Plus: Grayscale's list of altcoin contenders
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GM. Crack open some freshly squeezed OJ, and let's celebrate - we've officially hit 100 editions today 🥹 Yeah, we're a little emotional... don't judge.
Anyways, here's what we're serving on this special occasion:
🦅 Crypto expects a lot from Trump - but real progress is gonna take time.
🍋 News drops: Grayscale drops the list of altcoins they're considering investing in, Wolf Capital co-founder pleads guilty to wire fraud + more
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🍍 Market flavor today
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| Crypto Market Cap: $3.21T -4.7% (24H) | ||||
| Name | Price | 24H | 7D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Bitcoin BTC | $91,907.54 | -3.56% | -9.70% |
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Ethereum ETH | $3,024.90 | -8.10% | -17.97% |
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XRP XRP | $2.46 | -3.07% | 1.56% |
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BNB BNB | $675.56 | -2.99% | -7.02% |
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Solana SOL | $177.28 | -6.74% | -19.15% |
| Prices as of 12:00 EST. Click here to see live data. |
If crypto had a love language, it'd be mixed signals. Today's vibe? A little confusing (but kinda exciting, as always).
First up, the Fear & Greed Index bounced back into Greed after dipping to Neutral for a hot second on Friday, and Bitcoin's been chilling in the $94K–$96K zone all weekend.
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The markets got an unexpected shake from strong US job data - way more people got hired in December than expected, plus unemployment at a surprisingly low 4.1%.
When the Fed sees strong job numbers like this, they're less likely to cut interest rates because they don't want the economy to overheat and cause inflation to rise again.
That said, Charles Edwards from Capriole Fund thinks that while the short-term reaction to the data might be bearish, the underlying strength in the job market could actually extend the bull run in the long haul.
And you know what they say - when in doubt, look at Michael Saylor. MicroStrategy bought another 2,530 BTC at around $95K per coin, bringing their total holdings to 450K BTC.
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On the altcoin side, CryptoQuant contributor Burakkesmeci noted that smaller coins (anything that isn't Bitcoin or Ethereum) are dominating Binance's trading volume - 77.83% right now, up from around 50% in May 2024. He thinks that this might be a sign that an altcoin bull market is brewing for 2025.
Mixed signals or not - at least crypto's not ghosting us. And we're still simping for the next big pump.
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🥝 Memecoin harvest
Is it Arts & Crafts Day? 'Cause these memecoins be paintin' green candles out here 🎨
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Name |
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24H Change |
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hispanic pepe CONCHO |
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dog with apple in mouth APPLE |
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Dony Montana DOMO |
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Magaverse MVRS |
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Check out these memecoins and plenty more here.
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😬 To the moon… later?
Ever since Donald Trump was elected as the next US president, the crypto community has rallied around one narrative: bro's gonna pump our bags like never before.
Why? Well, his campaign promises painted a picture of a future crypto would love to see - better regulations, wider adoption, we're so back, to the moon, yada yada yada.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet. Greg Cipolaro, head of research at NYDIG, came through with a reality check - things might not move as fast as some hope.
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Strategic Bitcoin reserve
One of the juiciest ideas floating around is a strategic Bitcoin reserve in the US.
An executive order (EO) - basically, a presidential "make it happen now" command - could technically establish it right away. The problem: EOs are temporary, so a new president could revoke it with a quick "nah."
For something more permanent, like the BITCOIN Act proposed by Senator Cynthia Lummis, you'd need Congress on board - which could drag on for months or even years.
And that's not all - it gets even messier when we start thinking about where the BTC will come from.
The US government already holds about 198K BTC (worth $18.3B), and around 120K BTC of that came from the Bitfinex hack. If Trump decides to use that stash for a Bitcoin reserve, Bitfinex might pull up like, "Uh, actually, that's ours" - and we'd get a bunch of legal drama + everything would get delayed.
Even if Bitfinex somehow does agree to say goodbye to $11B worth of BTC (... which, yeah, not possible), using existing coins doesn't create new demand. Translation: no price pump. And we all know that's what we're really here for.
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The dream team
As for who will run the show in Washington, there's also still a lot up in the air.
SEC Chair Gary Gensler's already packing his bags, but his likely replacement, Paul Atkins, still needs to get confirmed. For context, Gensler wasn't sworn in until four months into Biden's presidency.
Other important roles at the CFTC, OCC, and FDIC are still open, and filling those positions will take months.
TL;DR: it'll take a while for Trump's crypto avengers to assemble, let alone make changes.
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Made-in-the-USA Bitcoin?
Catchy in theory, very vague in practice.
Other regulations
Two big pieces of crypto legislation are still in progress:
The FIT21 Act: this bill aims to create a clear regulatory framework for digital assets by defining the roles of the SEC and CFTC. It passed the House in May 2024 and is now waiting for the Senate's review;
The Clarity for Payment Stablecoins Act of 2023: this bill would regulate stablecoin issuers by requiring clear reserves and oversight. This one hasn't even made it to a House vote yet.
The Congress is more conservative-leaning = there may be less willingness to compromise = the progress on both bills might be slower.
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Overall - the moon trip isn't canceled, it's just stuck in traffic. Patience, friends.
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🍋 News drops
🤖 UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer wants to pump AI straight into the UK's bloodstream with billions from private tech companies and a 50-point action plan. The plan includes AI Growth Zones, a supercomputer, and a National Data Library.
⚖️ Wolf Capital's co-founder and head trader Travis Ford confessed to running a $9M wire fraud scheme. Turns out, all those "high returns" promises were fake - he was actually using investor money for his own piggy bank.
🧐 Grayscale dropped a "maybe" list of 39 altcoins they're looking at for future investment products. Meaning: none of these coins are in their lineup yet, but they're officially on the radar.
🇰🇪 Kenya's planning a proper legal framework for crypto. Funny how times change - back in 2015, the Central Bank issued a caution against crypto, but now? Seems like they're warming up to the idea.
💸 Looking for budget-friendly crypto exchanges? We've rounded up the cheapest options so you can save your coins for, well, more coins.
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🍌 Juicy memes
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As we close today's edition, we just want to take a moment to say thank you 🧡
Whether you've been squeezing along with us since Day 1 or you just joined the juice bar recently, we appreciate every single one of you. Crypto news wouldn't be half as fun without you to share it with!
Here's to the next 100 squeezes, and to you, the real MVPs. Stay juicy, stay curious, and we'll catch you tomorrow for more zesty takes 🍊
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