Gather Round: One bear and several bullish stories

The first of three highly anticipated L1s (Berachain, Monad, and Megaeth) launched last Thursday. It's been down only since launch. Berachain's BERA token experienced an initial surge, reaching an all-time high of $14.99 on launch day before plummeting below $10 the next day. It's since bled to around $5.60 as of writing this, an over 60% correction.

The price action can probably be explained by issues anyone paying attention to crypto the last several years will be familiar with: concerns over airdrop allocations, insider advantages, and tokenomics flaws. In this case, tokenomic flaws allowed private investors (holding 35% of supply) to cycle tokens for liquidity, and allowed a core developer the ability to sell their tokens immediately post-launch. It's all so tiresome.

There was a lot of positive news this week. The Trump affiliated platform, World Liberty Financial (WLFI), launched the "Macro Strategy" reserve fund to support bitcoin, Ether, and other leading cryptocurrencies, aiming to bolster their growth and influence in the global financial system. To quote Bitcoin.com News, "interestingly, the reserve will include tokenized assets contributed by traditional financial institutions."

On Tuesday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, indicating a 0.3% rise in January. Following the release, all three major stock indices experienced a decline, Treasury yields climbed, and crypto assets dropped. I consider this a positive story because, all things considered, Bitcoin and crypto didn't really react that negatively.

In unequivocally good news, both Robinhood and Coinbase reported strong Q4 earnings. Coinbase reported an earnings beat, with $2.27 billion in revenue (+138% YoY) and $439 billion in trading volume (+185% YoY). Robinhood also reported an earnings beat, with $1.01 billion in revenue (+115% YoY). Importantly, Robinhood's cryptocurrency revenue increased by over 700% to $358 million.

Finally, there were several crypto-related ETF stories this week. First and foremost, the SEC has officially acknowledged Grayscale's filing for a spot DOGE ETF. This acceptance of Grayscale's filing suggests increased openness to not only a spot DOGE ETF, but other altcoin ETFs. Below are James Seyffart and Eric Balchunas' spot crypto ETF odds of approvals in 2025.

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News

Coinbase Quietly Becomes a Banking Giant—Now Bigger Than Most US Banks

Coinbase is transforming into a financial giant, rivaling banks and brokerages with $420 billion in assets… read more.

Editor's comment: Coinbase is no longer just a crypto exchange—it is positioning itself as a next-generation financial institution that could replace banks, brokerages, and more.

A Growing Chorus of Voices Say Ron Paul Should Audit the Federal Reserve

Calls for an audit of the Federal Reserve have intensified as Ron Paul's long-standing warnings about… read more.

Editor's comment: Auditing various organs of the U.S. government such as the Federal Reserve and the Internal Revenue Service could be good for the U.S. economy especially if they uncover fraud, waste, or abuse.

XRP Price Analysis: Bulls Fight to Hold $2.40—Will They Prevail?

On Feb. 13, 2025, XRP stood at $2.46, commanding a valuation of $141 billion, paired with a daily trading volume… read more.

Editor's comment: Long-term indicators suggest strength, but there still could be short-term weakness and lack of momentum.

Trump and Putin Discuss Ukraine, US Dollar, and Cooperation

Donald Trump has announced a game-changing dialogue with Vladimir Putin, agreeing to fast-track Ukraine… read more.

Editor's comment: A potential diplomatic breakthrough on Ukraine, alongside a broader reset in U.S.-Russia relations are most likely positive for economic growth.

Gold Hits New Peak; Peter Schiff Questions Bitcoin's 'Digital Gold' Claim

On Tuesday, February 11, gold prices hit an all-time high of $2,942.70 per ounce amid concerns over… read more.

Editor's comment: Gold is hitting an all-time high while Bitcoin consolidates? I think Bitcoin will probably play catch up at some point.

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