hodler

9 May 2026, 09:30

Tom Lee Sets $200,000 Year-End Bitcoin Target As Price Defends Crucial Support

As Bitcoin (BTC) defends a pivotal support level, Tom Lee has called for the end of the crypto winter, setting massive year-end outlooks for the flagship crypto and Ethereum (ETH). Related Reading: DeFi Platform TrustedVolumes Hit By $6.7M Hack As 2026 Exploits Surge Tom Lee Shares $200,000 Bitcoin Target Tom Lee, the chairman of Ethereum’s largest treasury firm, Bitmine Technology, shared bold end-of-year price predictions for the two largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. During a quick-fire round of questions at Consensus 2026, the executive affirmed that Bitcoin could soar “well past all-time highs” by year’s end, forecasting that its price may trade between $150,000 and $200,000 in late 2026. He also predicted that Ethereum could rally into year-end, potentially reaching new highs between $9,000 and $12,000. Lee said his bullish outlook is based on his belief that the crypto winter is over and that a recovery rally could unfold over the coming months. “Crypto Spring, in our view, has commenced, and like past cycles, investor sentiment and conviction are muted and bearish even as crypto prices strengthen,” he asserted earlier this week, adding that the potential passage, or even failure, of the crypto market structure bill confirms the arrival of crypto spring. The chairman’s bold predictions come as the flagship crypto defends a crucial support zone. Notably, Bitcoin had been trading between $74,000 and $79,000 since mid-April, finally breaking out of this range earlier this week. The flagship crypto soared past the $80,000 resistance on Monday for the first time since January. It then rallied during the first half of the week toward the key $82,500 resistance before rejecting on Thursday. Now, Bitcoin is trading between the $79,000-$80,000 area, which some analysts suggest could make or break BTC’s rally. BTC At Most Crucial Support Rekt Capital highlighted that Bitcoin has successfully held the 21-week EMA, around the $78,000 level. However, he warned that “this move through this resistance area hasn’t been very sustainable thus far, which opens up the possibility for yet another retest of the 21-week EMA going forward.” As a result, BTC needs to successfully retest the 21-week EMA again to avoid being completely rejected from the resistance area, between the 21-week EMA and the 50-week EMA, and dropping into the mid-$70,000s. Meanwhile, market analyst Ali Martinez affirmed that Bitcoin is currently trading around the most important resistance level as the average cost basis of new whales, the entities that bought in the last 155 days, currently sits at $80,300. He explained that “when Bitcoin trades below this average cost basis, these whales are holding at a loss,” which means that new whales will be “incentivized to sell just to break even and avoid further losses” if BTC fails to hold the $80,300 area as support. Related Reading: Solana Eyes New Leg Up After Triangle Breakout – Is $96 The Next Stop? Martinez warned that this panic to exit would create a wave of selling pressure that pushes prices much lower. On the contrary, if the flagship crypto turns this level into support, it’d signal that selling pressure has exhausted. “Once these whales are back in the green, they stop selling and start holding for higher targets, which is exactly how new uptrends begin,” he concluded. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

9 May 2026, 08:44

What Does ETH Need to Surge Past $3,000 Again as Whales Are Abandoning Ship?

Ethereum’s native coin finally managed to break its all-time high during the 2025 rally, but only mildly compared to other assets, such as BTC. Its subsequent behavior has been quite painful, as it now trades over 53% away from its peak at $4,950 from August 2025, even after the market-wide rebound seen in the past few weeks. Moreover, on-chain data shows that whales have been disposing of their assets, which begs the question: what does ETH need to recover to $3,000 and beyond? Whales Moving Off ETH? Recall that ETH whales went on a massive accumulation spree in the middle of last year, which peaked shortly after the asset’s all-time high and before the massive market-wide crash in early October. More precisely, those holding between 1,000 and 10,000 tokens had increased their portfolios from 12.95 million to 15.95 million in just several months, according to data shared by Ali Martinez. Since then, though, their behavior has changed completely aside from a few brief exceptions . Their total holdings have declined by 21.5%, Martinez continued, bringing them below the starting point of 12.95 million to 12.52 million ETH. Given this significant whale exodus, Martinez questioned whether they will be able to sustain a more profound rally to $3,000 and beyond. In fact, he suggested that the asset might require “a fresh wave of institutional or retail demand” to offset the whales’ distribution. Ethereum whales are doing something they haven’t done in a year. Since October 6, 2025, Ethereum whales holding 1,000 to 10,000 $ETH have undergone a significant regime change in their market behavior. Before this shift, this cohort was in a steady accumulation regime. Their… https://t.co/5WAJSKsnl9 pic.twitter.com/qezrxfq6Re — Ali Charts (@alicharts) May 7, 2026 ETF Inflows Incoming? After five consecutive months of outflows dominating inflows, the spot Ethereum ETFs finally broke this adverse streak in April, attracting over $355 million in fresh capital. Although May began on a high note as well, with roughly $170 million entering the funds in just several days, the year-to-date numbers remain deep in the red. Moreover, the ETH ETF cumulative total net inflows are far from their peak marked in early October of approximately $15 billion. As last week’s closing bell, they stood at just over $12 billion. Consequently, it’s safe to assume that ETF investors have not stepped up to offset the whales’ distribution so far. Perhaps that’s why ETH remained over 53% below its August 2025 ATH, and every breakout attempt has been halted at $2,400. The post What Does ETH Need to Surge Past $3,000 Again as Whales Are Abandoning Ship? appeared first on CryptoPotato .

9 May 2026, 08:23

XRP trades flat for 915 days at $1.40 range

🚨 XRP has traded sideways for 915 days around $1.40. Price remains stuck between $1.30 and $1.50 as volatility drops. Continue Reading: XRP trades flat for 915 days at $1.40 range The post XRP trades flat for 915 days at $1.40 range appeared first on COINTURK NEWS .

9 May 2026, 08:00

Ethereum Is Going Up While Shorts Are Piling In: Find Out What Usually Follows

Ethereum has lost ground below $2,300 as the market cools after weeks of cautious recovery. The price is retreating — but a CryptoQuant report tracking Binance derivatives activity has identified a dynamic beneath the surface that complicates the bearish reading considerably. Related Reading: Bitcoin Found Support Where Recent Buyers Can’t Afford to Lose: Discover the Mechanics The data shows that derivatives traders on Binance have been aggressively betting against Ethereum throughout the recent rebound — and they are still adding to those positions even as the price pulls back. Cumulative net taker volume has dropped to approximately -$585 million, its deepest negative reading since March 27, when the metric reached around -$340 million. In the weeks between those two readings, the short-selling pressure has not only persisted — it has intensified. That intensification is happening simultaneously with rising open interest on Binance, which has climbed from approximately $2.46 billion to $2.9 billion during the first week of May. Rising open interest alongside deeply negative taker volume describes a specific market structure: traders are not simply reducing long positions. They are actively building new short exposure into a market that has been recovering. The significance of that setup is counterintuitive. Heavy short positioning during a recovery does not straightforwardly confirm the bearish case. It creates the conditions for the opposite — a market structure where the shorts themselves become the fuel for a move higher if Ethereum proves capable of absorbing the selling pressure they are generating. The Shorts Are Paying to Bet Against Ethereum. The Market Is Not Giving Them What They Need The CryptoQuant report draws the distinction that makes the current setup structurally significant. Taker selling pressure at -$585 million is meaningfully stronger than the -$340 million reading from March 27, the previous comparable downside reference. The selling is not simply persisting. It is deepening. And yet Binance open interest has risen from $2.46 billion to $2.9 billion simultaneously, confirming that the negative taker flow reflects new short positions being actively built rather than existing longs being closed. That combination creates a specific fragility. When traders build short exposure aggressively, and the price fails to decline in response, the shorts are not being validated — they are becoming trapped. Each session that Ethereum absorbs the selling pressure without breaking lower adds to the eventual cost of unwinding those positions. The CVD reading adds the stabilizing context. Cumulative volume delta has held around $4.4 billion throughout this period. Suggesting the underlying spot demand has not collapsed despite the derivatives pressure. The funding rate picture completes the argument. Ethereum funding on Binance has remained negative since early February — months of persistent bearish conviction that has now deepened below the levels recorded around April 7, 2025. Traders are paying to stay short against an asset that keeps refusing to deliver the decline they are positioning for. The report’s conclusion is precise and honest. The rally is being doubted. The doubt is being expressed through real capital committed to short positions. And if Ethereum continues absorbing that pressure rather than breaking under it, the doubt itself becomes the mechanism for the next move higher. Related Reading: XRP’s Biggest Holders Just Stopped Sending Tokens to Exchanges: Last Time Was November 2021 Ethereum Consolidates Below Resistance As Structure Tightens Ethereum is trading around $2,280 on the daily chart, consolidating just below the $2,300–$2,400 resistance band that has capped every recovery attempt since the February breakdown. Price action shows a clear transition from impulsive selling to controlled compression, with higher lows forming steadily from the March bottom near $1,800. The recovery has reclaimed the 50-day moving average and is now interacting with the 100-day moving average, both of which are flattening after trending lower. This flattening reflects a loss of downside momentum rather than confirmed bullish expansion. Meanwhile, the 200-day moving average remains above price and continues to slope downward, reinforcing the overhead resistance structure. Related Reading: Retail Capitulation Hits AAVE, But Smart Money Starts Positioning: Here The Post-Crisis Market Structure Volume has declined compared to the capitulation phase in February. Indicating that the current range is driven more by positioning adjustments than aggressive participation. This aligns with a market that is waiting for a catalyst rather than committing to direction. Structurally, Ethereum is compressing into a tightening range. A decisive break above $2,400 would shift momentum and open a move toward higher levels. Failure to break would likely extend consolidation, with $2,100–$2,150 acting as the first support zone, followed by stronger demand near $2,000. Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com

9 May 2026, 08:00

427 Billion Shiba Inu (SHIB) Added to Centralized Exchanges: Analyzing Price Effect

Shiba Inu exchange inflows are not disappearing, despite the relatively calmer market composition.

9 May 2026, 07:04

XRP funds see $28 million weekly inflow as price holds $1.40

🚀 $28.17 million flooded into $XRP funds this week. XRP stayed steady above $1.40 as institutional demand rose. 😮 Key point: Analysts eye a run toward the $2 level next. Continue Reading: XRP funds see $28 million weekly inflow as price holds $1.40 The post XRP funds see $28 million weekly inflow as price holds $1.40 appeared first on COINTURK NEWS .