No country wins a global trade war, BTC to surge as a result: Analyst
US President Donald Trump's trade policies will create worldwide macroeconomic turmoil and short-term financial crises that will ultimately lead to greater adoption of Bitcoin (BTC) as a store of value asset, according to Bitwise analyst Jeff Park.Economic instability from the trade war will cause governments to adopt inflationary fiscal and monetary policies, which will further debase currencies and lead to a worldwide flight to safety in alternative stores of value, like Bitcoin, Park argued. This increased demand for BTC will drive prices much higher in the long term, the analyst concluded. In an X post on Feb. 2, Park predicted the immediate impact of a trade war:"The tariff costs, most likely through higher inflation, will be shared by both the US and trading partners, but the relative impact will be much heavier on foreigners. These countries will then have to find a way to fend off their weak growth issues."Despite the Increased demand for Bitcoin as a store of value against rapidly depreciating fiat currencies driving BTC prices higher in the long term, global financial markets would feel the short-term pain and wealth destruction of the trade war, according to Park.Bitcoin hit with short-term price shock due to Covid-19 in March 2020 before rallying to all-time highs during the 2020-2021 bull market. Source: TradingViewRelated: Trump 'Liberation Day' tariffs create chaos in markets, recession concernsGlobal markets feeling the short-term shockTariffs are "stagflationary for the world as a whole," economist and hedge fund manager Ray Dalio wrote in an April 2 X post. Tariffs tend to be more deflationary for the levied goods producers and more inflationary for the importing country, Dalio added.He concluded that the level of debt and trade imbalances will ultimately lead to a global financial shift that changes the established monetary order.The US stock market experienced a dramatic sell-off in the wake of sweeping trade tariffs from the Trump admin. Source: TradingView"If these trade tariffs do lead to a massive trade war, it is going to be very ugly for the whole world," Coin Bureau founder and market analyst Nic Puckrin told Cointelegraph in an interview.The analyst said the US economy has a 40% chance of a recession in 2025 amid fears of a lengthy trade war and the macroeconomic uncertainty brought on by protectionist trade policies.No pain, no gain: Short-term shock to drive asset prices higher long-term?Asset manager Anthony Pompliano recently speculated that the US president is deliberately crashing capital markets to force interest rate cuts and lower the costs of servicing the US national debt.Interest rate on the 10-year US Treasury Bond has come down since the start of Trump’s second term. Source: TradingViewThe interest rate on 10-year US Treasury bonds declined from approximately 4.66% in January to the current rate of 4.00%.Pompliano also concluded that while the current US administration's policies will create short-term pain, the effect of lower interest rates will encourage borrowing and drive risk-on asset prices higher in the long term.This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.Magazine: Bitcoin dominance will fall in 2025: Benjamin Cowen, X Hall of Flame
Smart money still hunting for memecoins despite end of ‘supercycle’
The most successful cryptocurrency traders are still chasing quick profits in memecoins, despite signs that the broader “supercycle” for the speculative assets may be winding down. The shift follows recent disappointment tied to memecoin launches associated with US President Donald Trump.The industry’s most successful cryptocurrency traders by returns — tracked as “smart money” traders on Nansen’s blockchain intelligence platform — continue hunting for quick memecoin returns.While growing stablecoin holdings show increased caution, smart money remains open to speculative plays, according to Nicolai Sondergaard, a research analyst at Nansen.“There was the recent meme surge and smart money is always happy to capitulate on that. But they’re also happy to rotate out of these quickly as well,” he said during Cointelegraph’s Chainreaction live show on X.“The recent meme frenzy was just a fun play they worked on, while the broader market is sorting out the direction because memecoins aren’t necessarily affected by the same macroeconomy as Bitcoin and Ethereum,” he added.Related: Bitcoin holds firm as stocks lose $5T in record Trump tariff sell-offThe analyst’s insights came a week after a savvy trader turned an initial investment of just $2,000 into $43 million with the popular Pepe (PEPE) cryptocurrency, Cointelegraph reported on March 30.Savvy Pepe trader, transactions. Source: LookonchainHowever, the trader didn’t manage to sell the top but still made a realized profit of over $10 million, despite Pepe’s over 70% decline from its all-time high.Related: Trump family memecoins may trigger increased SEC scrutiny on cryptoTrump token launch may have ended memecoin “supercycle”The launch of the Official Trump (TRUMP) memecoin on Jan. 18 may have signaled the end of the memecoin “supercycle.”“Pump.fun has been synonymous with the “memecoin supercycle,” as it accounts for over 70% of tokens launched on Solana, according to a Binance research report shared with Cointelegraph.Pump.fun usage metrics. Source: Binance research reportThe memecoin launchpad’s weekly usage metrics peaked on the week of Trump’s inauguration and have since declined. Total active wallets on Pump.fun fell from 2.85 million on the week of Jan. 20 to just 1.44 million as of March 31.The decline is mainly attributed to a decay in investor sentiment, a Binance spokesperson told Cointelegraph, adding:“Market sentiment also appears to have shifted amid unverified reports of insider trading linked to subsequent high-profile tokens such as $MELANIA and $LIBRA.”“Broader macroeconomic uncertainty, including volatility driven by global tariff policies, may have further dampened speculative appetite for memecoins more generally,” the spokesperson said.TRUMP/USD, all-time chart. Source: CoinMarketCapMeanwhile, the TRUMP token is down more than 87% from its peak of $75.35, reached on Jan. 19. The token fell over 8% in the past week, CoinMarketCap data shows.Magazine: BTC’s ‘reasonable’ $180K target, NFTs plunge in 2024, and more: Hodler’s Digest Jan 12–18
Bitcoin holds firm as stocks lose $5T in record Trump tariff sell-off
Bitcoin is gaining renewed attention as a hedge against financial instability after holding relatively steady during a record-breaking stock market downturn that saw $5 trillion wiped from the S&P 500.The S&P 500 posted a $5 trillion loss in market capitalization over two days, its largest drop on record, surpassing the $3.3 trillion decline in March 2020 during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an April 5 report by Reuters.The record sell-off occurred after US President Donald Trump announced his reciprocal import tariffs on April 2. The measures aim to shrink the country’s estimated trade deficit of $1.2 trillion in goods and boost domestic manufacturing.S&P 500 record $5.4 trillion loss. Source: ZerohedgeBitcoin’s (BTC) dip after the tariff announcement was significantly smaller than traditional markets, proving Bitcoin’s growing maturity as a global asset, according to Marcin Kazmierczak, co-founder and chief operating officer of RedStone blockchain oracle firm.“What we’re potentially witnessing is an evolution in Bitcoin’s market positioning,” the co-founder told Cointelegraph, adding:“Historically, Bitcoin has been strongly correlated with risk assets during macro shocks, but this divergence might signal an emerging perception shift among investors.”“Bitcoin’s fixed supply architecture inherently contrasts with fiat currencies that may face inflationary pressure under tariff-driven economic changes,” he added.Related: 70% chance of crypto bottoming before June amid trade fears: NansenWhile stocks plunged, Bitcoin dipped just 3.7% over the same two-day period, trading at around $83,600 as of April 5, according to TradingView data.BTC/USD, 1-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewDespite the $5 trillion sell-off in traditional markets, “BTC shows its worth, staying above its $82,000 key support level — a sign that structural demand remains intact even amid forced selling and elevated volatility,” Nexo dispatch analyst Iliya Kalchev told Cointelegraph.Related: Michael Saylor’s Strategy buys Bitcoin dip with $1.9B purchaseBitcoin may emerge as “digital gold” amid Trump tariff talksDespite Bitcoin’s decoupling from traditional stocks, its initial plunge in price signals that some investors still see Bitcoin as a risk asset, according to James Wo, the founder and CEO of venture capital firm DFG.“With Bitcoin ETFs enabling greater institutional exposure, it is now even more influenced by macroeconomic trends,” Wo told Cointelegraph, adding:“However, if Bitcoin remains resilient amid ongoing uncertainty, its hard-capped supply and decentralized nature could not only strengthen its ‘digital gold’ narrative but also position it as an even more reliable store of value.”Despite the current lack of momentum, analysts are confident in Bitcoin’s upside potential for the rest of 2025.BTC projected to reach $132,000 based on M2 money supply growth. Source: Jamie CouttsThe growing money supply could push Bitcoin’s price above $132,000 before the end of 2025, according to estimates from Jamie Coutts, chief crypto analyst at Real Vision.Magazine: Bitcoin ATH sooner than expected? XRP may drop 40%, and more: Hodler’s Digest, March 23 – 29
Satoshi Nakamoto turns 50 as Bitcoin becomes US reserve asset
Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, marks their 50th birthday amid a year of rising institutional and geopolitical adoption of the world’s first cryptocurrency.The identity of Nakamoto remains one of the biggest mysteries in crypto, with speculation ranging from cryptographers like Adam Back and Nick Szabo to broader theories involving government intelligence agencies.While Nakamoto’s identity remains anonymous, the Bitcoin (BTC) creator is believed to have turned 50 on April 5 based on details shared in the past. According to archived data from his P2P Foundation profile, Nakamoto once claimed to be a 37-year-old man living in Japan and listed his birthdate as April 5, 1975.Source: Web.archive.orgNakamoto’s anonymity has played a vital role in maintaining the decentralized nature of the Bitcoin network, which has no central authority or leadership.The Bitcoin wallet associated with Nakamoto, which holds over 1 million BTC, has laid dormant for more than 16 years despite BTC rising from $0 to an all-time high above $109,000 in January.Satoshi Nakamoto statue in Lugano, Switzerland. Source: CointelegraphNakamoto’s 50th birthday comes nearly a month after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a Digital Asset Stockpile, marking the first major step toward integrating Bitcoin into the US financial system.Related: Bitcoin at 16: From experiment to trillion-dollar assetNakamoto’s legacy: a “cornerstone of economic sovereignty”“At 50, Nakamoto’s legacy is no longer just code; it’s a cornerstone of economic sovereignty,” according to Anndy Lian, author and intergovernmental blockchain expert.“Bitcoin’s reserve status signals trust in its scarcity and resilience,” Lian told Cointelegraph, adding: “What’s fascinating is the timing. Fifty feels symbolic — half a century of life, mirrored by Bitcoin’s journey from a white paper to a trillion-dollar asset. Nakamoto’s vision of trustless, peer-to-peer money has outgrown its cypherpunk roots, entering the halls of power.”However, lingering questions about Nakamoto remain unanswered, including whether they still hold the keys to their wallet, which is “a fortune now tied to US policy,” Lian said.Related: Bitcoin’s next catalyst: End of $36T US debt ceiling suspensionIs Satoshi Nakamoto wealthier than Bill Gates?In February, Arkham Intelligence published findings that attribute 1.096 million BTC — then valued at more than $108 billion — to Nakamoto. That would place him above Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on the global wealth rankings, according to data shared by Coinbase director Conor Grogan.Satoshi’s new addresses. Source: Conor GroganIf accurate, this would make Nakamoto the world’s 16th richest person.Despite the growing interest in Nakamoto’s identity and holdings, his early decision to remain anonymous and inactive has helped preserve Bitcoin’s decentralized ethos — a principle that continues to define the cryptocurrency to this day.Magazine: 10 crypto theories that missed as badly as ‘Peter Todd is Satoshi’
BlackRock’s BUIDL fund explained: Why it matters for crypto and TradFi
What is BlackRock’s BUIDL fund? BlackRock USD Institutional Digital Fund, BUIDL, is BlackRock’s first tokenized money market fund. It enables these traditional financial products to be traded as cryptographic tokens on blockchains. A money market fund is a mutual fund that invests in high liquidity, short-term debt instruments. These funds aim to provide investors with a place to park money temporarily, returning a level of income without massive capital appreciation. They typically include cash, cash equivalents and high-credit rating debt securities like US Treasurys.Blackrock is the world’s largest asset manager. It now provides blockchain-based money markets via blockchains like Solana and Ethereum. Essentially, the firm has taken the idea of traditional money market funds and combined it with the distributed ledger and payment characteristics of blockchains. The fund has reported explosive growth, rocketing from $667 million to $1.8 billion of assets under management in just three weeks. As of March 31, 2025, the fund continues to attract a steady inflow of capital, with an increasing number of crypto-savvy investors choosing to park their funds in BUIDL via the seven blockchains it currently operates on:EthereumSolanaAptosArbitrumAvalancheOptimismPolygonThe BUIDL launch marks one of the most significant institutional moves into mixing traditional finance (TradFi) and blockchain-based products. It signals another step in Blackrock’s crypto strategy towards mainstream financial acceptance of crypto and blockchain. This institutional crypto adoption from a respected asset manager with trillions of dollars of assets under management further legitimizes the space and may trigger a new wave of capital inflows from institutional adoption. How does BUIDL work? BUIDL is a tokenized fund. It invests in dollar-equivalent assets like US Treasury bills, cash, and repurchase agreements. Investors buy and sell BUIDL tokens, which are pegged to the dollar and pay dividends daily to an investor’s wallet as new tokens every month.Investors can enjoy earning yields while retaining the security of traditional finance instruments. It is a form of real-world asset tokenization (RWA) that involves creating a digital representation of an asset. This digital representation is a blockchain-based token, similar to cryptocurrency, that can be traded on relevant decentralized networks. Traditional asset transfers usually take days to settle and have poor capital efficiency. Tokenized assets allow near-instant trades and settlements to speed up financial processes while enabling better automation for reduced costs.A hybrid approach creates a TradFi and crypto bridge to give investors the best of both worlds with the stability of regulated financial products and the efficiency of blockchain.Did you know? Part of Sky’s (formerly MakerDAO) $1 billion RWA allocation announced in 2024, Superstate secured a chunk (estimated $200 million–300 million) in March 2025, pushing its AUM past $400 million. The tokenized Treasury market’s $5 billion milestone supports this growth. Why BUIDL matters for crypto The BlackRock BUIDL fund ushers in the next level of institutional legitimacy to the crypto ecosystem. Regulated institutions and entities can now seamlessly enter the blockchain space with confidence, especially with proven chains like Ethereum and now Solana. The fund demonstrates real-world practical use cases for blockchain beyond speculative investments. For many years, crypto investments were reserved for those brave enough to trade tokens directly or learn the intricacies of decentralized finance (DeFi). The latter was often a risk too far for their precious investments. Adding to this, ambiguous regulation meant that these options were completely off-limits for institutional fund managers like BlackRock.For years, crypto has been seeking the approval and legitimacy of traditional financial institutions. BUIDL isn’t just acceptance; it’s the green light for active participation from the world’s biggest financial player. The fund’s early success may be a potential catalyst for a swell of institutional investment as mainstream adoption grows. BUIDL’s impact on traditional finance (TradFi) The BUIDL fund is a high-profile example of how traditional finance products can be improved with tokenization and blockchain. BUIDL demonstrates the design possibilities available to further tokenize money markets and RWAs.“In the year since BUIDL’s launch, we’ve experienced significant growth in demand for tokenized real-world assets, reinforcing the value of offering institutional-grade products onchain,” said Carlos Domingo, CEO and co-founder of Securitize, the company partnered with Blackrock to bring BUIDL onto the Solana blockchain. “As the market for RWAs and tokenized treasuries gains momentum, expanding BUIDL to Solana — a blockchain known for its speed, scalability, and cost efficiency — is a natural next step.”While the money market usually enables investors to earn yield from idle cash, traditional funds have trading limitations like limited operating hours. The introduction of blockchain versions gives 24-hour access and liquidity to investors. Blackrock isn’t the only player in tokenized funds, either. Franklin Templeton released a similar blockchain product, which had grown to over a $600 billion market cap by February 2025, while Figure Markets launched an interest-bearing stablecoin called YLDS.Did you know? Beyond traditional institutions, BUIDL has drawn interest from blockchain-native entities eager to leverage its onchain utility. A standout early investor is Ondo Finance, which reallocated $95 million from its own tokenized short-term bond fund into BUIDL within a week of its March 2024 launch. Benefits of BUIDL for investors Traditional money market funds have been in operation for decades, but BUIDL introduces several benefits, including speed and accessibility, to bring these financial products into the modern world of digital assets.Improved speed and efficiency: With a BUIDL crypto investment, settlement times are reduced compared to traditional finance. This eases administrative burdens and costs while delivering overall operational efficiency.Enhanced liquidity and accessibility: Investors are able to buy and sell their fund tokens 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are no closed trading times or weekends so investors can always retain liquidity to enjoy better capital efficiency.New yield generation: With BUIDL seeking a stable $1 value per token, investors get daily accrued dividends paid into wallets as new tokens on a monthly basis. This may provide higher returns compared to traditional fixed-income investments. Transparency and security: All of BUIDL’s transactions and holdings are tokenized and registered on the relevant blockchains. This means everything is transparent for investors to enjoy more visibility and accountability of their assets. Risks and challenges of BUIDL BUIDL’s rapid growth is a positive sign for innovation between TradFi and blockchain. Still, it also introduces risks that many investors might not be familiar with. This is an important consideration for money markets as factors like liquidity and technological vulnerabilities are evolving. Understanding these new elements is essential for investors:Liquidity issues: Liquidity is critical for any successful asset class, especially with derivative products. BUIDL does have some liquidity concerns with the investor base currently consisting of qualified investors, neglecting wide market adoption.Technical vulnerabilities: The foundation of BUIDL leverages Ethereum's smart contracting capabilities to tokenize US Treasurys. Smart contract vulnerabilities here could expose the fund to failures and hacks. Market manipulation: Cryptocurrency is notoriously volatile, often due to market manipulation as profiteers run tactics like wash trading and pump-and-dump schemes. As a new tokenized product, BUIDL could be vulnerable to this type of risk with its limited trading volumes and liquidity. Counterparty risk: Blackrock is a secure financial institution with credibility. But counterparty risk is significant in crypto. For instance, if an exchange listing BUIDL faces financial distress, it could impact the token's reliability.
Wall Street’s one-day loss tops the entire crypto market cap
The United States stock market lost more in value over the April 4 trading day than the entire cryptocurrency market is worth, as fears over US President Donald Trump's tariffs continue to ramp up.On April 4, the US stock market lost $3.25 trillion — around $570 billion more than the entire crypto market's $2.68 trillion valuation at the time of publication.Nasdaq 100 is now "in a bear market"Among the “Magnificent Seven” stocks, Tesla (TSLA) led the losses on the day with a 10.42% drop, followed by Nvidia (NVDA) down 7.36% and Apple (AAPL) falling 7.29%, according to TradingView data.The significant decline across the board signals that the Nasdaq 100 is now "in a bear market" after falling 6% across the trading day, trading resource account The Kobeissi Letter said in an April 4 X post. This is the largest daily decline since March 16, 2020."US stocks have now erased a massive -$11 TRILLION since February 19 with recession odds ABOVE 60%," it added. The Kobessi Letter said Trump's April 2 tariff announcement was "historic" and if the tariffs continue, a recession will be "impossible to avoid."Source: Anthony ScaramucciOn April 2, Trump signed an executive order establishing reciprocal tariffs on trading partners and a 10% baseline tariff on all imports from all countries. Trump said the reciprocal tariffs will be roughly half the rate US trading partners impose on American goods.Related: Bitcoin bulls defend $80K support as 'World War 3 of trade wars' crushes US stocksMeanwhile, the crypto industry has pointed out that while the stock market continues to decline, Bitcoin (BTC) remains stronger than most expected.Crypto trader Plan Markus pointed out in an April 4 X post that while the entire stock market “is tanking,” Bitcoin is holding. Source: Jeff DormanEven some crypto skeptics have pointed out the contrast between Bitcoin's performance and the US stock market during the recent period of macro uncertainty.Stock market commentator Dividend Hero told his 203,200 X followers that he has "hated on Bitcoin in the past, but seeing it not tank while the stock market does is very interesting to me."Meanwhile, technical trader Urkel said Bitcoin "doesn't appear to care one bit about tariff wars and markets tanking." Bitcoin is trading at $83,749 at the time of publication, down 0.16% over the past seven days, according to CoinMarketCap data.Magazine: XRP win leaves Ripple a 'bad actor' with no crypto legal precedent set
