News
26 May 2026, 10:30
Whale Dumps $100M ETH Short, Pivots to $13.4M Bitcoin Bet at 20x Leverage

An onchain trader has abandoned a $100 million ether short position after absorbing a $260,000 loss and immediately reversed course, opening a leveraged 20x long bet on bitcoin worth $13.43 million. Trader Flips From ETH Short to Leveraged Bitcoin Long A pseudonymous high- leverage trader closed a short position on ether ( ETH) worth over
26 May 2026, 10:30
XRP Market Fear Hits Levels That Previously Triggered Relief Rallies

XRP derivatives traders are leaning bullish. Open interest in XRP futures jumped more than 1% in 24 hours to $2.86 billion, with activity climbing on both CME and Binance, signaling that traders with real money on the line are betting on a move up. Related Reading: Bitcoin Bull Thesis Goes Big: 39 Trillion Reasons To Buy, Says Gemini Founder A Familiar Pattern In The Data On-chain analytics firm Santiment flagged a shift in crowd mood on May 26, pointing out that the bullish-to-bearish comment ratio on social media had slipped to 1.1:1. That places sentiment at its most fearful in three weeks, a level that has historically been followed by short-term price stabilization or a bounce. Santiment’s reasoning is straightforward: when fear peaks, weak hands have already exited, and whales or institutions tend to step in and absorb the sell pressure. XRP was trading at $1.33 at the time of reporting, up about 1% from a 24-hour low of $1.32. Volume climbed 5% over the same period, adding some weight to the uptick. 📉 XRP’s crowd sentiment has swung sharply negative again, with the ratio of positive to negative commentary dropping to just 1.1 bullish comments for every 1 bearish comment. Historically, this kind of fear and skepticism has often acted as a contrarian signal for XRP’s price.… pic.twitter.com/KGubO783yE — Santiment Intelligence (@SantimentData) May 25, 2026 On the daily chart, the token is still below its 50-day, 100-day, and 200-day moving averages, and the Relative Strength Index is sitting near 41. A break above a multi-month trendline, reports indicate, could open the door toward $1.50. Ripple And Circle Rumors Swirl Much of the chatter swirling around XRP on Monday centered on a possible acquisition. Speculation spread that Ripple is preparing to buy stablecoin issuer Circle at a price tag of $11 billion. The rumor was traced back to a post by the XRP Ledger Foundation on X that simply read: “Tomorrow’s going to be a great day.” No executives from either company have addressed the speculation. 🚨 RUMOR ALERT 🚨 It is being reported that Ripple has acquired Circle, the issuer of the $61B stablecoin USDC. An official announcement is supposedly expected later today. If true, this would be one of the BIGGEST moves in crypto history. 👀 pic.twitter.com/Lpr7o7eX4D — John Squire XRP 🇺🇸 (@TheCryptoSquire) May 25, 2026 This is not the first time such a rumor has surfaced. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse publicly denied a Bloomberg report last year that said Ripple had pursued Circle at a valuation of $4 to $5 billion. Circle, for its part, said it was not for sale and was focused on its IPO. Reports suggest the XRP Ledger Foundation’s post was more likely connected to a major XRPL mainnet upgrade scheduled for May 27. Related Reading: When Bitcoin Gets Ignored, It Tends To Rally The Hardest, Analyst Says Chris Larsen’s Wallets Draw Attention Adding another thread to the day’s activity, wallets linked to Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen were reported to have become active again, with the timing drawing attention ahead of US midterm elections. No further details about the transactions were immediately available. Santiment noted that the opposite dynamic tends to play out during periods of heavy optimism, when the bullish-to-bearish ratio climbs into what it calls the FOMO zone, whale activity tends to fade and prices often pull back. Featured image from Gemini, chart from TradingView
26 May 2026, 10:27
Solana Price Prediction: SOL Stuck Below Key Resistance

Solana is still trapped below $100, but two charts show the same pressure point building. Analysts say a clean breakout could shift SOL from a four month range toward higher targets, with $100 acting as the first major test. Solana Price Chart Shows Breakout Setup as Analyst Targets $100 Solana is trading inside a breakout setup after holding a consolidation range and pressing against a long descending trendline, according to a three day chart shared by CryptoCurb on X. The analyst said a Solana breakout is coming and pointed to $100+ as the next key upside area. Solana Breakout Chart. Source: CryptoCurb on X The chart shows SOL forming a base after a long decline from its previous highs. Price moved sideways inside a green consolidation zone before reaching the descending blue trendline. That trendline has acted as resistance during the broader pullback. A clean move above it would mark a stronger breakout signal and could shift attention back to the $100 area. CryptoCurb also compared Solana’s structure with NEAR’s recent chart. The NEAR chart shows a similar pattern, with price building a base below a descending trendline before breaking higher. The comparison suggests the analyst expects SOL to follow a similar path. The projected bars on the Solana chart point to a sharp move above the consolidation range after the breakout. However, the setup still needs confirmation. SOL must hold its base and break above the trendline with follow through before the $100 target becomes the main focus. For now, the chart shows Solana sitting between range support and breakout resistance. The next move depends on whether buyers can push SOL above the descending trendline and keep the move alive. Solana Price Stuck Below $100 as Analyst Sees $300 to $500 Rally Setup Solana has stayed below $100 for four months, but analyst Borovik says SOL could rally above $300 if the broader bull market returns. The chart shared on X shows SOL trading near the lower part of its 2026 range after a long decline from the $200 to $250 area. Price has moved mostly sideways since February, with repeated attempts to recover failing below the $100 level. Solana Price Chart. Source: Borovik on X The main level on the chart is $100. SOL has not reclaimed that area for months, which keeps the market in a tight range and limits bullish momentum. Borovik said Solana could move above $300 once the bull market starts. He also said a move toward $500 remains possible within a year. The chart shows why that view depends on a breakout first. SOL has built a base around the $80 to $90 area, but it still needs a stronger move above $100 to confirm a larger recovery. If buyers reclaim $100, the next major upside zones would sit much higher, near previous breakdown areas around $125, $150, and $175. A stronger market move would be needed before SOL can target the $300 to $500 range. However, failure to break above $100 would keep Solana stuck inside the same four month range. In that case, the chart would continue to show sideways price action rather than a confirmed breakout.
26 May 2026, 10:24
Bitcoin spot volume crashes over 80% since October 2025

Bitcoin ( BTC ) spot trading volumes on all cryptocurrency exchanges have collapsed to their lowest levels in nearly two years. The Bitcoin spot volume on Binance alone has declined by more than 81% from its October 2025 peak of $198.6 billion to about $36.4 billion at press time. Meanwhile, Gate.io spot volumes have fallen by 79.6% over the same period, while Bybit has shed 66%, thereby confirming a market-wide slowdown, according to data from CryptoQuant analyzed by Finbold on May 26. Bitcoin spot trading volume. Source: CryptoQuant The last time Bitcoin spot volumes were this subdued was in July 2023, deep in the previous bear market. Essentially, the significant drop in BTC’s spot volume suggests a notable decline in its selling pressure. Moreover, demand for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies had fallen amid rising inflationary pressures triggered by the U.S.-Iran war. As such, investors opted for commodities and traditional equity indices. What’s next for Bitcoin price amid low spot volume With Bitcoin’s spot volume at a record low, bearish sentiment may have cooled further. Notably, the flagship coin has signaled a potential reversal after rebounding from a possible bear-market bottom formed between February and April, trading around $76,660 at the time of publication. BTC/USD 12-month chart. Source: Finbold Historically, the collapse in BTC’s spot volume marked the end of its bear markets. “It was precisely after spot volumes collapsed that the 2023 bear market came to an end, followed by the return of volatility and the recovery of the bullish trend,” analyst Darkfost noted . BTC funding rates on Binance. Source: CryptoQuant The potential BTC price rebound in the near future is bolstered by its sustained positive funding rates – periodic payments between longs and shorts in perpetual futures to keep the contract price aligned with spot price – on Binance over the past two, as per metrics from CryptoQuant . The low spot volume for BTC amid bullish leverage traders could bolster a potential rally beyond $82,000 in the near future. The post Bitcoin spot volume crashes over 80% since October 2025 appeared first on Finbold .
26 May 2026, 10:19
Bitcoin volatility falls to 9-month low as price stalls between $76,500 and $77,000

Bitcoin traded near $76,500 after failing to break above $80,000, while its volatility gauge fell to a nine-month low. The Bitcoin Volmex Implied Volatility Index dropped to 36.11 on Monday in Singapore. That was its lowest level since September and close to its weakest reading since 2023. The index uses live crypto options prices to track expected 30-day Bitcoin volatility. Bitcoin traded around $77,000 today and remained almost 40% below its October record above $126,000. US spot-Bitcoin ETFs recorded about $1 billion in net outflows so far in May, ending two months of inflows. Spot ETF MVRV rose 0.69%. ETF netflows improved 28.9%. ETF trade volume fell 22.9%. Bitcoin traders cut spot volume as Binance activity falls 81% from October 2025 Bitcoin spot trading volume has dropped to levels last seen in July 2023. Binance recorded $36.4 billion in trading volume, compared with $198.6 billion in October 2025. Current Binance volume is almost five times lower than that October figure. Source: CryptoQuant Gateio volume fell 79.6%. Bybit volume fell 66%. Inflation pressure and the longer-than-expected US-Iran conflict pushed investors toward commodities and traditional equity indexes instead of crypto markets. Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s daily active addresses recorded a small fall, as entity-adjusted transfer volume also declined slightly. According to Glassnode, capital share and the short-term holder to long-term holder supply ratio showed a steadier liquidity profile and lower speculative activity. “Bitcoin pulled back from $79K to $74K before rebounding toward $77K, with momentum and activity cooling. Despite softer sentiment, easing sell pressure hints at early signs of stabilization,” said Glassnode. The net unrealized profit-to-loss ratio declined sharply. The realized profit-to-loss ratio showed more loss realization than profit-taking. Bitcoin now has lower volatility, weaker spot volume, ETF outflows, lower ETF trade volume, fewer daily active addresses, lower adjusted transfer volume, steadier liquidity metrics, and more realized losses than profits. Looking forward, analyst Crypto Rover believes the US midterms election will turn the market bullish. “Everyone’s narrative right now is that the stock market is outperforming Bitcoin and that this is somehow strange. It’s not. This happens every single cycle,” said Crypto Rover. “Once $BTC starts outperforming the stock market again (breaking back above the bull market support band), that might be your signal the bear market is over.” Don’t just read crypto news. Understand it. Subscribe to our newsletter. It's free .
26 May 2026, 10:16
Bitcoin Price Prediction: BTC Nears Critical Support as $70K Realized Price Band Comes Into Focus

Bitcoin’s recent price action suggests the market is approaching an important decision zone where multiple technical and on-chain support levels converge. This raises the possibility of a short-term bullish reaction before the market determines its next larger directional move. The behavior around the $74K-$75K support and deeper demand regions will likely shape Bitcoin’s medium-term outlook. Bitcoin Price Analysis: The Daily Chart On the daily timeframe, BTC continues to trade below the descending 200-day MA near $80K, struggling to build bullish momentum. Following rejection from the $82K resistance area, sellers pushed the market back toward the first major support zone at $74K-$75K. This region is especially important because it aligns with prior demand and recent local lows, and it sits above the 100-day MA near $73K. Historically, overlapping support levels often generate temporary stabilization or corrective rebounds. The immediate scenario favors a pullback toward the $74K-$75K demand zone. If buyers defend this region successfully, Bitcoin may attempt another corrective move toward $78K-$80K. However, losing the $74K support could expose the next key level around $70K-$71K, followed by the stronger structural support near $65K-$66K. At this stage, price remains in correction mode rather than a confirmed trend reversal. Source: TradingView BTC/USDT 4-Hour Chart The lower timeframe highlights increasing indecision near support. Bitcoin recently reacted positively from the $74K-$75K order block and briefly recovered toward $77K, suggesting buyers remain active around this area. Still, bullish momentum has remained weak, with rebounds repeatedly failing to reclaim higher resistance levels. This indicates that current upward movements may represent temporary relief rallies rather than renewed trend continuation. The short-term support sits at $74K-$75K. Holding above this zone could encourage another recovery attempt toward the $78K-$80K region. Conversely, a confirmed breakdown below $74K may accelerate selling toward the next major demand area around $70K-$71K. Therefore, the reaction at current support levels remains critical to determining whether Bitcoin enters a stabilization phase or another bearish leg. Source: TradingView On-Chain Analysis The UTXO Realized Price Bands provide additional context by tracking the average acquisition cost of different investor cohorts. These levels often serve as psychological support or resistance because they indicate where holders become profitable or begin to experience losses. Currently, the realized price for the 1M–3M cohort sits near $70K, while the 18M–2Y cohort remains around $63K. Meanwhile, longer-term holders between 12M–18M and 3M–6M maintain realized prices closer to the $90K region. The significance lies in the confluence between technical supports and realized price bands. Bitcoin’s first major support zone around $ 70K–$71 K aligns closely with the realized price of younger holders (1M–3M), strengthening the likelihood of demand emerging in this area. A deeper decline toward $63K-$65K would also coincide with the realized price of longer-term cohorts around $63K, alongside an important historical support zone visible on the daily chart. This suggests that if Bitcoin continues correcting, support levels at $74K-$75K, $70K-$71K, and eventually $63K-$65K may attract increasing buying activity. The market’s reaction around these zones will likely determine whether the current pullback evolves into accumulation or transitions into a broader bearish continuation. For now, the data point to short-term support potential rather than an immediate trend recovery. Source: CryptoQuant The post Bitcoin Price Prediction: BTC Nears Critical Support as $70K Realized Price Band Comes Into Focus appeared first on CryptoPotato .















































