Author: NBTC

The escalating conflict between Iran and the US and Israel has turned into a new crisis over the Strait of Hormuz, the heart of global energy markets. Despite claims from sources close to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard that the strait has been closed, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the strait has not been effectively closed. Speaking to Iranian state media, Ebrahim Jabari, a senior advisor to the commander of the Revolutionary Guard, stated, “The Strait of Hormuz is closed. If anyone tries to cross, the heroes of the Revolutionary Guard and the regular navy will set those ships…

As the curtain falls on Consensus Hong Kong 2026, the focus has shifted from the corporate boardrooms to the show floor. While institutional talk dominated the main stages, nearly 1,000 developers spent the week in the trenches of the EasyA x Consensus Hackathon, signaling a definitive pivot in the industry: the “Year of the Application Layer.” The competition, which has become a staple of Consensus by CoinDesk’s flagship events, saw over 30 projects pitch on demo day. The quality of builds, aided significantly by generative AI, clearly demonstrated that the barrier between a “proof of concept” and a “market-ready product”…

Ethereum trades near critical support after months of steady selling pressure. The 4-hour chart shows a firm downtrend with lower highs and lower lows. Price rejected the 0.786 Fibonacci level near $3,047 and never regained strength. Consequently, sellers tightened control after $ETH lost the 0.618 level at $2,768. That breakdown accelerated the slide toward $1,742, which now stands as major structural support. Technical Structure Remains Bearish Below $2,050 $ETH recently bounced from $1,742 but remains below key resistance clusters. The $1,900 to $1,850 zone now acts as immediate short-term demand. However, failure to hold this area increases the risk of…

The Crypto Fear and Greed Index, which measures investor sentiment in the cryptocurrency markets, has risen to “Neutral” for the first time since October. According to data published by CoinMarketCap, the index moved into neutral territory today at 42 points. This level indicates that the cautious outlook that has prevailed in recent weeks has given way to a more balanced market sentiment. Bitcoin saw a surprise surge today, gaining approximately 3% during the day and climbing above $94,000. Historical data clearly reveals a recovery in sentiment. Yesterday, the index was again close to the neutral zone at 40 points, compared…

Former Ryan Salame, a onetime co-CEO of FTX, has launched a highly visible social media campaign that appears aimed at securing a presidential pardon from Donald Trump, despite currently serving a federal prison sentence. Over recent weeks, Salame’s X account has posted a stream of politically charged messages praising Republican priorities, attacking Democrats, and aligning closely with Trump’s rhetoric on immigration enforcement and election integrity. Salame Posts a Series of Tweets to Align Himself Close to Donald Trump’s Policies. Source: X/@rsalame7926 Getting on Donald Trump’s Good Side In one post, Salame said that if granted clemency, he would “spend the…

Prominent economist Nouriel Roubini, also known as Dr. Doom for his prediction of the 2008 financial crisis that came true, is a well-known cryptocurrency opponent. In today’s tweet, he slammed crypto — and altcoins in particular — referring to the news of a major crypto lending platform, BlockFills, suspending withdrawals for its customers. To back his claims, Roubini added a source link to a Financial Times article about this incident. Dr. Doom slams “crypto s-coin land” as BlockFills halts withdrawals In a recent tweet, Nouriel Roubini has commented on the current crypto market turbulence that has wiped out several billion…

Fraction AI, an AI-led crypto investment entity, has partnered with Grvt, a popular crypto trading company with professional-grade infrastructure. The integration aims to unlock native trading opportunities for fraction AI-based AI agents. As per Fraction AI’s official X announcement, the collaboration permits direction trade execution, capital deployment, and cutting-edge investment strategy automation within the infrastructure of Grvt. Hence, by incorporating the trading rails of Grvt, the development unveils an exclusive layer of agent-led and programmable trading experience with market optimization in the real time. Fraction AI x GrvtFraction AI agents now have native access to @grvt_io , the premier platform…

Cryptocurrency prediction markets are forecasting that Ethereum’s ($ETH) February downturn will persist through the rest of the month and that $ETH will crash an additional 18% from its press time price of $1,950. Such an expectation is consistent with the token’s recent price movements, as it is arguably the biggest loser among the largest digital assets by market cap. Since 2026 started, Ethereum is down 34.88%, while Bitcoin (BTC) fell 23.47% and XRP dropped 24.59%. Crypto markets see 1/20 odds of $ETH rally to $2,800 in February Still, it is noteworthy that prediction traders on Polymarket are not particularly confident…

The MSTR stock price jumped by nearly 4% on Monday as Bitcoin continued its comeback and as Strategy accelerated its accumulation and shareholder dilution. Summary MSTR stock price rebounded as Bitcoin moved above $92,000. The company continued its Bitcoin accumulation last week. Technical analysis suggests that the stock has more downside. Strategy, formerly known as MicroStrategy, was trading at $163.25, up modestly from this year’s low of $155. It remains ~70% below its all-time high. In a statement, the company said that it acquired 1,287 Bitcoins (BTC), bringing the total holdings to 673,783. Its current holdings are valued at over…

Tokenization is emerging as a regulatory-tested path to modernizing U.S. securities markets, with the SEC weighing blockchain-based systems that could boost transparency, speed settlement, and reshape market infrastructure without weakening investor protections. SEC Weighs Tokenization as Next Phase of Market Evolution U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Commissioner Mark T. Uyeda delivered remarks at the Asset Management Derivatives Forum 2026 on Treasuries and Tokenization in Austin, Texas, on Feb. 9. He outlined how regulators are evaluating tokenization as a pathway to modernize securities markets while preserving investor protections. Uyeda framed tokenization as part of a longer arc of market evolution…