Ault Capital Group unveils Ault Blockchain public testnet

⚡️ Ault Capital Group today announced the public testnet launch of Ault Blockchain, a Layer 1 network designed for trading, settlement, and institutional-grade onchain infrastructure. This launch marks the first public release of the protocol and opens access to developers, infrastructure operators, and early network participants.

⛔️ Ault Blockchain is built as a Cosmos-based Layer 1 with full Ethereum Virtual Machine compatibility, enabling Ethereum-native smart contracts and tooling to run without modification. The network is governed by Ault DAO, which oversees protocol rules, economic parameters, and long-term upgrades through onchain governance.

🔔 The public testnet provides a live environment for evaluating core network functionality, validator performance, and infrastructure design. This early access seeks community engagement and feedback by contributors who add value to the network’s development and stability.

🔗 In contrast to typical launch models, Ault Blockchain will not conduct a public token sale. Instead, the native AULT token will be distributed exclusively through a protocol-controlled emissions schedule tied to measurable network participation, including consensus security and licensed infrastructure operations rather than speculative activity.

📈 Bitcoin's Resurgence: A Response to Cooling U.S. Inflation

📊 Bitcoin experienced a significant rebound on Friday, rising to $69,000 after U.S. inflation data showed a cooler-than-expected rate of 2.4%. This marked a 5% increase in less than 24 hours, adding approximately $70 billion to its market capitalization and elevating the overall crypto market to $2.42 trillion.

The catalyst for the broad-based rally was the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which fell to 2.4%—edging out the 2.5% projected by analysts.

📉 Prior to this surge, Bitcoin had faced pressure, dipping below $66,000 for two consecutive sessions. It rebounded from an intraday low of $65,670 to reach a high of $69,405. The CPI's disinflationary signal positively impacted the digital asset economy, with most major tokens gaining between 2% and 5% and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) leading the way with an 8% jump.

💼 This cooling inflation supports U.S. President Donald Trump's calls for aggressive interest rate cuts, putting pressure on the Federal Reserve and Chairman Jerome Powell. The data also challenge the belief that the administration's tariffs would lead to an inflationary spike.

📉 U.S. equities mirrored the crypto market's enthusiasm, with the Nasdaq reaching an intraday high before a mid-session reversal. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average also saw gains, although the Dow remains on track to finish the week lower than its Tuesday peak.

Despite this relief rally, broader market sentiment remains remarkably fragile.

⚠️ The sudden volatility caught bears off guard, leading to over $170 million in short-position liquidations within 4 hours. Bitcoin led these liquidations with $92 million wiped out, followed by ether at $48 million. Despite the recent gains, the Crypto Fear and Greed Index indicates extreme caution among investors, sitting at 8 within the "extreme fear" zone.

🪙 Bitcoin's Current Market Dynamics: A High-Stakes Standoff

📉 Bitcoin is currently trading at approximately $68,494, facing significant short-selling pressure not seen since August 2024. Despite a 45% drop from its October 2025 peak of over $126,000, the cryptocurrency has managed to maintain its position in the upper-$60,000 range, frustrating bearish traders.

🔍 Recent metrics from Cryptoquant indicate that funding rates across major exchanges have reached their most negative levels since August 2024. This suggests a heavy short positioning in the market.

When funding rates turn deeply negative, short sellers pay longs to maintain positions — a signal that bearish bets are overcrowded.

This situation mirrors the pattern observed in August 2024, when Bitcoin rallied over 90% after a similar setup.

📊 As of February 16, 2026, Bitcoin futures open interest stands at approximately $43 billion, remaining moderately high despite a slight dip. Elevated open interest often precedes volatility, as crowded positions create liquidation risks. Data shows a slight tilt towards shorts globally, with Bitfinex reporting a dominant 67.61% short position.

💥 The potential for significant liquidations adds to the current narrative. A 10% increase in Bitcoin's price could trigger around $4.34 billion in short liquidations, compared to $2.35 billion in long liquidations for a similar decline.

The upside liquidation imbalance is nearly double — a setup that can accelerate rallies if momentum builds.

📈 Kalshi: A Valid Alternative for Predicting Macroeconomic Variables

🔔 A recent Federal Reserve paper titled “Kalshi and the Rise of Macro Markets” evaluated the accuracy of prediction markets in relation to macroeconomic indicators like inflation and interest rates. The study concluded that Kalshi, as a regulated platform, offers a more reliable benchmark for these figures compared to traditional methods such as surveys and forecasts.

📊 The report highlighted that Kalshi provides a real-time snapshot of market movements around macroeconomic numbers, responding quickly to news events. It stated that these markets

provide unique insights—particularly for variables like GDP growth, core inflation, unemployment, and payrolls, for which no other market-based distributions currently exist.

This positions Kalshi as a valuable tool for measuring market sentiment and macroeconomic uncertainty.

📈 Furthermore, the paper emphasized that as prediction markets mature and liquidity increases, their potential to enhance real-time policy analysis and academic research will grow. It stated,

As these markets mature and liquidity deepens, their potential to enhance real-time policy analysis and academic research will only grow over time.

⚠️ Bitcoin's Current Trading Status and Market Outlook

📉 As of Sunday morning, Bitcoin is trading between $67,926 and $68,022, just below a critical resistance band. The broader market structure remains corrective, but short-term price action indicates that volatility is still a factor.

📊 On the macro level, Bitcoin's daily chart shows a strong corrective phase from approximately $97,000 to a low near $59,930, followed by stabilization in the $66,000 to $70,000 range. Price continues to form lower highs, and volume has declined during consolidation, signaling compression rather than expansion. Major support is at $65,000 with a breakdown level at $59,900. Resistance remains firm between $70,000 and $72,000; only a decisive daily close above $72,000 would confirm a structural higher high.

🔄 The four-hour chart shows that Bitcoin has staged a measured recovery off $65,620 but momentum is slowing near resistance. The structure shows compression beneath $70,000 with heavy overhead supply. A sustained move above $69,500 to $70,000 would expose $72,000 and potentially $74,000; however, rejection in this zone increases the probability of a rotation back toward $66,000 and possibly $65,000.

⏳ The one-hour chart captures the market’s current state: tight consolidation between $67,800 and $68,800. Multiple failed pushes above $68,800 confirm active resistance, while consistent defenses of $67,800 establish near-term support. Volatility has contracted, suggesting that expansion is brewing. A break above $69,000 would likely accelerate momentum toward a swift test of $70,000; conversely, a loss of $67,800 opens the door for a retracement into deeper intraday support.

💸 FG Nexus Faces $82 Million Loss After Selling ETH

📉 FG Nexus has recently sold 7,550 ETH, adding to a series of liquidations after accumulating over $196 million worth of ether in 2025. The firm is now facing an estimated loss of $82.8 million as ETH trades below $2,000.

Between August and September 2025, FG Nexus accumulated 50,770 ETH for approximately $196 million at an average price of $3,860.

📉 However, less than a month later, the firm began to reduce its holdings, selling 21,025 ETH at an average price near $2,649. With the latest sale, FG Nexus has deepened its losses as ether's price continues to trade well below its 2025 purchase levels.

The firm now holds 30,094 ETH, valued at about $57.5 million at current prices. With ether trading around $1,964, FG Nexus is facing an estimated cumulative loss of $82.8 million.

🔔 Derivatives data shows the pressure on ether's price. The "max pain" price sits near $2,200, representing roughly $886 million in notional value, with a put-to-call ratio of 0.78. This positioning suggests traders remain cautious but not outright bearish.

The broader takeaway is clear: treasury-style ETH accumulation strategies carry real balance sheet risk when volatility turns.

🚀 X Introduces Paid Partnership Labels for Enhanced Transparency

🌟 In a bid to boost transparency on its platform, X has announced the implementation of a Paid Partnership labels program. This initiative aims to assist content creators in disclosing their sponsorship affiliations to their followers. Nikita Bier, the Head of Product at X, emphasized the importance of this measure, stating that it would help maintain the integrity of the platform.

While we want to encourage people to build their businesses on X, undisclosed promotions hurt the integrity of the product and lead people to distrust the content they read on X,

Bier remarked. He further noted that this new feature would enable users to comply with regulations while remaining transparent with their audience.

📊 Importantly, the Paid Partnership label will not impact the reach or performance of posts. Each post will be treated like any other organic one, ensuring full eligibility for Creator Revenue Sharing from verified impressions. However, some critics argue that this requirement could undermine the credibility of crypto key opinion leaders (KOLs), who will now need to reveal their relationships with the companies behind the tokens they promote.

🤔 There are also concerns regarding the enforcement of this new feature. Users are apprehensive about the potential for the reporting system to be misused for targeting others unfairly.

Will X investigate? … Will X ever ban or otherwise punish a user just based on reports, without investigating and directly confirming yourselves that it is indeed a paid promo?

asked the account Decensored News.

🚨 The market pulled back in February — but the bigger story may be what's happening beneath the surface.

Bitcoin briefly dropped from $78K ➝ $63K before closing the month around $67K. Volatility spiked, yet key signals suggest the market may be building a new base.

So what actually shaped crypto in February — and what could move the market in March? Let’s break it down 👇

⚡️ Macro Shock: Bitcoin fell from $78K ➡️ $63K, closing at $67K 📉, while $3.3B stablecoin inflows 💰 show early market resilience 💪.

📈 Japan “Takaichi Trade”: Nikkei surged, yen weakened, global capital may rotate from US tech & crypto into Japanese assets.

🌍 Middle East Risk: US-Israel strikes added a short-term risk premium, pushing gold and oil higher, Bitcoin remained a safe liquidity haven.

⚡️ AI & On-chain Innovation: Agentic AI tools and on-chain protocols rapidly deployed, opening new paths for crypto innovation.

💡 Market Insight: Stablecoin strength + BTC support indicates potential bottom; next rebound may be on the horizon 🚀

🔗 Full report: https://www.coinex.com/s/4E5

CoinEx – Your Crypto Trading Expert

⚠️ Bitcoin's Resilience Amidst Global Market Turmoil

📈 This week, Bitcoin demonstrated remarkable resilience, reaching an intraday high of $69,497 despite a backdrop of declining global equity markets driven by soaring oil prices exceeding $100 per barrel. After a volatile dip to just over $65,600, Bitcoin surged to its peak before consolidating around $68,500 with a 2% gain for the day.

🌍 This brief rally boosted Bitcoin's market capitalization to $1.39 trillion, contributing to a total crypto economy valuation of $2.43 trillion. However, Bitcoin remains in a broader cooling period, trading 1.2% lower than the previous week. In contrast, traditional markets experienced significant declines, with Japan's Nikkei suffering a historic drop of nearly 2,900 points.

💥 The primary driver of this market turmoil was the surge in oil prices past the psychological barrier of $100 per barrel due to geopolitical tensions in the Gulf region. This spike followed Iranian missile and drone attacks on Gulf states, which forced key producers to halt operations and declare force majeure.

Bitcoin’s Monday price action appeared to mirror the previous week’s response to the escalation of conflict in the Middle East following the assassination of Ayatollah Khamenei.

‼️ Bitcoin's Market Maneuvers: A Closer Look at Current Trends

📈 Bitcoin recently made headlines by bouncing back from a dip below $70,000 and approaching $74,000. As of the latest market update, it was trading at $72,665 with a market capitalization of approximately $1.45 trillion and a 24-hour trading volume of $58.8 billion. The day's price range was between $69,831 and $73,838, indicating a lively trading environment.

the overall technical summary still reads “neutral.”

🔍 On the daily chart, Bitcoin is forming higher lows, suggesting a bullish broader structure. It has carved out a base between $63,000 and $65,000 and is now pushing towards a resistance zone between $73,900 and $74,000. This level has become a significant barrier, with recent price action showing a rebound from around $69,800.

📊 The four-hour chart presents a more optimistic picture, showing Bitcoin's climb from approximately $65,600 to the $73,900 area through a series of impulse moves followed by short consolidations. Key support levels are now identified around $71,200 to $71,500, with a deeper support zone around $69,800 to $70,200.

the structure still shows higher lows, and momentum hasn’t evaporated.

⏳ The one-hour chart indicates a slight pullback after testing the $73,900 level, which is typical as the market pauses to reassess. As long as the price remains above approximately $71,500, short-term pressure appears to be tilted upward.

📉 Oscillators like the relative strength index (RSI) and stochastic are in neutral territory, suggesting the market isn't overextended. The average directional index (ADX) indicates that while a trend exists, it isn't particularly strong yet.

🔔 Maestro Launches Mezzamine: A Bitcoin Yield Opportunity through Renewable Mining

🚀 On March 17th, 2026, Maestro launched Mezzamine in Austin, Texas, marking its first live program in partnership with renewable energy provider Sazmining. This Bitcoin-native facility enables institutional investors to finance mining hashrate and earn an estimated 8–9% annual yield backed by real-world infrastructure.

🔋 The inaugural program supports Sazmining's operations of over 4,000 rigs and its impressive 350% year-over-year growth in 2025. By utilizing BTC-denominated liabilities instead of fiat, the structured credit model mitigates traditional financing gaps and protects operators from currency risks during market downturns.

📈 Mezzamine addresses a pipeline of over 1,500 BTC in borrower demand from qualified global mining operators and infrastructure providers. Maestro plans to enhance the ecosystem by introducing an onchain secondary market and tradable credit-backed instruments for decentralized capital participation.

➡️ Trump's Iran Threat Causes Bitcoin Dip: $279 Million Liquidated

📉 Bitcoin and the wider crypto market experienced a downturn on Saturday evening following a tweet from President Donald Trump regarding Iran. Trump warned that the U.S. would destroy Iran's power plants if the Strait of Hormuz was not reopened within 48 hours. This led to Bitcoin dropping from a stable range above $70,000 to a low of $68,241 per coin.

💔 The impact was immediate on crypto derivatives, with approximately $243 million in liquidations occurring within an hour of Trump's post. This brought the total daily liquidations to $279 million, primarily affecting long positions. Bitcoin fell by 2.4% for the day, while Ethereum and several altcoins saw declines of over 3%.

They want to make a deal. I don’t!

Trump stated before issuing his threat to Iran. He claimed that the U.S. had already severely weakened Iran and that their defense capabilities were virtually non-existent.

🚨 In his post, Trump declared:

If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!

📊 As a result of the sell-off, around 78,694 crypto traders were liquidated. By 8:20 p.m. EST, Bitcoin was holding just above the $68,000 mark. The market's reaction seemed to be driven more by geopolitical tensions than by internal factors. Traders were closely monitoring whether Bitcoin could maintain these levels as liquidations were cleared.

🔔 Ripple's Expansion in Brazil and Regulatory Developments in Latin America

🚀 This week in Latin American crypto news, Ripple is making significant strides in Brazil, the Brazilian government is reconsidering its crypto taxation plans, and Argentina has banned access to the prediction market platform Polymarket.

🌍 Ripple is intensifying its efforts in Brazil, aiming for greater institutional dominance in the crypto space. The company announced on March 17 its plans to expand its presence in Brazil, enhance its institutional offerings, and apply for a Virtual Asset Service Provider license.

Latin America has always been a priority market for Ripple

said Monica Long, President at Ripple.

Brazil has built one of the most advanced and forward-thinking financial ecosystems in the world.

📉 In contrast, Brazil is delaying its plans to tax stablecoin transactions. Local media had reported that these taxation measures were imminent, but new information suggests that the government is shifting its focus to other priorities as the presidential election approaches. A source noted,

It remains on the radar. But it needs to be handled carefully, because tempers are running high in Brasilia.

📉 Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs Face Significant Losses Amidst Market Pressure

📉 The cryptocurrency market experienced a tumultuous week, with Bitcoin ETFs suffering a substantial outflow of $225 million, marking one of the largest single-day withdrawals. This was primarily driven by Blackrock's IBIT, which alone lost $201.53 million. Other notable outflows included Bitwise's BITB with $18.60 million and Ark & 21Shares' ARKB with a smaller loss of $5.35 million. Despite high trading activity of $3.39 billion, net assets plummeted to $84.77 billion.

➡️ Ethereum ETFs also extended their losing streak to eight days, with a total outflow of $48.54 million. The ETHA fund from Blackrock led the decline with an outflow of $70.80 million, followed by Fidelity's FETH and Grayscale's Ether Mini Trust which lost $8.92 million and $8.68 million respectively. However, Blackrock's ETHB fund stood out by attracting $39.86 million in inflows, likely due to its staking component appealing to investors despite the overall weak sentiment towards Ethereum.

⚠️ In contrast, XRP ETFs showed little trading activity with net assets dropping to $933.33 million. Solana ETFs faced more significant pressure, particularly Bitwise's BSOL which experienced an outflow of $7.84 million, resulting in a decrease of net assets to $809.62 million.