hodler

30 Apr 2026, 14:20

Wasabi Protocol Hack: 5M$ Cross-Chain Attack

Wasabi Protocol lost 5M$+ in a cross-chain hack. Ethereum, Base, Berachain, Blast were affected. Hacker drained LongPool, ShortPool using admin key. Assets like WETH, PEPE were bridged. 600M$ loss ...

30 Apr 2026, 14:20

Gold Edges Higher as USD Weakens, but Higher-for-Longer Rates Curb Rally Potential

BitcoinWorld Gold Edges Higher as USD Weakens, but Higher-for-Longer Rates Curb Rally Potential Gold edges higher in early trading on Tuesday, capitalizing on a weaker US dollar. However, the upside remains capped as the Federal Reserve signals a higher-for-longer interest rate environment. This dynamic creates a tug-of-war for the precious metal, leaving investors cautious about its near-term trajectory. Gold Edges Higher as USD Weakens: A Temporary Relief? The yellow metal saw a modest uptick, rising 0.3% to $2,035 per ounce in Asian trading hours. This movement follows a decline in the US Dollar Index (DXY), which slipped 0.2% to 103.8. A weaker dollar typically makes gold cheaper for holders of other currencies, boosting demand. Yet, this relief may prove short-lived. The Federal Reserve’s persistent hawkish stance continues to exert downward pressure on gold prices. Higher interest rates increase the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets like gold, as investors seek returns from bonds or savings accounts. Understanding the Dollar-Gold Relationship The inverse relationship between the US dollar and gold remains a key market driver. When the dollar weakens, gold often benefits. For instance, a 1% drop in the DXY can translate into a 0.5% to 0.8% gain in gold prices, according to historical data. However, this correlation is not absolute. Other factors, such as geopolitical tensions or inflation expectations, can override this dynamic. Currently, the dollar’s weakness stems from profit-taking after a strong rally, not a fundamental shift in monetary policy. Higher-for-Longer Rates: The Overarching Cap The phrase “higher-for-longer” has become a mantra among Fed officials. In recent speeches, Chair Jerome Powell emphasized that inflation remains above the 2% target, warranting restrictive policy. The CME FedWatch Tool now shows a 70% probability that rates will stay above 5% through the third quarter of 2025. This outlook directly limits gold’s upside. Rising yields on US Treasuries, particularly the 10-year note at 4.35%, make gold less attractive. Investors compare the zero-yield metal to bonds, and when yields climb, gold’s appeal diminishes. Comparing Gold to Other Assets To illustrate this, consider the following table comparing gold’s performance against key benchmarks in 2025: Asset Year-to-Date Return Key Driver Gold +1.2% Weaker USD, geopolitical risks S&P 500 +4.8% Corporate earnings, AI boom US 10-Year Bond +3.5% Higher yields, safe-haven flows Bitcoin +15.3% ETF approvals, institutional adoption Gold’s modest gain pales in comparison to equities and cryptocurrencies. This underperformance highlights the drag from higher rates. Market Context: Geopolitical Tensions Offer Support Despite rate headwinds, gold edges higher due to safe-haven demand. Ongoing conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East keep investors on edge. Central banks, particularly in China and India, continue to diversify reserves away from the dollar. The World Gold Council reports that central banks purchased 1,037 tonnes of gold in 2024, with 2025 on pace for similar levels. This institutional buying provides a floor under prices. Expert Insight: A Balanced Outlook Analysts at Goldman Sachs maintain a neutral stance on gold. They note that while rate cuts are not imminent, any dovish shift in Fed rhetoric could trigger a rally. Conversely, a stronger-than-expected US jobs report could push gold below $2,000. The key level to watch is $2,050; a break above this could signal a test of the all-time high near $2,135. Technical Analysis: Key Levels to Watch From a technical perspective, gold edges higher within a consolidating range. The 50-day moving average sits at $2,030, providing support. Resistance lies at $2,060, the 200-day moving average. A close above $2,060 would indicate bullish momentum. However, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 48 suggests neutral territory, with no clear directional bias. Support levels: $2,030, $2,010, $1,980 Resistance levels: $2,060, $2,080, $2,100 Key catalyst: US CPI data release on March 12 Impact on Investors and the Broader Economy For retail investors, gold edges higher as a portfolio diversifier, but higher-for-longer rates reduce its appeal as a growth asset. Miners like Newmont and Barrick Gold face mixed prospects; higher gold prices boost revenue, but higher borrowing costs squeeze margins. For the broader economy, a strong dollar and high rates can slow global growth, as emerging markets face debt repayment pressures. Timeline of Key Events February 2025: Fed holds rates at 5.25%-5.50%, signals patience March 2025: US jobs report shows 275K new jobs, above expectations April 2025: Gold tests $2,050 after weaker retail sales data May 2025: Fed minutes reveal concerns about inflation persistence Conclusion In summary, gold edges higher as USD weakens, but higher-for-longer rates limit upside potential. The metal remains caught between opposing forces: a weaker dollar and geopolitical risks on one side, and restrictive Fed policy on the other. Investors should watch for key data releases and Fed commentary for directional cues. While gold offers a hedge against uncertainty, its near-term gains may remain constrained until the rate outlook shifts. FAQs Q1: Why does gold edge higher when the USD weakens? A1: A weaker dollar makes gold cheaper for foreign buyers, boosting demand. Since gold is priced in dollars, a lower DXY increases purchasing power for non-US investors, driving prices up. Q2: How do higher-for-longer rates affect gold prices? A2: Higher interest rates increase the opportunity cost of holding gold, which offers no yield. Investors prefer interest-bearing assets like bonds, reducing gold’s appeal and capping its upside. Q3: What is the current gold price outlook for 2025? A3: Analysts forecast gold to trade between $1,950 and $2,150 in 2025. A Fed pivot to rate cuts could push prices higher, while persistent inflation could lead to a decline. Q4: Is gold a good investment during high interest rates? A4: Gold can still serve as a portfolio diversifier and inflation hedge, but its performance typically lags during rate hiking cycles. Investors should balance gold with other assets. Q5: What key data should gold investors watch? A5: Key data includes US CPI, PPI, non-farm payrolls, and Fed meeting minutes. These indicators influence rate expectations and, consequently, gold prices. This post Gold Edges Higher as USD Weakens, but Higher-for-Longer Rates Curb Rally Potential first appeared on BitcoinWorld .

30 Apr 2026, 14:19

Grayscale’s Zcash Trust Just Doubled Its Volume as Shielded Supply Hit an All-Time High: Is $400 the Next Target?

Grayscale’s Zcash Trust (ZCSH) just doubled its trading volume, pushing daily volume past $2 million as Zcash’s shielded supply reached an all-time high. Two separate signals, one institutional, one on-chain, converging at the same time, is not a coincidence you ignore. Shielded supply now represents approximately 30% of ZEC’s circulating supply, its highest share on record. The question is whether this is a structural shift in how investors and users engage with Zcash, or a short-term spike with nowhere to go in May. Source: TheBlock Discover: The best crypto to diversify your portfolio with Can Zcash Price Break Resistance at $400 or Does $220 Come First? ZEC is sitting at $335 on the daily chart, and the most notable thing here is the massive recovery from the February lows near $185, with ZEC price nearly doubling before running into the $400 resistance zone and getting rejected back down. That $400 level marked as the red dotted line is the key ceiling; it rejected price hard in April and is the line that separates the current recovery from a genuine trend reversal attempt. Source: Tradingview Price is now sitting in a consolidation zone between roughly $300 and $380, churning after the initial recovery momentum faded, and the structure suggests it needs to either build another base here or risk sliding back toward the $240 to $260 range, where support sits below. On the upside, reclaiming $400 opens the path toward $457 first, then $527 and $600 as the higher targets marked on the chart, all of which were prior support and resistance zones from the November to December range. The daily chart shows a coin that made a significant bottom and has recovered well, but is now at a decision point where the easy gains from the lows have already been taken, and the next leg requires actually breaking through real resistance rather than just bouncing off a floor. $400 is the level to watch. Until it flips, this is still a recovery trade, not a breakout. Discover: The best pre-launch token sales The post Grayscale’s Zcash Trust Just Doubled Its Volume as Shielded Supply Hit an All-Time High: Is $400 the Next Target? appeared first on Cryptonews .

30 Apr 2026, 14:18

Oobit delivers secure, controlled spending access for AI agents with Agent Cards launch

Oobit , a crypto payments platform backed by stablecoin giant Tether, has unveiled Agent Cards, a virtual Visa product that grants AI agents direct, programmable spending authority without requiring human sign-off on individual transactions or exposing corporate card credentials to automated systems. The launch comes as more businesses deploy AI agents to run core operational workflows, from marketing automation and cloud procurement to software-as-a-service (SaaS) management and advertising, among others. According to McKinsey’s State of AI 2025 survey , 23% of organizations are already scaling agentic systems within their operations, with a further 39% in the experimental phase. However, payments have remained a persistent bottleneck, as companies cannot just hand over their corporate cards to agents, and routing every charge through a human approver undermines the efficiency that automation is supposed to deliver. As adoption of agentic AI continues to pick up, so too does the urgency of solving the payments problem, and the Oobit Agent Card enters as a timely intervention. How does Oobit propose to solve the AI payments problem? Agent Cards allows businesses to issue a dedicated virtual Visa card for each AI agent, funded directly from a USDT stablecoin treasury with no fiat conversion required. Companies can configure the spend policies at the point of setup and enforce them server-side, meaning an agent cannot override or circumvent them regardless of the instructions it receives. The agent cards are based on three control mechanisms. The first one is that each agent receives its own card, ensuring that there is no shared card exposure across teams and also allowing for a clean identity and audit trail. The second mechanism is the category-level spend control, which ensures that each agent can only transact with merchant categories relevant to its designated function. The third mechanism is the hard transaction cap, which is applied per transaction and per merchant and is enforced server-side with no override path available. Every transaction, whether approved or declined, is logged in real time alongside a human-readable explanation. This eliminates the pending states and manual reconciliation queues that will slow down finance teams managing automated operations. What can businesses actually do with Agent Cards? Oobit has designed the initial launch around two core integration use cases. The first is payments processing, enabling AI agents to manage subscription billing or vendor payouts through Stripe and similar platforms. The second is automated expense reporting, giving finance teams a complete, structured log of spending across all active agents without manual data entry. Beyond these foundations, the product supports a range of practical applications, such as buying stocks or digital assets within set thresholds, booking travel within approved budgets, or completing purchases in real time when specific price conditions are met. Businesses can activate Agent Cards through a five-step setup wizard that, according to the company, brings a card live in under three minutes. Oobit’s infrastructure is its proof-of-concept Oobit is not launching into an untested infrastructure as the company already operates across 150 million merchants in more than 100 countries, and is backed by Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin issuer with more than $140 billion in circulation. That pedigree lends credibility to what is, according to the company, the only agent card product purpose-built for businesses whose treasuries are held in stablecoins. In a statement, Amram Adar, CEO of Oobit, said, “The honest take is that the online world isn’t ready for AI agents to complete complex tasks and pay on behalf of a business or person.” He added, “Agent Cards is the first move toward giving autonomous financial operations real autonomy, without losing control.” The product is immediately available to crypto-native businesses running AI agents with stablecoin treasuries, as well as AI-forward companies evaluating stablecoin payments in their financial setup.

30 Apr 2026, 14:16

Eric Trump Claims Bitcoin’s Greatest Era; Here’s What Data Shows

At Bitcoin 2026, Eric Trump states that Bitcoin is currently in its “greatest period ever”. Market data shows a contrasting picture. The phase may reflect a structural shift and not a peak bull cycle. Eric Trump, founder of American Bitcoin, has been very vocal about his support for cryptocurrency since 2025, especially as the Trump family expanded into crypto ventures that included mining and token projects. Recently, at the Bitcoin 2026, Eric Trump made one of the strongest statements yet. According to him, Bitcoin is currently in its “greatest period ever.” Trump argued that the last six months have been more transformative than the previous three years combined. To back his own statements he relied on the following points: Major banks have started to offer Bitcoin-backed mortgages and custody services. There has been huge success with spot Bitcoin ETFs. Institutions have shown a great interest within the crypto industry and there has been an increasing participation as well. There has been a growing tendency among holders to not sell, making Bitcoin more “sticky.” “What Bitcoin has done in the last six months relative to the previous three years is transformational. “We are in the greatest period I’ve ever seen.” -Eric Trump at Bitcoin 2026 Backing part of this view, Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas noted that Bitcoin ETFs rank among the most successful product launches in ETF history, dramatically expanding access for retail investors. If one looks at the surface, this argument is actually compelling. But when this argument is placed against actual market data since late 2025, the picture becomes a little more complex. Bitcoin’s Peak in 2025 and What Followed Bitcoin rallied through the first few months of 2025. The rally was driven by ETF demand, institutional inflows and macro optimism (Donald Trump announcing to make America the crypto capital of the planet), and with all of this the asset surged to an all-time high above $126,000 as per CoinMarketCap . However then hit the October 10, 2025 crash (also known as 10/10 crash). Since this crash, the entire crypto market has entered a correction phase that extended into 2026. Bitcoin since then has not been able to reclaim its highs and has been moving into prolonged consolidation and decline. At its weakest points, the asset has traded as low as $60,000 which has been almost 40-50% below its all-time high. At press time, the price of the BTC -0.57% token stands at $76,423.96 with a dip of 0.17% in the last 24-hours as per CoinMarketCap. BTC 24-hours chart The core contradiction here is to know if the current situation is still the greatest period ever for Bitcoin and the overall crypto market or not. ETF Flows: Strong Start and then Sustained Outflows One of the pillars of Trump’s argument is institutional adoption through ETFs. And early data did support that narrative, at least initially. According to the data collected from SoSoValue, AI-powered cryptocurrency and investment and research platform, there have been significant outflows and inflows since the crypto crash. Attached is the image of the same below: Monthly Bitcoin spot ETF Data as per SoSoValue From the numbers, one can see that there definitely is a pattern. After a strong inflow in October 2025, the market saw four consecutive months of outflows, which indicated hesitation from the institutional players, profit-taking, or simply risk-off behaviour. However, the last two months, March 2026 and April 2026 did see inflows and the momentum started to recover. This data contradicts what Eric Trump has said regarding the best phase of Bitcoin . If BTC was truly in its strongest phase, then there would have been consistent accumulation, not a sharp reversal followed by partial recovery. Sentiment Shift: From Euphoria to Fear Market sentiment adds another layer to the analysis. During Bitcoin’s peak in October 2025, the Crypto Fear & Greed Index reflected 71 which indicated that the market sentiment was greedy. However, as the prices declined, sentiment shifted to neutral and then entered the fear territory in early 2026. The downturn in sentiment was not purely technical but it was macro driven. Rising geopolitical tensions around the Strait of Hormuz added a great amount of pressure on the global risk assets, including crypto. The uncertainty around energy markets and trade flows spilled over into investor behavior, accelerating risk-off sentiment. At its lowest point, around February 12, 2026, the Fear & Greed Index plunged to as low as 5, an extreme reading even by crypto standards. To put things into perspective, this level of fear was lower than during major market shocks, which includes the FTX collapse in 2022 and the global market panic during the COVID-19 crash in 2020. This matters because sentiment usually leads the price. A “greatest era” narrative typically aligns with sustained optimism, aggressive drip-buying, and strong investor conviction. Instead, the market has shown hesitation and fragility, with participants reacting cautiously to volatility rather than embracing it. Bitcoin Dominance: Strength or Defensive Positioning? Bitcoin dominance has remained relatively elevated since late 2025, with a yearly high of 65.1% on June 27, 2025, and currently hovering around 59.9%, as per CoinMarketCap . While this marks a decline, the level is still high compared to typical altcoin-driven bull phases, where dominance tends to fall sharply. BTC Dominance as per CoinMarketCap as of April 30, 2026 Instead of signalling broad market expansion, this trend suggests cautious capital behavior, with investors preferring Bitcoin over riskier altcoins. In that sense, the current dominance levels reflect defensive positioning within crypto rather than a full-scale bullish rotation. Is This Really Bitcoin’s “Greatest Period”? The answer depends entirely on perspective. If one focuses on structure, the argument by Eric Trump becomes much more stronger. Institutional adoption is at an all-time high, financial products around Bitcoin are expanding at a great speed, and regulatory as well as political alignment is improving as well. Moreover, market access has broadened dramatically through ETFs and traditional financial channels. However, if one looks at the other side and focuses on the market data, the picture looks less convincing. Bitcoin remains significantly below its peak, ETF flows have been inconsistent with multiple months of huge outflows, and overall sentiment has cooled from extreme greed to periods of fear. Capital rotation trends also point toward caution rather than aggressive expansion, with investors favoring Bitcoin over altcoins instead of deploying risk across the broader market. From this standpoint, calling the current phase the “greatest period ever” feels premature. Final Thought The statement made by Eric Trump at Bitcoin 2026 captures a powerful narrative where Bitcoin is no longer a fringe asset, but one that is steadily embedding itself into mainstream finance. Yet the data since October 2025 tells a more cautious story. The market has experienced a sharp drawdown from its highs, endured months of institutional outflow, and seen sentiment shift from greed to fear. All of this suggests that while Bitcoin may be entering its most important structural phase, it is not, at least for now, its strongest terms of market performance and that distinction matters. Also Read: Bitcoin Slips Below $78K as BTC Liquidations Shake Crypto Market

30 Apr 2026, 14:16

65% of Institutions See CLARITY Act as XRP’s Breakout Catalyst — Yahoo Survey Signals Major Shift

CLARITY Act Emerges as XRP’s Potential Breakout Trigger A clear shift in institutional crypto sentiment is bringing XRP back into focus, with regulatory clarity now seen as the key trigger for large-scale adoption. Market analyst ChartNerd points to a Yahoo survey showing that 65% of institutions consider the CLARITY Act a potential breakout catalyst for XRP, suggesting that policy certainty is starting to matter more than speculation in driving future demand. For years, XRP has sat in a regulatory grey zone, with ongoing debate over whether it should be classified as a security or a commodity. This uncertainty has slowed deeper institutional participation, even as XRP has remained a steady reference point in cross-border payments and blockchain infrastructure conversations. As a result, the CLARITY Act is increasingly seen as a potential turning point because it aims to establish clear legal boundaries for digital assets and settle long-running classification debates. Having already been classified a digital commodity by the United States Security and Exchange Commisison (SEC), the Clarity Act could further ease compliance burdens for XRP and pave the way for deeper institutional participation. CLARITY Act Momentum Builds as Institutions Eye XRP and Altcoins for Regulatory Breakout Shift Earlier this month, Bitrue noted that the CLARITY Act could reinforce XRP’s position by placing it within a more predictable regulatory framework. In Bitrue’s view, regulatory clarity isn’t just a legal improvement, it’s a competitive edge in a market where compliance often dictates where institutional capital flows. Evernorth shares a similar opinion, noting that a finalized regulatory framework could speed up XRP adoption by giving institutions the clarity they’ve long been waiting for. For large funds and asset managers, the line between uncertainty and classification often determines whether an asset is simply watched or actively allocated. Market analyst Diana also suggests that evolving interpretations of the CLARITY Act may extend beyond XRP, potentially bringing several major altcoins, such as Solana, Litecoin, Hedera, Dogecoin, and Chainlink, under a more defined legal classification alongside Bitcoin and Ethereum. If that plays out, it could significantly reshape how the broader altcoin market is treated in regulated environments. While the final outcome of the CLARITY Act is still uncertain, the shift in sentiment is becoming clearer. Institutional attention is increasingly driven less by speculation and more by regulatory structure, with XRP increasingly sitting at the center of this transition.